1921.] The Svastika and the Omkara. 243 
an article by Prof. Sayce on the origin of the Semitic Alphabet. 
According to the learned writer, the problem of the Semitic 
alphabet has been in a large measure solved. ‘ The use of the 
Aitareya Brahmana (V, 32) that Prajapati desirous of being 
born as ‘many’ began a course of meditation resulting in the 
the pranava. We have, in this assertion, evidence of an early 
Indo-Aryan tradition that the letters a, u and ma were the 
first to be evolved. Naturally, the three letters would consti- 
tute a group by itself, standing apart from other and later 
out of the twenty four signs in the Egyptian alphabet three 
and only three are pictures of birds and correspond to the 
three letters a,uwand m. It is allowable to infer from this cir- 
sia. gage 
This finding leads us to consider another point 1n- regard 
to the Egyptian alphabetical group @, ¥ and m. With the 
introduction of homophones in the Middle and New Kingdoms 
we come across a new alternative form of u, namely @, 
What could this spiral represent? The spiral-ornament has 
been traced by Professor Goodyear to the lotus flower which 
occurs as a motif in Egyptian architecture as early as about 
the 14th century B.C. That explanation applies also, I think 
to the spiral-letter vu. The spiral occurs on Trojan spindle- 
whorls along with its duplicated forms § and @ see plate 11] 
That these forms constitute the basis of the ‘ ogee’ svastika 
