THE ORIGIN OF THE SWASTIKA 



207 



corated, in France in the last century and sold to the 

 peasants for giving weight and rotatory stability to 

 the spindle used in spinning, and are still used wher- 

 ever the spindle survives, as among the Indians of 

 Central America. A " grammatized " profile representa- 

 tion of a stork (Fig. 52, A) is one of the designs on 

 these Hissarlik spindle-whorls, and so is the linear re- 

 presentation of a stag (Fig. 52, B). And now we come 

 back to the Swastika. .The four figures in a row, marked 

 C in Fig. 52, are a few of the re- 

 presentations of " flying " storks on 

 these same spindle-whorls ; one so 

 marked is drawn in Fig. 53- They 

 are of various degrees of simplifica- 

 tion, and the last but one on the 

 right hand side is identical with a 

 Swastika ! It must be carefully 

 remembered that these clay spindle- 

 whorls from Hissarlik are very 

 commonly inscribed with undoubted 

 well-shaped Swastikas, as shown in 

 Fig. 42. The Swastika is quite 

 a common and usual decorative 

 lucky badge in the household art 

 of that locality and age. Hence it is not surpris- 

 ing that M. Solomon Reinach, of Paris, has suggested 

 that the Swastika may have originated thus — by the 

 "stylizing" or " grammatizing " of a favourite and sacred 

 bird — the stork. Once thus suggested and drawn in the 

 simple Swastika shape the emblem (it would be supposed) 

 became fixed, and made as rectilinear and simple as 

 possible. Thenceforward it was accepted as an emblem 

 of good luck, which has been transmitted throughout the 

 ancient world of Europe, Asia and America. This theory 

 has a plausible aspect, but I understand from M. Reinach 



Fig. 53 Spindle - whorl 



from Troy (fourth city), 

 with three swastikas 

 — two resembling 

 "stylized" storks (see 

 Fig. 52, C). (Schlie- 

 mann. ) 



