Hi, Tuesday, December 9, 2003, 11:36:51 PM, you wrote:
> Oooo, Oooo, Oooooo: > So now we're on to revolting place names, are we? > On a different type of revolting, there's a place in Northern Ontario called > Swastika. It's had it's name for something like a hundred years, and > they've refused all requests and polite suggestions to change their name, > saying they pre-dated the evil Nazis (which they did), and they like their > name. > I'm not sure how they came up with that name. I know some First Nations > tribes considered the Swastika a good luck symbol (ironic, since it wasn't > very lucky for the Nazis), but it may be that the name is German, I don't > know. > Whatever, the Town of Swastika, Ontario, Canada proudly survives to this > day... Good for them. Why let the Nazis spoil things. The word swastika is way, way, way older than German. The symbol itself is very old. You see it a lot in current use in India (where it is called the swastika as well). When I was there I saw it a lot in association with 2 other symbols - the 'om' sign and another which I can't remember for the moment. I have photos of them somewhere. The Greeks and Romans used it as an architectural pattern detail, although it certainly predates them. You can see it in use in the same way on a lot of older buildings here in Britain and other parts of Europe. Ironically, given the Nazi association, the building in Whitehall, London, next to the Cenotaph is decorated with carved swastikas. -- Cheers, Bob mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
