How does one describe the rotational direction of a swastika? I visualize it (as does West, I imagine) as a propeller with each blade trailing a banner behind it. But Cecil seems to view the bent arms pointing in the direction of rotation rather than being dragged behind. Since the swastika is a stationary symbol that is not usually spun like the Wheel of Fortune, is there any objective basis for describing either direction as “clockwise?”
Forgive me if this was addressed long ago, but I just searched the archives and didn’t find any similar discussions.
I always viewed it as pointing in the direction of rotation. Wikipedia says “A right-facing swastika might be described as ‘clockwise’ or ‘counter-clockwise’.” With a diagram outlining both things you mentioned. Apparently the preferred terms are “left-facing” and “right-facing” because they’re less ambiguous, and it says that usually “clockwise” refers to “right-facing”. It goes on to mention that apparently some ancient vedic scripts mentioned the significance of the clockwise and counterclockwise motion (but doesn’t say what that significance was).
It should be noted that all this is marked with [citation needed], so grain of salt.
I don’t know if there’s any unambiguous answer to which way it’s “rotating”.
That pretty much covers what Cecil said, but it doesn’t answer my question: Is there an objective basis for calling the swastika “clockwise” and the sauvastika “counter-clockwise?”
It looks the other way around to me. That may be because, as a cartoon buff, I’m used to seeing moving objects leaving motion trails behind them.
Personally, I’ve always imagined it like four scoops on an axle so I’d think of a rightfacing swastika as going clockwise and a left-facing going counterclockwise.
BTW another thing I’ve noticed is that swastika/sauvastika symbols in the older traditions are more often oriented with the arms straight along the vertical/horizontal axes, while the NSDAP’s symbols preponderantly had it aligned at 45 degree diagonals.
Excellent! I am ashamed that I never thought of that myself. I could never remember which way the arms pointed. The SS officer insignia, which was inspired by the swastika, should have clued me in on how to remember which way the Nazi symbol was oriented. They weren’t ZZ officers, after all.
In Tibet, the direction is quite important. Tibetan Buddhists subscribe to the “s” shape. The indigenous pre-Buddhist Bonpo religion is the opposite direction. It’s not a"s" good, opposite bad type dynamic as posited above.
stui magpie, do you have more than a random cite saying the direction in ancient China doesn’t matter? I’m not trying to bust balls but that strikes me and all my experience in China and Tibet as patently absurd. YMMV.
I have a photo I took of the symbol carved into a flagstone of the Potala Palace main front staircase. It’s “S”, just like Adolph’s (but with the dot in the center of each square). Don’t recall seeing it in China.