The word swastika comes from the
Sanskrit svastika, meaning
welfare (
su = "well" +
asti = "he is").
The swastika itself has been a symbol of
good fortune since ancient times. Elegant in its simplicity and beautiful in its
asymmetry, the swastika was widely used throughout the ancient world (appearing for instance on
Mesopotamian coins). It was a
solar symbol. The
Nazis adopted it as their
hakenkreutz. Its arms spin in a
clockwise direction.
The
swavastika spins in a
counterclockwise direction. This was a
night symbol, and often stood for
magical practices. It was used as a symbol for
Buddhism in
Japan since ancient times.