Swastika Symbol of Fertility In India, the word symbolized fertility and good fortune and continues in use, today. Originally, the swastika was primarily an ancient solar symbol. According to the book, Signs and Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Their Meanings and Origins (NY: Barnes and Noble, 1996), the swastika has taken on many other meanings. This symbol is part of the Greek tradition to honor Zeus, Helios, and other deities. For the Celts and Scandanavian people, the swastika represented Thor, the god of air, thunder, and lightening.
Close-up of a book cover published in February 1930 by Pitt L. Fitzgerald, Columbus, Ohio. This is a novel involving Native Americans, and the swastika symbol appears on a number of its pages, sometimes two of them at the top of the page.