Posted on 09/09/2006 10:04:02 PM PDT by rightgrafix
RIGA (Reuters) - Hundreds of Latvians knitting 4,500 pairs of woollen mittens as gifts for the November NATO summit have been told to avoid a folk symbol said to ward off evil since it looks like a Nazi swastika.
A spokeswoman for the NATO leaders' summit said the Latvian Thunder Cross, or Fire Cross, will not figure in the design of any of the thousands of unique pairs of mittens some 300 Latvians are producing for NATO delegates lest it be misinterpreted.
The Thunder Cross is a folklore symbol used as a charm against evil for Latvians. It quite commonly features on such mittens and other folk items in Latvian shops
The mittens will join a bottle of traditional Latvian spirits -- Black Balzam -- a CD of local folk music, a jar of honey and some Latvian tea in a gift bag for delegates.
Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga is expected to personally hand over the gift bag to the 26 heads of NATO member states, including U.S. President George W. Bush, who plans to visit Estonia as well during his Baltic stay.
The November summit, NATO's 19th such gathering, will be the first hosted by Latvia which joined NATO and the EU in 2004.
Among other themes, leaders are expected to discuss expansion of the alliance to incorporate other former Soviet states, along with the defence alliance's evolving role.
The Sign of Thunder - Fire Cross
The sign of thunder, known to western culture as the swastika, is one of the most ancient symbols in the world and has been used by all nations. The Latvian sign of thunder symbolizes light, fire, life, health and prosperity. No other nation has used the swastika so widely, nor developed so many variations of it as the Latvians
In folklore, the god of thunder, the heavenly blacksmith, is one of the most important deities. He ripens grain, and banishes demons with lightning. The dainas mention crossed lightning bolts, which are the most dangerous, since they set fire immediately to whatever they touch. Crossed bolts were depicted on a very old brooch. The fire cross can easily be developed from this pattern.
Thanks, I was trying to find the image... just your run of the mill nazi swastika. No deviation.
My pleasure - the article made me curious.
"The swastika was a widely used Native American symbol. It was used by many southwestern tribes, most notably the Navajo. Among different tribes the swastika carried various meanings. To the Hopi it represented the wandering Hopi clans; to the Navajo it represented a whirling log ( tsil no'oli' ), a sacred image representing a legend that was used in healing rituals."
Another Example:
The Hindu Swastika.
Or perhaps just an old corporate logo from the Santa Fe railroad, or the pre-World War II patch of the 45th Infantry Divison. http://www.ok.ngb.army.mil/45InfBde/swastika.htm
Yes, yes point taken. But these logos and patches are all pre-holocaust. Although, Ahmadinejad would probably disagree on the "holocaust" part.
Imagine seeing Bush on national TV waving his "Latvian sign of thunder" mittens around... ooh, the horror. 8*)
Ping
:^)
The UN would probably decide that mittens were insulting to the "digitally challenged."
a folklore symbol used as a charm against evil for LatviansAnd considering that the Soviet empire and the Nazis conquered Latvia (one of them twice) during the 20th century, it must work like a champ. ;')
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