Tetraskelion

A tetraskelion from the Indus Valley

The tetraskelion, “four-legged”, is an ancient symbol found throughout Indus Valley culture. The earliest tetraskelion ever found was uncovered in Mezine, Ukraine, carved on an ivory figurine, dated to c. 10,000 BCE. In Hindu tradition, the tetraskelion is depicted as either a swastika or a sauwastika, retaining different meanings per tradition. In Mesoamerica, the Mayans have Maya tetraskelion inscriptions, while the Navaho recognize it as tsil no'oli, meaning “whirling logs”. The Chinese call it wàn, often denoting “longevity”.

Four paths

The use of the tetraskelion by many isolate cultures supports the hypothesis that the symbol was known and utilized from a very ancient point of origin, before divergence of proliferating cultures. The tetraskelion visually depicts “four arms” or “four paths” diverging from a central point of origin.

The Vedic version of the Matsya myth emphasizes saving the Vedas, which are symbolically depicted as four racially diverse infants.

The concept of four paths diverging, can be compared to an ancient flood myth motif—the depiction of four beings of man, as either root races or root nations making their own path. In Hinduism, the Vedas are depicted as the four races of infant man who were saved by the Matsya. In Hebrew Genesis, Noah and his three sons and their wives repopulate the Earth. According to various religious traditions, the four pairs diverged from a central point (Mount Ararat?) to establish nations of their own kind.

See also: Ibis, secret sites

All races of man

Myth of Matsya

The myth of Matsya is a story in Hinduism about surviving a "great flood". One version describes: "earth, ether and heaven will be flooded by the all-devouring ocean; When the three worlds are submerged in the waters of annihilation." Common elements in the variations of the story are: a big boat that protects Manu's family, the Seven Sages (saptarishi), nine types of seeds, and various animals. After the boat perches on the top of the Malaya Mountains (Himalayas?), Manu's family repopulate the earth. In Vedic versions, Matsya is praised for rescuing the four Vedas, symbolically depicted as four racially diverse infants.

Misappropriation

In the mid 1920s, the founders of the National Socialist German Workers' party misappropriated the tetraskelion into their ideology of seeking a "master race", as opposed to its ancient reminder for survival of all races. The malfeasance of the NSGW party invoked fear and dread into the symbol, whereby its modern-day use has been banned in many Western affiliated countries.