Three Dog Knot

[Rab Gordon]

I believe that the 3-Dog design shown is a copy of George Bain's interpretation of a design originally found in the Book of Kells. As to the original origins - that could be a very long discussion

Rab

[Ne Oublie]

It is a Celtic spin-take it back a bit further and you get the 'gripping beast', from which many such designs evolved.

Take it a step further and you have the Walknut-which shows you are dedicated to Odin. The Ship museum in Oslo did [does it still have?] a display showing the evolution of Scandinavian design-and how the beast became ever more symbolised.

I'm mentioning this, not to rain on your parade: but if I or many others saw you wearing it, we would assume that it indicated an allegiance to Odinism: and as such shared our faith.

There are of course many similarities between Teutonic and Celtic art forms, and for certrain reasons some designers tend to label things Celtic, when in fact they have strong Teutonic - Odinic meanings. [Possibly for Americans it might be better if I said Asatru/Vanirtru.]

This in turn leads to certain problems-for as you know the Swastica is a Christian symbol, though rarely used these days, and is also today a common eastern faith symbol. However variants of it are very common in so called Celtic design-did the Celts get it from the Teutons or vice versa-I do not know. It was also used in WW1 as a British Divisional Sign, and to as recently as WW1 as a Finnish Air Force marking. This leads to a problem, for it can today lead to people walking around in all innocence thinking they are just wearing an attractive adornment, when in fact they are displaying the Swastica. A symbol which can suggest to some that they have certain extreme political leanings!

Leanings which are not shared by genuine Odinists: but sadly we are aware of them thanks to the misuse of certain of our holy symbols.

I thought a lot before writing this, for I know that I'm touching upon a sensitive area, and might offend some. But I'd rather be guilty of some offense, than not write; and so create a situation which could have been prevented where someone is indicating an allegiance/viewpoint which does not exist.

James

I have books on the ancient and current symbols of Christianity, none of which include the swastika (swastica). Do you have something in evidence of this that I could reference?

[bubba]

If I recall correctly, the Swastika is prehistoric in origin and has been found on cave walls. Thing about symbols is over the centuries they can and do take on new meanings and in todays world the Swastika is considered an evil symbol. A century or two from now this may not be the case. The Pentagram is another symbol that got this treatment. From a pagan symbol to a symbol associated with the Devil and evil.

[Scott Gilmore]

......

[Big Dave]

The swastika mean "good luck".

Both these sites have some history on it, http://www.luckymojo.com/swastika.html
http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swa...ikahistory.htm

[Paul Henry]

great buckle Rex, I've got a similar one but with 6 small dogs? ( well animals).
all of these celtic inspired-or other wise -look good.

James- might be useful to quote your research- just for us to gain the same insights

[macwilkin]

Someone earlier mentioned the Finnish Air Force's use of the Swastika during the Second World War -- here is what the offical FAQ on the Finnish Air Force's web site has to say:

Why did the Finnish Air Force use the swastika as the national marking between 1918 and 1945? Why is the swastika still part of badges of Air Force units?
The swastika has been used since ancient times both as an ornament and a motif. It is known to appear, among other applications, in the sewing works of the Finno-Ugric peoples until the modern days. The swastika is very often construed as a symbol of good luck.

The first publicly displayed swastika motif in Finland is probably the swastika ornament around Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s Aino triptych from 1891. This painting is currently hung in the stateroom of the Bank of Finland in Helsinki. The armed forces of Finland adopted the swastika during the Civil War in 1918. Swedish Count Eric von Rosen donated the White Army a Thulin typ D airplane in Vaasa on March 6, 1918. On the wings he had painted blue swastikas, his personal mofif of good luck, in Umeå on March 2, before the airplane took off for the crossing of Gulf of Bothnia. After landing in Vaasa the airplane was incorporated as Aircraft Number 1 in the parc d’avions of Finland, later to be renamed the Aviation Force. It was therefore decided to adopt the blue swastika on a white circular background as the national marking, and this was retained until 1945 when it was superseded by the current roundel due to a directive issued by the Allied Control Commission. The directive, however, did not require that the symbol be replaced in other Air Force symbols and flags where it remains in use.

-- http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/index_en.php?id=624

And two more articles with a general summary:

http://virtual.finland.fi/stt/showar...group=Politics

http://hkkk.fi/~yrjola/war/faf/hakaristi.html

Regards,

Todd

[Rab Gordon]

This was my own interpretation of that 3-dog design,

Here's some more of our other Celtic / Pictish designs, if any XMarkers would like some artwork to use in a personal project then drop me an email.

Rab

[TechBear]

I have books on the ancient and current symbols of Christianity, none of which include the swastika (swastica). Do you have something in evidence of this that I could reference?

The swastika as a Christian symbol derived from the solar cross, ie the equal armed cross enclosed by a circle.

The solar cross was used very widely throughout the early Christian to represent both Christ as the Pantokrator ("ruler of all") and the mission of evangelizing the world. As Christianity spread, it came in contact with the similar swastika which was found in many cultures in the Middle and Far East. Missionaries made a practice of adapting Christian symbols to show the "pagans" how their own religions predicted the coming of Christ; thus, the solar cross was "broken" to show that the swastika was really a Christian symbol "in disguise." For some centuries, a swastika with curved "rays" was a Christian symbol used by missionaries and churches from Afghanistan to Japan.

You find similar "adaptation" of "pagan" symbols throughout Christian history. Other examples include the Egyptian ankh (symbol of life which became the "crux ansata" representing eternal life through faith in Christ), the iconography of Mother and Child (found in many different cultures; motherhood is pretty universal), the Irish shamrock (once associated with representations of three seated deities, now a symbol of the Trinity), and the labyrinth (associated with escape from the Underworld, labryrinths were in vogue for several centuries in Europe as symbols of how Christ saves from Hell and eternal death; see Chartre and other gothic Cathedrals.)

[Woodsheal]

Some other nice Celtic buckles and belts here:

http://www.gaelsong.com/gcart/index.cfm?page=_search

Check out the "hounds" and "lions" buckles, plus the clearance sale on the pewter kilt belt set!

http://www.gaelsong.com/gcart/index....oductId=WB2010