Swastik in CK II?

[Jugoslavia]

Hi, I played yesterday as Rurik and I saw something strange... it was swastik. It's above province "Saamod" near Finland and Siberia. Swastik is located on isle. Can someone tell me what is that?

[Meewec]

swastikas were used long before the nazi's in many different cultures and religions(including jews). it was usually a symbol used for balance or peace

[jfoytek]

The suastica is a hindu representation of the swastica long before the Nazi's made a symbols who's meaning was "The Making of Goodness" thats what su - asti - ca means in Hindu....

The image was also used bye buhdists and Jain's but the one that your seeing inside of CK2 is the Hindu version as its represented in Raja's of India....

Also the swastika symbol was also the
Finish Airforce Roundel from 1918-1945
It was the symbol of the Latvian Airforce from 1918 - 1940
It was the symbol of the US 45th infantry division.

The oldest swastika excavated from a dig dates back to 6000 BC

The icon has been of spiritual significance to Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The use of the swastika by the Bön faith of Tibet, as well as Chinese Taoism, can also be traced to Buddhist influence. In Thailand, the word Sawaddi is normally used as a greeting that simply means "hello"; Sawaddi-ka (feminine) and Sawaddi-krup (masculine). Sawaddi derives from the Sanskrit word swasti and its meaning is a combination of the words prosperity, luck, security, glory, and good.

[Sneaky_Koala]

The previous two comments make my heart warm and why I love this game. People that play it are at least somewhat intellegent.

The sheeple of course are brainwashed with 'nazi nazi nazi' as soon as the emblem is displayed but those of us that know better are aware of the truth.

[Alien]

I think it's also important to make a distinciton here. The two first answers give the impression that there was some kind of semi-universal symbol called the swatiska used in very different cultures with roughly the same meaning, then the nazis came and boom they changed it.


But the truth is a bit different: this symbol is very easy to draw (despite the laughable attempts by neonazis today), and has been invented several times in several parts of the world. Its simplicity means that, just like almost any kind of geometrical cross, you'll find it everywhere in the world.

The sautiska in particular is a hindu cross that means prosperity and was also borrowed by buddhism (and other religions of indian origin). It spread accross the himalayas and as far as Japan. The nazis, who were fascinated by some racial weird theories, believed it was an ancient indo-european symbol of supremacy, and stole it. (the theory originated whith Schliemann, yes it the same one who discovered Troy).

But depending on the culture, it will have different names and meanings (sometimes it will have no lmeaning at all). Across the Baltic see it is sometimes related to thunder and/or fire divinities ; for some western native americans it's a symbol for healing, in some parts of Africa it's a beautiful snake etc...

In the game I think there are only Finnish/Estonian and Indian ones. So in the first case it's likely related to thunder and that kind of things, and in the second case it has already been explained by the other comments.

[essi2]

There is also the Broken Sun Cross which looks alot like the Swastika.

Can't remember if that is included in CK2 though.

[SKull]

Ancient symbol of the sun. I though it was mostly used by Indians, but I guess it was in Finland too.

[that guy]

Forgive me for being ignorant, but aren't the Buddhist version (at least) and Nazi version reverse images of each other? So therefore they're not really the same symbols.

[SKull]

They are, but the Nazi used both as well. And I would argue that looking at something in a mirror doesn't really change it all that much. It is definitely a symbol of the sun whichever way you draw it, ergo the same symbol.

[gghadur77]

Originally posted by Jugoslavia:

Hi, I played yesterday as Rurik and I saw something strange... it was swastik. It's above province "Saamod" near Finland and Siberia. Swastik is located on isle. Can someone tell me what is that?

Things that have been referred to by historians as swastikas have been found in Scandinavian ruins, if I recall correctly. But I don't know if it's entirely clear that they were the same thing as the symbol from Asia that the Nazis decided should be theirs. I think that might have something to do with why they decided they liked the swastika though.

Originally posted by sudokek:

You can literally be hitler in Hearts of Iron 4. Stop being so sensative.

You can literally form Nazi Germany in Victoria 2, but it does not have the actual flag of Nazi Germany, complete with swastika. I assume this is because it would make the game impossible to sell legally in Germany, if not impossible to develop legally in Sweden. But why they ban Nazi iconography yet don't ban Victoria 2 for failing to include historically accurate information on all the genocides that happened in that time period, I can't begin to understand. I guess some people must be stupid enough to become Nazis solely because of how cool their flag is, because if you read about their actual ideology, it's really ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ dumb.

[hurepoix]

Fact is svastika is and will be ashamed and it will not end tomorrow. Is it unfair, perhaps but it is like that and there is nothing to do against that.
It is like the first name Adolf. In lot of european countries nobody give this first name to baby when it was come before the WWII.

[Ertu Invictus]

About the nazi one and the finnish svastiskas. Where the nazi one "spinns" to the left. The finn one spinns to the right. As been said, different things.

[Zukhani]

Which island are you talking about exactly? I didn't find any swastiks in Finland or Siberia. As far as I know only Hindus have it.
https://imgur.com/a/L77OvPr

[Jugoslavia]

Originally posted by Zukhani:

Which island are you talking about exactly? I didn't find any swastiks in Finland or Siberia. As far as I know only Hindus have it.
https://imgur.com/a/L77OvPr

Propably swastika appears on that little island which you have in your screenshot when you have Rajas of India DLC, but I'm not sure.

[SKull]

It's just a symbol. If we're going to keep banning every symbol and word that gets abused somehow we are all going to be communicating in semaphore within about a week. But the hypersensitives control the world evidently. Nothing is offensive intrinsically. You make things offensive in your own mind and then insist that whatever if offensive to you is objectivekly offensive. And it is not. Words and symbols only have whatever meaning we put into them. Think a swastika would offend a newborn baby? It would not.
Actions are worse. But even actions are not offensive unless they are perceived to be offensive. Romans were not effended by slaves killing each other for sport in public spectacles, or for that matter by slavery itself. I would find every part of this extremely offensive and unacceptable. But that does not mean that I am right and that they were wrong. So even that's subjective. Stop being so damn sensitive about nonense. Literally the only thing you will achieve is destroying language and distorting history, because we aren't allowed to even talk about, much less try to understand the things that offend you and the other hypersensitives. Nothing positive can come of hypersensitivity, least of all about words and symbols.

There are actually real problems in the world, believe it or not. Historically accurate use of Swastikas in video games is not one of them. Not even close.