No Nazi Mittens for NATO Leaders, At the summit in Latvia

Apparently people preparing baskets of traditional crafts have been asked to avoid the swastika on the mittens they are knitting. It is a traditional symbol against bad luck in Latvia. (Yes, not just Latvia and Finland, native Americans used it too)

See the story here

The title of your post if erroneous, Jeff.
That ancient Latvian folklore symbol described in the article has nothing to do with the Nazis.
Even the article's title avoids the link between the swastika-like symbol and the Nazis.

Gen. Dénes

Also in Maramures (north Romaia) svastika is a simbol from luck, and it is posible that the german nationalists take this sign from romanian nationalists from Transilvania, acording to Alex Mihai Stoenescu [I]Istoria loviturilor de stat din Romania vol II.

I see your point sir, but it's a slow day here so I will respond. At the risk of splitting hairs even more finely, I don't agree.

First, my title is literally correct: there will not be Nazi mittens at the NATO summit meeting. My title does not say why this is true, or that there would have been if action had not been taken.

That's exactly the point, as the article (and my post) makes clear. In the Latvian cultural context the symbol has nothing to do with the Nazis. But the reason for the Latvian government's request is that their people need to be sensitive. Whatever folkloric or mythological meanings it may have had historically in some cultures, because of the Nazi's use of the swastika, many people associate it with them.

I can understand followers of other traditions wanting to remove the taint of the Nazi connection that they had no role in creating and that they don't support; to take their symbols back. But it just seems naive to pretend it doesn't exist.

I see your point sir, but it's a slow day here so I will respond. At the risk of splitting hairs even more finely, I don't agree.

First, my title is literally correct: there will not be Nazi mittens at the NATO summit meeting. My title does not say why this is true, or that there would have been if action had not been taken.

It's hairsplitting all right, to the finest degree.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on September 13, 2006 03:33 am

I forgot how svastika became the symbol of the German National-Socialist Party, but the inspiration was not from the "Romanian nationalists from Transilvania". The inspiration was related to some ancient civilisations of Asia, were svastika was used as symbol. From there it arrived in the Greek world, in about 8th century B.C.

Rudolf Hess spent his early years in Egypt, where his parents had some official assignment from the German government of that era. He was quite fond of many Asiatic ideas and cultural values. He was not the only high rank Nazi German fond of Asian cultural values.
The most interesting, for me, is how those ideologists turned the "Aryan" matter occured in ancient India to link it with the ancient history of the German tribes.

This post has been edited by Florin on September 16, 2006 11:50 pm