In 1904, Jim and Bill Dusty, two rugged freelance prospectors, took a contract from a group of investors to locate a silver mine in an area known to hold gold. They found no silver but in 1907 they staked out the Swastika Gold Mine. In 1908, the town was incorporated as Swastika. The Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway established a watering station near the town and miners and prospectors flooded into the area. In 1909 a new mine, called Lucky Cross (after the good luck symbol of the swastika), adjacent to the T&NO railway tracks began producing gold. By 1911, the town consisted of hotels, stores and schools. The little town flourished.

In 1935, the raise of Nazism in Germany created a major problem for the few hundred people of Swastika. As war loomed and then exploded in Europe the Ontario government decided that German sounding names should not exist in Ontario, regardless of the origins of the names or the peoples of the towns or area. Berlin, Ontario was changed to Kitchener and Swastika was changed to Winston. While the name change stuck in Kitchener, the townsfolk of Swastika were not amused. They tore down the Winston sign and replaced it with a restored Swastika sign (good for them!) and another sign which read, “To hell with Hitler, we came up with our name first”

If you are looking for Swastika, Ontario, just go north on Highway 11 from North Bay to Highway 66. Turn right towards Kirkland lake and look for the sign of good luck.

Which leftists used in one of their liefests.

“Look the Finns are Nazis – they even have…..”

Similarly with Fasces.

has been extensively used as a decoration (often, apparently, as a mystical symbol) in almost all known parts of the world from prehistoric times to the present day.

The Greek gammadion, Nazi hakenkreuz (the familiar version of the swastika), and cross cramponnée are all varieties of the device.

—-The foregoing is taken from the source (checked against my print edition, 1970′s printing, of the Compact OED–and the whole thing is interesting) at

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/swastika.htm

. . .

There are many photos from, mostly, the First Millenium A.D., at

http://www.odinsvolk.ca/fylfot.htm:

Examples are from the Isle of Man, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Egypt, Sutton Hoo, and elsewhere. Notice that the arms twist sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left–although as Wikipedia observes, you can read the bend or break either way, depending on how your mind works. A rock carving in which the device swirls, rather than breaking, to the left, is labelled as an artifact from Sweden dating from 4,000 B.C..

. . .

Ixquick Search (thanks, Laird!) for “fylfot” gives over 3900 results, some interesting and giving still more names for the design, e.g. the “Jaina Cross.” And, of course, there’s always the Foot of All Knowledge *g*:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

. . .

It’s amazing what y’all would learn if you dumped all this philosophy/economics/history/politics nonsense and took up needlepoint–which is how I came across the fylfot. ;>)

Damn you Samizdata Commentariat! Damn you with your facts and reasoning!