Fylfot
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This article covers the etymology and usage of the word "fylfot" and the occurrence of the fylfot in European heraldry. For information about the symbol itself, see swastika.
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Fylfot or fylfot cross is a synonym for swastika chiefly used in Britain and sometimes Scandinavia.
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Etymology
The most commonly cited etymology for this is that it comes from the notion common among nineteenth-century antiquarians, but based on only a single 1500 manuscript, that it was used to fill empty space at the foot of stained-glass windows in medieval churches.
However, Thomas Wilson (see below), writing in 1896, cites other etymologies:
- "In Great Britain the common name given to the Swastika from Anglo-Saxon times ... was Fylfot, said to have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon fower fot, meaning four-footed, or many-footed." — R.P. Greg, "Meaning and Origin of Fylfot and Swastika," Archaeologia, Vol. XLVIII, 1885, part 2, 1885 (p. 298); Le Comte Goblet d'Alviella, La Migration des Symboles, 1891 (p. 50)
- "The word [Fylfot] is Scandinavian and is compounded of Old Norse fiël, equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon fela, German viel, many, and fotr, foot, the many-footed figure." — quoted from George Waring, "Ceramic Art in Remote Ages"; John B. Day, London; 1874 (p.10)
These etymologies — Waring's in particular — seem more credible, giving fylfot much the same meaning as tetraskelion (Greek "four-legged").
Interestingly, House of Commons Hansard Debates for 12 Jun 1996 (pt 41) (http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960612/debtext/60612-41.htm) reports a discussion about the badge of No. 273 Fighter Squadron (http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/h273.html), Royal Air Force. In this, fylfot is used to describe the ancient symbol, and swastika used as if it refers only to the symbol used by the Nazis.
Modern usage of the term
Clearly, fylfot is an established word for this symbol — in at least British English. However, it was only rarely used. Wilson, writing in 1896, says, "The use of Fylfot is confined to comparatively few persons in Great Britain and, possibly, Scandinavia. Outside of these countries it is scarcely known, used, or understood."
In more recent times the word has become much more established within the areas of design history and collecting, where it is used to distinguish the swastika motif as used in designs and jewellery from its Nazi meaning. In this usage "fylfot" sometimes functions as a euphemism for swastika. Even though the latter term does not derive from Nazism, it has become associated with it.
In heraldry
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External links
- The Swastika (http://www.northvegr.org/lore/swastika/index.php)
- Swaztika (http://www.maitreya.org/swastika/) (sic) (a scan of the original publication)
References
- Thomas Wilson, The Swastika: The Earliest Known Symbol, and Its Migrations; with Observations on the Migration of Certain Industries in Prehistoric Times. Smithsonian Institution. (1896)