Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

This is one of those questions that we are often asked here at the shop and since this is not one of those cases where the simplest answer is the correct one, I thought that it might be fun to share this tid-bit of book lore with everyone... We all know Kipling as the author of such classics as 'The Jungle Book', 'The Man who would be King' and 'Gunga Din', but did you know that this British Nobel prize winner was actually born in India? Kipling would write of Bombay that it was the "Mother of Cities to me, for I was born in her gate, between the palms and the sea, Where the world-end steamers wait." Ironically, it was this love of India that led to his use of the swastika in a roundabout sort of way.

Like other symbols in our universe, the meanings behind them have changed over the years due to an ever changing global audience and their use. Robert Langdon (from the Dan Brown novels) has made quite the fictional career out of the study and understanding of symbols and their use. The swastika used by Kipling stems from the use of this simple little symbol as a Hindu sign of good luck! If we go farther back, the swastika was used in Sanskrit as a word meaning 'fortunate' and/or 'well-being'. Kipling would have known this and his use of the swastika would have probably been a combination of these benevolent meanings in his mind. We do know that with the rise of Hitler and his use of the swastika, Kipling ordered his publishers to stop using the symbol. A symbol of good luck and happiness was now seen as a sign of terror and naked aggression.

Keep an eye out for books by Kipling with the swastika folks... They have become quite sought after by dealers like me who hope to spread the word of peace and share the true meaning behind the symbol of the swastika used by Rudyard Kipling!

CHECK OUT THESE SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.kipling.org.uk/facts_swastik.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling

Mike Cotter, Director of Operations

Categoried under:  Classic Literature