Swastika

The Swastika (also known as the gammadion cross, cross cramponnée, or wanzi) (as a character: 卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious symbol that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross, with its four legs bent at 90 degrees. It is considered to be a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and dates back to before 2nd century B.C.

It has been used as a decorative element in various cultures since at least the Neolithic. It is known most widely as an important symbol long used in Indian religions, denoting "auspiciousness."

It was adopted as such in pre-World War I-Europe and later, and most notably, by the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany prior to World War II. In many Western countries, the swastika has been highly stigmatized because of its use in and association with Nazism.

It continues to be commonly used as a religious symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Western literature's older term for the symbol, gammadion cross, derives mainly from its appearance, which is identical to four Greek gamma letters affixed to each other. The name swastika comes from the Sanskrit word svastika (Devanāgarī: स्वस्तिक), meaning "lucky or auspicious object".

Michael Slade

Michael Slade (born 1947, Lethbridge, Alberta) is the pen name of Canadian novelist Jay Clarke, a lawyer who has participated in more than 100 criminal cases and who specializes in criminal insanity. Before Clarke entered law school, his undergraduate studies focused on history. Clarke’s writing stems from his experience as a practicing lawyer and historian, as well as his extensive world travel. He works closely with police officers to ensure that his novels incorporate state-of-the-art police techniques. Writing as a team with a handful of other authors, Clarke has published a series of police procedurals about the fictional Special External Section (Special X) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His novels describe Special X protagonists as they track down fugitives, typically deranged murderers. Four other authors have contributed under the name Michael Slade: John Banks, Lee Clarke, Rebecca Clarke, and Richard Covell. Despite the collaborative nature of the books, Jay Clarke is the predominant voice in their writing. Currently, Jay and his daughter Rebecca write under the Slade name.

Swastika (Germanic Iron Age)

The swastika design is known from artefacts of various cultures since the Neolithic, and it recurs with some frequency on artefacts dated to the Germanic Iron Age, i.e. the Migration period to Viking Age period in Scandinavia, including the Vendel era in Sweden, attested from as early as the 3rd century in Elder Futhark inscriptions and as late as the 9th century on Viking Age image stones.

In older literature, the symbol is known variously as gammadion, fylfot, crux gothica, flanged thwarts, or angled cross. English use of the Sanskritism swastika for the symbol dates to the 1870s, at first in the context of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, but from the 1890s also in cross-cultural comparison.

Examples include a 2nd-century funerary urn of the Przeworsk culture, the 3rd century Værløse Fibula from Zealand, Denmark, the Gothic spearhead from Brest-Litovsk, Russia, the 9th century Snoldelev Stone from Ramsø, Denmark, and numerous Migration Period bracteates. The swastika is drawn either left-facing or right-facing, sometimes with "feet" attached to its four legs.

Berkanan

Berkanan is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the b rune ᛒ, meaning "birch". In the Younger Futhark it is called Bjarken in the Icelandic rune poem and Bjarkan in the Norwegian rune poem. In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem it is called beorc ("birch" or "poplar"). The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌱 b, named bairkan.

The letter shape is likely directly based on Old Italic 𐌁, whence also the Latin letter B.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

See also

References

Mega Man Xtreme 2

Mega Man Xtreme 2, known as Rockman X2: Soul Eraser (ロックマンX2 ソウルイレイザー) in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Color handheld game console. It is a spin-off title in the Mega Man X series and is a follow-up to Mega Man Xtreme, released the previous year. Mega Man Xtreme 2 takes place during the 22nd century, in an unknown year 21XX, between the events of Mega Man X3 and Mega Man X4. The DNA souls of robots known as "Reploids" all around the world are being stolen by a pair of villains in order to create an army of undead "Mavericks". The "Maverick Hunters" Mega Man X and Zero quickly spring into action, now with the help of their young ally Iris.

Mega Man Xtreme 2 is a similar take on the series action and platforming gameplay formula while combining elements from home console versions of the Mega Man X series. The player may choose to play each of a series of stages as either protagonist, X or Zero. Defeating the stage's boss will earn that player character its special weapon. Critical reception for Mega Man Xtreme 2 was lightly positive, with most reviewers giving the game praise typical of the long-running series and noting a general improvement over the first Mega Man Xtreme title. In 2013, Mega Man Xtreme 2 was made available on the Virtual Console of Japan's Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS. It was later released in the North American eShop the following year and was released in the PAL region eShop in September 11, 2014.