I think the old reversed swastika symbol of the Finnish Air Force was developed from Hannu's vaakuna.
The Nazis took up the swastika symbol after a certain man with moustache spent some time in Viennese libraries studying occult literature. (?)

Terve Aku Ankkuli,
I got to know that Hannun vaakuna and Hakaristi are the very old finnish symbols
but these are also used in different asian cultures;
in India Hannun vaakuna is an original figure of four (4).
Yes, I discovered about the history of the swastika reading Frutiger's "Signs & Symbols"
(Der Mensch und seine Zeichen).

Is this a continuation of another thread? I see two symbols on that button or whatever it is, the labyrinth 'swastica' and something behind it. The symbol at the back I saw hundreds of times in Iceland a couple of years back, the first time (that's what got my attention) tattoeed on a girls wrist, I researched it, but I've lost the data, It has eight 'arms' of which you only see four on the button and it's meant to ward of 'abuse of power'. it's a classic in Iceland. on labyrinths: In viking mythology, labyrinths are a cool piece of work because evil spirits are kind of dumb and can't find their way out of a labyrinth, sort of like the same idea with those Japanese gardens with running water and everything. On a personal note, I also think that the labyrinth was a metaphor for life, getting through it without getting lost and that.
I don't think the pattern has any relation to the swastika.
Sorry if I'm budding in on something.

Very interesting text Mr. Kenn Munk, thanks.
This is a continuation of a personal thread I had with an art historian.
Attached is LABYRINTHI, from around 1750.

On a personal note, I also think that the labyrinth was a metaphor for life, getting through it without getting lost and that.

There are two kinds of labyrinth: the classic maze in which one can get lost and the form often found on the floor in mediaeval cathedrals. The purpose of the latter is clearly symbolic or metaphorical: the design looks complex and like something in which one might get lost, but in fact there is only a single path through all the twists and turns, arriving at a single destination, the centre, symbolising the path of the soul through the distractions of life to rest in Christ.

By the way, there is no evidence that people walked these labyrinths in the Middle Ages: their role was symbolic and decorative. You didn't need to walk the labyrinth in order to understand what it meant: you just had to look at it.

Thanks, Alessandro, it's an interesting thread.
BTW. When I researched that Icelandic symbol, I also found a symbol that people carved in butter to keep it from going bad.
John: I was speaking of the ones the vikings used, but I was probably a bit vague. You're right about the two kinds! that thought never occured to me. The viking ones were of the single-path kind so my labyritnh-as-life theory doesn't really hold up. I'm not a 100%, but I read somewhere that people 'danced the labyrinth'. (Again: the vikings, slightly pre-medieval times. (In Scandnavian terms.)) These labyrinths were also circular and the dancers started in the middle. These dances could take quite a while. When they finally came out the real party began.

Does anyone know when the earliest known labyrinths/mazes appeared?

When I looked at the image I saw a knot and four pre-Colombian-type figures.
As I remember Daedalus designed Minos' Labyrinth on Crete based on floor plans in the Palace at Knossos. A true labyrinth, as opposed to a maze, does not have false trails, basically a long walk in 7 (and later more) decreasing circles. What tickles me most about labyrinths is the link between a ball of wool and a clue.
This site is very interesting http://www.labyrinthos.net/f_homepage.htm it debunks some claims for early labyrinths

I had a quick search and came up with some information on finnish swastikas - I double checked it as far as possible but I cannot say it is accurate.
The Finnish blue swastika was originally the symbol of luck of the family of Count von Rosen, who donated to the Finnish "White Army" it's first plane, in 1918, during the War of Independence.

It was adopted as the official national marking of the Finnish Air Forces and later on, the Army. Only after the Nazis adopted it as their emblem did it acquire political significance. In other words, the Finnish swastika had nothing to do with the Nazi party, Nazi ideology or fascism in general.

After the fall of the 3rd Reich, the Finnish Defense Forces abandoned the disreputable swastika in favor of the new national marking; the blue and white roundel.

Tim

You probably all know this but the Swaatika was widely used in Europe before the Nazis adopted it, If you're in Copenhagen, go see the Carlsberg brewery with two giant stone elephants with huge swastikas on their flanks. Opposite the house I live in there's an early 1900s building decorated with all sorts of swastikas, It's sort of strange that these haven't been painted over. An annoying twist to this is that this building (and my home) is halfway between the city center and the stadium, so every other Sunday Neonazi soccerfans walk by, saluting these pre-3rd Reich swastikas.

Thanks for the link, Mr. Tim Daily!
Type designer Kai Rentola wrote me that "Hakaristi",
Finnish Svastika, differs from the symbol used by the Nazis,
Hakaristi version was going counterclockwize.