Swastikas in Scottish Stained glass
Posted: Sunday, March 01, 2009
by Stephen Taylor
http://www.fylfotfile.co.uk
To date there have been very few publications of any substance or significance on this topic. Very little is known about these examples of the Swastika in Scotland because they often appear in unexpected places, off the beaten track and the relevant artefacts are sometimes only found in museums.
Edinburgh War Memorial. Why do we find a symbol that looks like a Swastika in a stained glass window in the Edinburgh War Memorial? The guide book writes: 'Even as the mortar was drying in the walls, this ancient symbol of fortune was appearing in the skies over Europe, the insignia of a man who, like the rider on the white horse, would "smite the nations and rule over them with a rod of iron" - Adolf Hitler.' But does this commentary tell us what was in the heart and mind of the artist himself? What is popularly deemed a 'Swastika' may also here be termed a 'Gammadion'. It is so called because of its assumed derivation from 4 capital Greek gammas. It was used in classical times in both sacred and secular contexts.
A similar use of the Gammadion is found in yet another design by Robert Strachan in the stained glass windows of Westminster College chapel in Cambridge. Built in 1921, Carnegie Simpson wrote in 1926, 'The windows in the chapel form one connected subject-scheme, the theme of which is PRAISE - in nature and in human life, on earth and in heaven... Each window represents some mood or aspect of nature, and, at the same time, introduces some scriptural theme.'
The Gammadion is found alongside two other symbols, the Triquetra and the Trefoil. The Triquetra (Latin, 'three corners'), clearly representing the Trinity, is often found in similar contexts; the central window of the apse, representing the risen Christ, depicts Jesus wearing a Triquetra. The fact that the Gammadion is the third letter of the Greek alphabet serves to further reinforce the message of triplicity here.
The Trefoil is a similar device, said to be a stylised Shamrock, which St. Patrick used in Ireland in his teaching ministry to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. Found in the same context, it seems that these symbols have been placed together to provide a threefold symbolic expression of the Trinity.
The window in question represents 'Praise in the heavenly spheres'. The inscription above the scene reads, '0 ye heavens, ye angels, powers, sun and moon, bless ye the Lord.' The Trefoil is partly obscured by the sun, carried by an angel, but appears to contain the symbol X [the Roman numeral X with a line above it stands for 10,000]. With the heavenly throne and the angels, it would seem to be a depiction of Revelation 5: 'Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne...' (Rev. 5:11.)
Clearly in the Edinburgh War Memorial window the dominant theme is one of victory over the forces of evil, whereas in Westminster College Chapel there is a timeless offering of praise to the glory of God.
Elsewhere we find the Gammadion used to depict some aspect of faith. Each is distinct and peculiar to itself. In the United States it has been used as a symbol on the fabric of buildings, including churches, as well as in stained glass windows. In a chapel in the University of Michigan the Swastika or Gammadion was installed in a stained glass window to represent 'eternal movement'.
In the upper stained glass windows of Central Congregational Church, Providence, Rhode Island, it signifies 'the broken power of death'; and of course, as a symbol, it can have an almost endless variety of meanings, and whoever looks upon these symbols with true insight may have an understanding uniqely their own.
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Swastikas in Scottish Stained glass
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