Fylfots have a long history that became clouded and dark in the mid 1900's. Originally a multicultural symbol of the sun and good luck reaching all the way from ancient Japan to Europe, fylfots have been taken over by one of the greatest horrors of recent human history.
Why can I say that with such surety? Because "fylfot" is the European name for a swastika.
For a bit of historical perspective before I explain the significance of fylfots in historical Southern decor, a brief lineage of the fylfot:
In its early European form, a fylfot looks exactly like a swastika with shorter arms. Unlike the Asian counterpart which is a mirror image of the infamous Nazi swastika, European fylfots have no specified direction. They were a part of early heraldry that, according to one 1500's manuscript, served only to fill a space.
Asian swastikas are not called fylfots. Typically, the Asian version sits diagonally on one of the points rather than upright. The word swastika itself is derived from a sanskrit word meaning "lucky" or "auspicious". This meaning began to be ascribed to fylfots in Europe when trade between the East and West grew more common.
In the second half of the 19th century, stylized fylfots began to show up in Pennsylvania Dutch towns in backcountry Virginia. At this point, the fylfot appears as a swirling, rounded cross shape. Fylfots found in Pennsylvania Dutch country are ascribed with two meanings. The first is as a simple blessing and good luck symbol. In this instance, a fylfot is on par with a horseshoe or a clover. No more importance is given to it that for its attractiveness as an ornament and the sunny promise of luck.
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| Reproduction Pennsylvania Dutch style fylfots from this site. |
The second meaning found only in Virginia and spreading a bit through the southern parts of the East Coast is that a fylfot is a hex that will ward off evil spirits and acts. When used in this way, fylfots are often hidden symbols. Antique items from the rural south dating from the mid 1800s to roughly 1930 often have fylfots carved or drawn into the back or hidden on interior spaces.
After WWII, fylfots dropped from popularity along with swastikas. These symbols are often not discussed because of the negative connotations. You can still occassionally find visible fylfots on historic rural homes in the south though many have been disguised or destroyed outright.
Thanks for an informative post. I knew that swastikas were used in Asian artwork, but I had no idea that they had ever been popular in the West pre-nazi-era.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad to me that one massive historical fuck-up rendered a worldwide symbol taboo. Although, on one hand, I wish that art and antiques with fylfots could be preserved and shamelessly displayed, I know I would be uncomfortable in a house decorated in them (even knowing its historical context.) It's a shame that, after thousands of years of positive meaning, a few years of perversion and misuse made it so that few people can even look at the symbol without getting chills...