The cross symbol in a circle is an ancient solar sign. It is found on household items and in the cult symbolism of Europeans from the Bronze Age, they were decorated with their clothes by the Indians of America. Later, it even acquired gloomy significance, since it was widely used by the Nazis in the past and neo-Nazis in modern times. Together with the powerful energetic and sometimes mystical significance of this emblem, it is not difficult to note the influence of the circle symbol with a cross inside on various specialists from the scientific and semi-scientific sphere. The article will talk about the key and most plausible hypotheses regarding this sigil.
Sun wheel
This is the most famous name for the symbol of the cross in the circle. One variation of this sigil is known as the wheel of samsara. This sign looks like a cross of 6 or 8 lines in a circle. Its key significance is the eternal cycle between life and death, full of suffering due to the rebirth of the soul. For Indians, this symbol is extremely important, since the key idea of their religion is to achieve nirvana and never again return to the world.
However, the symbol of the cross in a circle can also have sacred meaning for other nations. So, for example, a six-spoke rosette means a thunder wheel among the peoples of the Celts, Slavs. This is the sign of Perun, a symbol of veneration and belonging of the owner to a religious cult. The followers of this deity believed that he gives them strength, gives them courage and strength.
Special meaning
The meaning of the symbol of the cross in a circle is often associated with the sun. A four-spoke rosette means the 4 most important holidays for paganism, namely: the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer solstice, and the autumn equinox. This sigil also served as an emblem for the collective image of the deity of the Sun, characteristic of both the Slavs and other tribes of Eastern Europe until the 9-10 centuries of our era. Later, the symbol of the cross in the circle took over Christianity. Then he received meaning in the form of fire, healing, sunlight aimed at healing. According to the Christian religion, the throne of the Lord was created entirely from fire, and therefore the solar emblem was the most suitable. Sometimes the female symbol of a circle with a cross means the union of two principles, namely the birth of a new life.
Celtic cross
This symbol is used as a key emblem of Celtic Christianity. According to legend, the symbol of the cross in the circle was placed on the island by St. Patrick, who combined the Christian emblem and the solar sign, thereby making religion more “welcoming” for new followers. It is still used as a religious sigil, for example, in Ireland, Scotland, England.
The influence of the Irish Catholic Church was so great that the Celtic cross is found as bas-reliefs or prints among Christian symbols in Western and Eastern Europe. So, for example, you can meet the sigil when you visit the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in France. The symbol of the cross in the circle is an integral part of the history of Novgorod.
Novgorod Cross
Also looks like the intersection of lines inscribed in a circle. Also has a solar value. It could be observed on almost any symbolism up to the 15th century. Used on seals, emblems, religious and religious buildings, objects. Historians still argue whether the Novgorod cross can be considered an Orthodox symbol, or whether it was borrowed from the Irish faith, and possibly even from paganism.
In any case, in this city the symbol of the cross in the circle serves as one of the most famous and recognizable emblems. It has some connection with the sign of the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ, which had the epithet "fiery", which may also indicate a connection between Old Slavic beliefs and Christianity, which appeared in Novgorod instead of past traditions.
Neo-Nazism and its followers
Unfortunately, often a powerful and popular symbol becomes the subject of worship of radical and aggressive groups of followers. So it happened with the cross in the circle. So, for example, a nationalist party in Norway used such a sigil in gold on a red field, coupled with the German eagle, as its distinctive sign. In modern times, the Celtic cross shone on the standards of neo-Nazis. It can be found in the collision of football ultras in Poland, Ukraine, Russia.
In forums, followers of such an emblem indicate that the symbol is used everywhere, and therefore the movement cannot be punished for using it. Crosses in the circle also began to hide behind the most aggressive followers of the Fuhrer’s ideas, which provoked a certain wave of discontent and rejection of the sigil. It is regrettable that the powerful religious symbol ceased to be sacred due to the dominance of a certain attitude in society, despite the rich history and centuries-old planting.