Ever one to judge a book by its cover, this book in Andrew Reid's bookcase, caught my eye. It is published by Macmillan in 1915 and is a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling. The red textured hard cover had an intriguing gold embossed medallion-looking feature in the middle.
The Ganesha Roundel:
On close inspection it shows the head of an elephant with a drooping flower in its curled trunk and the swastika symbol on the left adjacent to the circular edge.
All is explained in an article by Michael Smith of The Kipling Society site here. A much better image of the elephant's head is shown. It explains that the circular symbol is the 'Ganesha roundel'.
"There is always a small 'right' [right-facing] swastika between the elephant's forehead and the circle enclosing it. Ganesha, the most immediately recognisable of Kipling's 'logos' shows the elephant headed [Hindu] God who was the son of of Siva and Parvatti.
"There is always a small 'right' [right-facing] swastika between the elephant's forehead and the circle enclosing it. Ganesha, the most immediately recognisable of Kipling's 'logos' shows the elephant headed [Hindu] God who was the son of of Siva and Parvatti.
The elephant is the symbol of wisdom and foresight and shown with the trunk down and curled means good forum [fortune]. The trumpeting elephant, on the other hand, represents anger and thus ill-luck."
The Swastika:
This was Kipling's trademark for nearly forty years. The Kipling Journal stopped using it in 1935. On his death in 1936 the swastika frame was replaced by a thick black line of mourning.
"The use of such a symbol, however, can be traced back in antiquity. In Sanskrit the word means 'fortunate' or 'well-being' but it was used in the Neolithic Europe as a potter's stamp, was incised as a mason's mark in Minoan Crete, was found in Homeric Troy, and in early Indian civilizations.
Kipling knew, also, that the Hindu trader opens his annual account-book with a swastika in order to ensure an auspicious beginning. Buddhist migration carried it as far as China and Japan, and other influences to West Africa and America. Early Christian art employed it as a 'fylfot', filling the foot of ecclesiastical stained-glass."
Apparently, on introductory pages, the left-facing one was used, as this example illustrates, (and the right-facing one was used in the roundel).
"The use of such a symbol, however, can be traced back in antiquity. In Sanskrit the word means 'fortunate' or 'well-being' but it was used in the Neolithic Europe as a potter's stamp, was incised as a mason's mark in Minoan Crete, was found in Homeric Troy, and in early Indian civilizations.
Kipling knew, also, that the Hindu trader opens his annual account-book with a swastika in order to ensure an auspicious beginning. Buddhist migration carried it as far as China and Japan, and other influences to West Africa and America. Early Christian art employed it as a 'fylfot', filling the foot of ecclesiastical stained-glass."
Apparently, on introductory pages, the left-facing one was used, as this example illustrates, (and the right-facing one was used in the roundel).
The Swastika in the 1930s:
"Once the Nazis had usurped the swastika Kipling ordered that it should no longer adorn his books. A craft bookbinder at Dartington Hall recently reported that she had bought an original of the block used by Macmillan showing clearly the space from which the swastika had been excised."
Publishing Anecdote:
Publishing Anecdote:
"The extraordinary feature of the use of the symbol by Kipling's publishers was that there was no uniformity in whether the right turn or left turn was used. Edgar Brown's article (Kipling Journal July 1929) stated that neither Kipling nor Edward Bok, with whom the author corresponded about the subject, was certain which was propitious and which the harbinger of misfortune."
December 2013: I notice that the images on this post have been removed. When did that happen? Why? I will have to look into this.... I know that the top image was my own photograph of the cover of Andrew's book. Now, what were the others and do I have a copy? BM
November 28, 2017: In to have a look at the site and its removed images of a Hindu symbol. I had a playlist video removed from my computer by YouTube stating that it was 'inappropriate'. It was a 1903 novel Riddle of the Sands by E Childers.
December 14, 2019: In to have a look for this blog apropos of the particular Hindu symbol. John was talking about it on Facebook. I cannot find my original photo which means I will have to go into my backup files and have a look for it. BJM
December 2013: I notice that the images on this post have been removed. When did that happen? Why? I will have to look into this.... I know that the top image was my own photograph of the cover of Andrew's book. Now, what were the others and do I have a copy? BM
November 28, 2017: In to have a look at the site and its removed images of a Hindu symbol. I had a playlist video removed from my computer by YouTube stating that it was 'inappropriate'. It was a 1903 novel Riddle of the Sands by E Childers.
December 14, 2019: In to have a look for this blog apropos of the particular Hindu symbol. John was talking about it on Facebook. I cannot find my original photo which means I will have to go into my backup files and have a look for it. BJM
1 comment:
Hi Barbara. Found this stuff really interesting. I've a a couple of secondhand Kipling hardbacks so I went and checked them. One is a 1914 26th edition of Kipling's poetry with no Ganesh or swastika. I've also a 1950s edition of a novel with the Ganesh emblem but no swastika.
Also just finished The Great Gatsby and near the end is a casual mention of one of the characters owning 'The Swastika Holdings Company' with a footnote covering what's in your blog to explain that the character was not a fascist!
Cheers,
John
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