Ugunskrusts (Fire Cross).
Ugunskrusts variants.
Latvian Air Force roundel until 1940.
Pērkonkrusts logo.

Ugunskrusts (Latvian for 'fire cross', 'cross of fire'; other names — pērkonkrusts ('cross of thunder', 'thunder cross), cross of Perun or of Perkūnas, cross of branches, cross of Laima) is the swastika as a symbol in Latvian folklore.

The swastika is an ancient Baltic thunder cross symbol (pērkona krusts; also fire cross, ugunskrusts), used to decorate objects, traditional clothing and in archaeological excavations.[1][2][3] Latvia adopted the swastika, for its Air Force in 1918/1919 and continued its use until the Soviet occupation in 1940.[4][5] The cross itself was maroon on a white background, mirroring the colors of the Latvian flag. Earlier versions pointed counter-clockwise, while later versions pointed clock-wise and eliminated the white background.[6][7] Various other Latvian Army units and the Latvian War College[8] (the predecessor of the National Defence Academy) also had adopted the symbol in their battle flags and insignia during the Latvian War of Independence.[9] A stylised fire cross is the base of the Order of Lāčplēsis, the highest military decoration of Latvia for participants of the War of Independence.[10] The Pērkonkrusts, an ultra-nationalist political organisation active in the 1930s, also used the fire cross as one of its symbols.

References

  1. Guénon, René (2001). The Symbolism of the Cross. Sophia Perennis. p. 62. ISBN 978-0900588655.
  2. "Latvia and the Swastika". latvians.com. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  3. "Swastika | Latvian History". Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  4. "Latvia – Airforce Flag and Aircraft Marking". fotw.info. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  5. Lumans, Valdis O. (2006). Latvia in World War II. Fordham Univ Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0823226276.
  6. Latvian Air Force 1918–1940 Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  7. Spārnota Latvija Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  8. "Nozīme, Apvienotā Kara skola, 1938. gada izlaidums, Nr. 937, sudrabs, Latvija, 20.gs. 20-30ie gadi, 44.3 x 34.2 mm, 15.60 g, darbnīca V. F. Millers". Vitber (in Latvian). Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  9. "Latvijas armijas, Nacionālo Bruņoto Spēku un citu iestāžu karogi". latvianmilitaryhistory (in Latvian). 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  10. "Exhibition "The Lāčplēsis Military Order" ← National History Museum of Latvia". lnvm.lv. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
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