These are some excerpts (sp?) from the Basque-L discussion list about the origins of the Lauburu.

On Fri, 10 Feb 1995, Jose Merzero wrote:

Hi guys!

Since i'm in the USA some people asked me about the meaning of the "Lauburu" (four-heads), and the only thing i know about it is that it is an old decoration (?) symboll, does somebody know if it has any meaning? (or interpretation) Thanks,

Txema

The Lauburu is a mythological symbol to denote the four elements out of which (as it was believed by many ancient peoples) everything is formed, ie. water, earth, air and fire.

Mikel

On Fri, 10 Feb 1995, Enrique Gutierrez Argandon~a wrote:

Apart from basque Country, the Lauburu appears in some ancient cultures as Celtic and in old stones from Asturies. I have read as well that the lauburu has the same origin than the Svastica but I can+t remember which origin was. I think it's about the sun.

Enrike

It's true that the Lauburu appears in other cultures too. However, in slight variations & the distinctive round-shaped one is purely Basque I think. It's mythological origin is related to the four elements of the universe, & not the sun. Contrary to what is widely believed, the swastika was not invented by the Nazi movement, but it was a v. ancient Chinese astrological symbol.

Mikel

Reading from amama's encyclopedia, it seems that the lauburu shares the caracteristics of other swastikas, which have been employed for thousands of years as religious signs and decorative emblems. There are swastikas with the arms pointing either clockwise or counterclockwise, and with more than four arms, as Enrike said. It seems that swastikas appeared in ancient China, Egypt and India. Anyway, they have been found on Greek coins, pre-Christian Celtic and Scandinavian artifacts, in the catacombs of the early Christians at Rome, and in Byzantine buildings. Swastikas were also widely used by American indians. It seems that they represented the sun and infinity.

The nazis, mistaking its origins, regarded swastikas as an "aryan" symbol and linked it to the notion of their "racial superiority".

For the lauburu, its very plausible that it represents the sun. In basques' prehistoric religion, Jose Miguel Barandiaran saw some signs pointing to an indoeuropean influence in the cult of the sun (e.g., the orientation of the dolmens). As for other indogermanic people, the sex of the basque sun is feminin. These and other coincidences point to some common grounds of the basque and other indoeuropean paganisms, basques having been less isolated and impermeable to foreign influences than we have always been told.

Pello.

Euskadi

name of the Basque Country; or term Basques call the land on which they live; also means "people from the sun."

Andria

word for woman; vertical energy; term for the left side of the body - place where the moon lives.

Gizona

word for man; horizontal energy; term for right side of the body - place where the sun lives.

Dana

word for together; vertical and horizontal energy combined within each individual; union of the left and right sides of the body or the male and female within; the term for balance, harmony, working together.

Lauburu

word for "four heads". The vertical heads, sometimes called sunset, represent female expression (emotional and perceptual) or the elements of fire and water. The horizontal heads, sometimes called sunrise, represent male energy (mental and physical) or the elements air and earth. Often this symbol was the apparatus used prehistorically to make fire and thus represents sacred fire, living flame, and productive power - later to be considered as the Pre-Christian Basque Cross.

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eugen_rau at hotmail dot com 06-Feb-2006 10:28 #2548 9.a. LAUBURU/LAUBURUS/LAUBURUSU “(eusk)=”4 heads!??”;  it is thought to be from:LAU(eusk.)=”4”(older form:LAUR),and BURU(eusk.)=”head”;*bere(reconstructed euskara):”his”(see below the source) ;I want to present you how two very old civilisations and cultures are linked starting to this word.” Jupiter is also the ruler of religion and religious devotions and thus comes the name, Guru. He is the controller of all other planets, the revered spiritual master of the demigods.”( http://www.astroved.com/tutor/tutor.asp?Content=planets&SubContent=jupiter ) But in reality: LABUR(eusk.)=”short” ; LAU(eusk)=4,”to quarter,straight”; Lá(portuguese):, sometimes said to be synonymous to ali, would more accurately be translated as "there, a long distance from both of us".Lua(proto-portuguese): “moon”.  ; BURI=head;principal;BERRI(eusk.)=”new”; […the older Basque word for "penis" being barroa./ http://www.eskunabarra.org/Angus_J_Huck/Ascoli_Bronze_Plate.htm ]  ;Su(eusk.)=”fire”; so(eusk.): "look",,and is: ”the principal quartering of the fire”,with the meaning in my wiew of: ”THE STRAIT,PRINCIPAL QUARTERING OF THE SUN”-(timing,movement,round,year?) or taking probabli an original : 9.b. LUA-BURU-SU(proto-iberian):”moon-heading-sun”:wich is ment:  :”MOON-SUN PRINCIPAL/HEADING” or “ON PRINCIPAL MOON/ON MOON HEADS? But not necessary using LAUR(eusk):”4” ,but using proto-saharan-like language berber,ARBA:”4” We are getting at the same: ARBA-ILA/ILU or ARBILU/ARBILA:”moon-quarter’s”(wich will be detailed later). Also ARB/ALB ILU:ARBILU,ARBILA(Illyrian):”white mud/earth”(detailed later). From:<<<Basque as Niger-Congo, By GJK Campbell-Dunn M.A. (NZ), M.A. (Camb.) Ph.D.  http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/gc_dunn/Basque_as_Niger-Congo.html Basque lacks third person forms "he, she" of the pronoun. But an early *d or *da (whence the pronominal prefix d-), with a variant l, also *b, *be have been reconstructed (bere "his", i.e. bere "of him". The *b is from Niger-Congo ba "somebody, someone, one" (Westermann 1927 : 202, with eight reflexes). An example with prefix a- from Vidos (1959: 221) Basque ara-otz "cold plain", Niger-Congo la "earth"; [Basque r = Niger-Congo l], Ewe de "on the ground", Igbo ala "earth", Yoruba ile "ground, earth", Bulom alo "under, below", Santrokofi kala "the below" (this last retains the original initial consonant in the prefix). [For -otz compare the placename Ara-güés.] Basque landa "plain, prairie" is from the same root la "earth".>>> Consequent we can associate the Niger-Congo meaning for la,as “earth”,wich one can see above is the root for basque’s Landa/ara-otz:”plain,prairie/cold plain” Basque ile "hair", G. dial. Ule Niger-Congo li "head", Yoruba ori, oli, Okpoto adzhi, Igbo elu "top, summit", Akparabon eri "head", Lefana kuli, Ahlo ilo, Bowili lelo, Kpossi elo.>> Note:[ bira-tu(basque):“to turn, revolve, rotate”.Maybe the ncestors kept in mind both readings and meanings,as they were equal and direct related to…calender? Bero(eusk.)=”hot”; [ Iberian *biur and Basque biur/biurri (both "twisted, curved"?) seem to be identical in form and meaning./ http://www.eskunabarra.org/Angus_J_Huck/Ascoli_Bronze_Plate.htm ] I FOUND THIS WORD ON A NEOLITHIC WRITTEN CLAY TABLET FROM TARTARIA VILLAGE ROMANIA Rau Eugen
bentoncitygal at yahoo dot com 15-Dec-2005 0:45 #2331 I just got my first tattoo - an interpretation of the Lauburu on the nape of my neck - and it turned out just beautiful. Even though I am still learning about the history and culture of the Basque people, I am proud of my Basque heritage and can't wait to visit the land of my forefathers. Stefanie
bobmorton1982 at yahoo dot com 23-Nov-2005 12:29 #2246 Epa! I married into a Basque family about a year and a half ago. My wife's parents are 100% Basque and came to this country to escape the Spanish Government in the late '60's. Anyway, my Father-in-law has always told me that the Lauburu is a symbol of the circle of life. While visiting the Basque Country, near Guernika, a small town by the name of Muxika, I spoke with one of my wife's cousins who spoke more English than the rest, who told me that yes, in fact he believes it is the circle of life as well. I don't know if that is a broad spectrum meaning it could be the Earth, Wind, Rain, and Fire, or if it means the cycle of happiness. Possibly the "Circle of Life" could have many meanings. Agur!
blas at buber dot net 30-Sep-2005 15:55 #2047 Actually, the Nazis didn't take the lauburu. Rather, many groups use a similar symbol. The Indians from India and the Native Americans both use such a symbol with the linear corners. The Nazis took the symbol from the Indians, thinking it was a symbol of the Aryans. It is unknown where these symbols come from. Carl Sagan postulated that there might have been some celestial event that inspired them amongst all of the populations that have this or similar symbols. He thought maybe a comet breaking up into four parts might have been the event everyone saw. Today, there is a lot of meaning given to the lauburu and other such symbols. The fire, earth, water, air one, though, seems to me to be particularly troublesome as I know of no evidence that the Basques viewed the world as composed of these four elements. That was more of a Greek perspective, if I recall correctly.
Deaniell at yahoo dot com 29-Sep-2005 15:49 #2043 The Lauburu in english is called an Obivile sign. In Basque it means Lau (four) buru (heads) it has to do with the four heads or elements fire,wind,water,and earth, that all things are created from. It has also been used by the Nazi's who made there own version, the swatstika. I am 1/3rd Basque on my mothers side and I was looking to get my first tattoo so I began looking into the Lauburu because I can never change my herritage so therefor I can never come to regret this piece of art.
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