NY Carlsberg, Laboremus Pro Patria, 1896

There are two swastikas and one reverse swastika on this medal. The medal was designed several decades before the swastika was used as a Nazi symbol. For good reason, the swatika is now associated with prejudice and hate. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix. Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. Because the swastika had a different meaning at the time this medal was designed, no attempt has been made to remove it from the image shown here.