The earliest known swastika is from 10,000 BCE – part of “an intricate meander pattern of joined-up swastikas” found on a late paleolithic figurine of a bird, carved from mammoth ivory, found in Mezine, Ukraine.
It has been suggested that this swastika may be a stylized picture of a stork in flight. As the carving was found near phallic objects, this may also support the idea that the pattern was a fertility symbol.
The Stork is traditionally considered a sacred animal in Armenian legends and mythology. Aragil means Stork in Armenian language. A bird that has no claims, but always selects the highest and best places to build its nest.
In ancient Armenian mythology the stork “Aragil” was considered to be the messenger of Ara the Beautiful, as well as the defender of fields. According to ancient mythological conceptions, two stork symbolize the sun.
Storks are found in abundance on Armenia Highlands, of particular importance are the wetlands of the Ararat valley. Even today Armenia is a proud residence for a sizable population. They are seldom persecuted and often nest close to people, on anything from telegraph poles to roofs.
A stork nest on your house is seen as a sign of good luck. As such the stork has often been a source of inspiration from the times immemorial, revered in ancient folk tales, legends, mythology and folk songs.
The origin is uncertain. It has been linked to Ancient Greek “pelargós” by de Lagarde. Ačaṙyan accepts the connection, positing an earlier “*peraglós” or “*paraglós” for Ancient Greek, and deriving the words from a substrate source in Asia Minor.
Another proposal supported by Łapʿancʿyan derives it from Sumerian (through intermediation of Urartian or Hurrian) “arikgilim”, “arakgilim”, “a kind of long-legged bird”, literally “stork cross (holding leg in cross posture)”.