Triskele or Triskelion is a symbol consisting of three intertwined spirals. Widely considered one of the oldest Irish symbols in existence, it appears on the kerbs of Newgrange, dating back to approximately 3200 BC. A symbol like Anj with exceptional mythological significance.
Triskeles feature prominently in both ancient and modern Celtic art, as they evoke the Celtic interpretation of the three realms of material existence: earth, water, and sky (and all their interconnections). The symbol is also believed to represent the three worlds: spiritual, physical, and celestial.
The Celtic spiral knot and its meaning
One of the most intriguing aspects of human history that we have inherited from our ancestors is the language of symbols. Found throughout the world and across cultures, symbols link us to our common past, but often raise more questions than they answer.
The origins of the Triskele/Triskelion
It is fascinating to imagine how an individual living thousands of years ago would have combined three separate spirals into the shape we know today as the triskelion. Did they realize they were creating a shape that would endure so long into the future? Was it pure artistic creativity that drove them?
Was it a deeper understanding of the path of the Universe, a fragment of knowledge that we have lost in the veil of our prehistoric past? Regardless of the nature of the personal impulse that drove its origin, it is quite clear that the symbol gained widespread popularity across both geography and time.
Ancient Relics
Although commonly known today as a symbol of Celtic origin, ancient monuments show that the triskelion actually predates the Celts by a considerable period. Experts have located archaeological sites that tell us the shape already existed in the Neolithic period. That’s right, the triskelion dates back to the Stone Age. The oldest triskele we have been able to locate is found in Malta; it is about 6,500 years old.
However, the best-known illustrations of the triskelion that have survived to this day are perhaps those found in the massive Sí and Ḃrú burial mound at Newgrange, Ireland. They form part of the design of an astronomical calendar carved into the rock and dated to 3200 BC. The link between this ancient structure and the triskelion is probably the basis for the strong association between the symbol and Celtic culture, which is so widespread today.
It should be noted, however, that the native inhabitants of Ireland at that time were not Celts, a people who moved there at a later stage. Nevertheless, the triskele appears constantly in Celtic art for thousands of years, especially after 500 BC.
Other ancient artifacts bearing this symbol include pottery from Mycenaean Greece (around 1600 BC – 1100 BC), and coins and “stadia” from the state of Lycia (1250 BC – 546 BC) and other minor city-states in the region during that period.
Variations in Triskelion Designs
The only element of the triskele that is truly integral to the design is its three branches. In addition, the size, orientation, and structure of the three branches can show considerable variation.
Why three branches?
The number ‘3’ seems to have always held a special appeal for those contemplating a Higher Power and the Meaning of Life.
This is evident from the constant recurrence of that number not only in the sacred books of the world’s major religions, but also in myths, legends, and even fairy tales across the globe.
The branches of a triskelion are the most commonly represented, as they appear in the oldest relics we mentioned earlier, as three spirals emerging from a common point of origin.
Symbolism
This symbolism has immense appeal for a variety of reasons and is crucial to understanding how and why the triskele has made such an easy transition across the boundaries of race, religion, culture, and geography.
In the Christian tradition, the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Devil’s three unsuccessful attempts to tempt Christ in the desert; and the three days after which Jesus rose from the dead all indicate a pious aspect and paint a positive aura around the number.
More broadly, the number three comes to us in the concept of body, mind, and spirit; and the sense of time as Past, Present, and Future.
As a result of this virtually endless form of association between aspects of our lives and beliefs with the number ‘3’, the triskelion has had a unique appeal to people all over the world.
Adaptations of the Triskele
The earliest deviation from the spirals at the ends of the triskelion we know of comes from the island of Sicily. The Sicilians considered the Gorgon, Medusa, to be the protector of their island, and her head is depicted in the center of their crest; three legs emerge from the center behind her to form a triskelion.
The line of the Castrian culture of the Celts who made their way to what is now the Iberian Peninsula in Spain and Portugal shaped their triskelions in the form of a crescent emerging from the center. The design is similar to what we see on the blades of table fans.
This particular variation seems to have traveled further east, becoming the basis for some of the most important and well-known symbols of Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism. The Hidari Gomon of Japan and the Korean Taegeuk are the most prominent examples.
Church windows, especially those designed in medieval Europe, often feature a stylized triskelion. In a more modern adaptation, the triskelion without the whorls, but simply a slightly curved shape, is used by the US Department of Transportation in its seal.
Certain representations, particularly those associated with neopaganism, use a unicursal pattern (drawn with a single line) that creates three large whorls of an almost hypnotic pattern.
The Triskelion in your life
Our first introduction to the magic of three often occurs in classic fairy tales such as those by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, the Three Little Pigs, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears push us into the subconscious with this intriguing number.
Created from a thought driven by the search for a deeper meaning in life, it alludes both to that innocence and to the gravity of the number 3, as it appears in philosophical discussions and in accounts of Creation by God. Embrace both, because you never know where the answers you seek may come from.
