Though it appears in such important works as the Book of Kells, some people maintain that is more of a decorative element than a stand-alone emblem of belief. As a symbol of Christianity, the triquetra is older than the crucifix. In early Christian art, the three lobes of the triquetra are sometimes rendered as fishes. It stands for the threefold promise “to love, to honor, and to protect.” Its shape recalls the three leaves of the clover, a plant dear to Ireland and once used by St.
In contemporary Ireland, the triquetra is sometimes called a “lovers’ knot” and is exchanged as a token of love or betrothal. And both represent a variety of sacred trinities. Both are best known for their origins in Celtic and pre-Celtic Britain. Both are holy symbols to Christians and to Pagans. Truth be told, there are more similarities than differences between the triquetra and the triskele. (The word means “three-cornered.”) It is technically an elaboration of the geometric figures called vesicae piscis. The triquetra is an interwoven Celtic knot figure with three points. However, the symbol ultimately chosen for this purpose was the Awen. The triskele almost made the news in 2017, when Pagan activists petitioned for a Druid symbol to be among those allowed on veterans’ headstones in the United States. Especially when drawn as a single connected line, the triskele can evoke the eternal cycles of life, death, and birth. Wiccans recognize the triskele as a symbol of the triple goddess-the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The triskele also may stand for fertility and renewal. (Or terrestrial, spiritual, and divine energies.) The triskele is also worn by devotees of any number of triple deities, including Manannan, Hecate, and Brigid.īesides the life-giving energy of the sun, spirals are also mystically related to the generative power of the womb. It represents the three realms of Earth, Sea, and Sky. It continues to be used as a Trinitarian Christian motif.įor modern Pagans, especially Celtic Reconstructionist Pagans, the triskele is one of the main symbols of faith. As Christianity spread throughout the land, the triskele was re-interpreted as a symbol of the three-in-one person of the Holy Trinity. Versions are found on ancient monuments across Ireland. The rayed arms and the suggestion of motion lead us to suppose that it was originally a Solar symbol.įrom its pre-Celtic origins, the triskele has become widespread in Celtic art and architecture. Because we don’t know much about the religious beliefs of pre-literate people, symbologists have had to speculate about what the triskele meant to them. Triskeles were carved on Neolithic stones and many objects from the Bronze and Iron Ages. The spiral and the triple spiral are among the oldest spiritual symbols created by humans. Often the spirals curve to the viewer’s right, suggesting rotation to the right-but not always. Sometimes the arms join at a single point, or sometimes they form a triangle in the center. The spirals can be curved or sharply angled, single- or double-lined. There are lots of different variations of this symbol. (Sometimes it’s called a triskelion-same thing, both terms come from the Greek words for “three-legged.”) The triskele is a triple spiral with equally spaced arms or legs. Learn about these two sacred emblems and how they’re used in Pagan practice.
Do you know the difference between a triskele and triquetra? If you don’t, you’re not alone! Lots of people ask us this question when shopping for a special symbolic piece of jewelry.
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