Triskelion
Triskelion is a
symbol consisting of three bent human legs, or, more generally, three interlocked spirals, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a three-fold
rotational symmetry .
A triskelion is the symbol of
Sicily and the
Isle of Man, and a symbol of
Brittany; the Sicilian and Manx triskelions feature three running legs, bent at the knee, conjoined at the crotch. The relation of the legged triskele to other variants is unclear. Spiral forms of the triskele are often classed as
solar symbols, while the legged version, sometimes including a
gorgon mask or
Medusa's head at the central axle point in the Sicilian version, suggests a chthonic significance.
Encyclopedia
Triskelion is a
symbol consisting of three bent human legs, or, more generally, three interlocked spirals, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a three-fold
rotational symmetry .
A triskelion is the symbol of
Sicily and the
Isle of Man, and a symbol of
Brittany; the Sicilian and Manx triskelions feature three running legs, bent at the knee, conjoined at the crotch. The relation of the legged triskele to other variants is unclear. Spiral forms of the triskele are often classed as
solar symbols, while the legged version, sometimes including a
gorgon mask or
Medusa's head at the central axle point in the Sicilian version, suggests a chthonic significance.
Origins
The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, including on Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in
Lycia, and on staters of
Pamphylia and
Pisidia. A symbol of four conjoined legs, a
tetraskelion, is also known in Anatolia.
Celtic influences in
Anatolia, epitomized by the
Gauls who invaded and settled
Galatia, are especially noted by students who prefer to see a Celtic origin for the triskelion.
Sicilian triskelion
Familiar as an ancient symbol of
Sicily, the triskelion is also featured on Greek coins of
Syracuse, such as coins of
Agathocles . In Sicily, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are the tribes of the Sicani and the Siculi , who have given Sicily its more familiar modern name. The triskelion was revived, as a suitably
neoclassic—and non-Bourbon—emblem for the new Napoleonic Kingdom of the
Two Sicilies, by
Joachim Murat in 1808 .
Pliny the Elder attributes the origin of the triskelion of Sicily to the
triangular form of the island, ancient
Trinacria, which consists of three large capes equidistant from each other, pointing in their respective directions, the names of which were
Pelorus, Pachynus, and
Lilybćum. Thus Pliny provided an eminently rational explanation— but for a symbol that must be older than any
cartographic conception of the island, surely. Since the triskelion may be associated with a multitude of triads, with new associations cropping up regularly, it is more productive just to look at the symbol itself.
The three legs of the triskelion are reminiscent of Hephaestus' three-legged tables that ran by themselves. They were mentioned in
Iliad is, together with the
Odyssey [i], one of two ancient Greek [i] epic [i]...
xviii:
- "At the moment Hephaestus was busily
- Turning from bellows to bellows, sweating with toil
- As he laboured to finish a score of three-legged tables
- To stand around the sides of his firm-founded hall. On each
- Of the legs he had put a gold wheel, that those magic tables
- Might cause all to marvel by going with no other help
- To the gathering of gods and by likewise returning to his house."
Manx triskelion
In the symbol for the more thoroughly Celtic
Isle of Man in the
Irish Sea, the "three legs embowed" of the heraldic triskelion are represented now in armour, "spurred and garnished
or ."
On Manx banknotes, the triskelion appears within a rim containing the Latin inscription
QUOCUNQUE JECERIS STABIT , which is boldly confident enough, and safely divorced from any pagan connection. Just how old the triskelion is as a symbol of Man is mooted; it is documented since the thirteenth or fourteenth century at least. The triskelion is alternatively known as the
tre cassyn in
Manx. The symbol appears on the Isle of Man's ancient Sword of State, which may have belonged to Olaf Godredson, who became King of the Sudreys in 1226.
Spiral triskele
The
Celtic symbol of three conjoined
spirals may well have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. That spiral motif is a
Neolithic symbol in Western Europe: it is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric
Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. Because of its
Celtic associations, it is also used as a symbol of
Brittany .
In the north of Spain, the triskelion is used as a symbol of
Galizan and
Asturian nationalists. A similar symbol called
lábaro by
Cantabrian nationalists can be compared to the neighboring Basque culture's four-branched
lauburu.
A possibly related symbol of Germanic origin is the
Valknut.
Third Reich
The Third Reich adopted the Celtic triskelion as the insignia for a
Waffen SS division composed of Belgian volunteers. That has led to an association with the
swastika. It is claimed, possibly apocryphally, that the similarity to the swastika caused confusion or distress amongst some
Jewish refugees interned on the
Isle of Man during
World War 2.
Modern use
Neopagans and Reconstructionists
As a
Celtic symbol, the triskelion, usually consisting of spirals, but also the "horned triskelion", sometimes plays a role in Celtic groups and, rarely, can be seen in use by Germanic neopagan groups. The spiral triskelion is one of the primary symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, and also used by some
Wiccans. Celtic Reconstructionists use the symbol to represent a variety of triplicities in their cosmology and theology; it is also a favored symbol due to its association with the god Manannán Mac Lir. Wicca is syncretic in nature and often aesthetically adopts symbolism from various cultures, particularly Celtic symbolism. It is less commonly used amongst Germanic neopagan groups due to the non-Germanic origins of the symbol; use by Germanic groups may be due to confusion or association with Norse symbols with triple symmetries, like the
Valknut, the
Triquetra, or the symbol found on the
Snoldelev Stone.
BDSM
A form of the triskelion has been proposed as a BDSM Emblem by some
BDSM groups, partly based on a description in the
Story of O is a sadomasochistic [i] novel by French [i] author Pauline Rage [i] ...
. The specific emblem design is meant to be shown with metallic spokes and circle, and three holes within the design.
Political usage of the triskelion
A group of racist South African Whites, the
AWB, have used a flag consisting of a red background with a white circle. In the circle, three black
sevens form a design distantly reminiscent of the triskelion. In spite of the similarities to the
swastika , they claim their flag is inspired by a Biblical meaning of the seven, and the fact that the organisation was founded on the seventh day of the seventh month, 1973 .
Modern popular culture
Comics
- In the Manga Naruto, the Curse Seal of the character Tayuya resembles a triskelion.
Film
- Matthew Barney used the triskelion as a symbol to represent the fourth film in his work The Cremaster Cycle.
- A triskelion-esque swirl is part of the Montrose Patriot art vehicle - the swirl pattern on the driver side fender might have been a coincidence.
- The movie The Believer, the protagonist has a tatoo of a triskelion on his arm.
Games
- The collectible card game has a card named Triskelion. This artifact creature has been depicted in two separate ways; both versions have three limbs, but neither resembles the actual symbol.
- The video game BloodRayne, developed by Terminal Reality [i], is a franchise of two horror [i]-themed third-person action [i] ...
features triskelion as the symbol of Rayne's National Socialist enemies, instead of the historic use of the swastika.
- The video game features a character, Trace, who can transform into a red, three-legged insectoid creature called triskelion.
- The anthropomorphic role-playing game Ironclaw features a port city called Triskellion which resembles Sicily in atmosphere. The flag of the city bears 3 clamshells in a radial pattern.
Literature
- Severian, the protagonist of The Book of the New Sun adopts a dog with three legs and names him "Triskele."
- In Histoire d'O , a sadomasochistic novel by French author Pauline Réage, the slave women of Roissy all wear a ring bearing a spiral triskelion insignia, to remind them of their station.
- In Limbo, by Bernard Wolfe the triskelion represents an achievement of high level in a society that believes in amputation of one's limbs to avoid war or fighting.
Music
- Flea, the bassist for the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, has a tattoo of the triskel on his right pectoral muscle.
Television & Radio
- In the second season Star Trek episode The Gamesters of Triskelion, the crew of the Enterprise observe and are pressed into gladiatorial combat on a planet named Triskelion. The symbol of the planet is a truncated blue triangle with a yellow stylized triskelion inscribed.
...
, the Doctor meets an alien race called the
Triskele, who use a triskelion symbol to delineate the three aspects of their species.
- A fractal version of the triskelion is a major motif of the 2005 TV series Threshold.
Other uses
- The Triskelion is shown on the seal of Tau Gamma Phi, a Filipino fraternity. A member of Tau Gamma Phi is called a Triskelion. The triskelion is accompanied by the motto "it will stand no matter where you throw it" on the seal.
See also
[i]
...
...
External links
- at symbols.com
- at symbols.com
