Triskelion

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The armoured triskelion on the flag of the Isle of Man
The armoured triskelion on the flag of the Isle of Man

Triskelion (or triskele, from Greek τρισκελής "three-legged") is a symbol consisting of three bent human legs, or, more generally, three interlocked spirals, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry (without any reflection symmetries).

A triskelion is the symbol of Sicily, where it is called Trisceli, 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.

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[edit] Origins

The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, including on Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia, and on staters of Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370–333 BC) 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.

In his travels in the levant, C.T. Newton mentions coming across the following along the coast of the Bosphorus:

"It is particularly rich in coins of Macedonia and Asia Minor. He possesses a fine specimen of a rare archaic dodekadrachm, in silver, which has been attributed with probability to some early king of Macedonia. On one side of this coin is a bearded figure seated in a car drawn by a single bull; above the bull is a helmet, like that which occurs as the principal type in the early silver coins of the kings of Macedon. Below the bull's body is a lotos flower. On the reverse is what is known to numismatists as a triquetra, formed of three human legs conjoined, as on the arms of the Isle of Man. "

The use of the symbol on coinage would seem to pre-date the use of the triquetra as a religious motif, pure and simple. Again, in the civic coinages which civic coinages which followed the Persian standard, Percy Gardner mentions various coins; here are a few citations:

  • "Aspendus and Selge. Obv. Warrior advancing. Rev. Inscr. Triquetra of legs. Weight, 164-170 grains (grm. 10.60-11). (B. T. XXIII.) "
  • "Obv. Draped personage seated in a car drawn by an ox: above, helmet; beneath, flower. Rev. Triquetra of legs, and acanthus ornaments. Weight, 624 grains (grm. 40.43). Brit. Mus. ( B. M. V. 17. )"

Coins here are dated to around 500 B.C.

[edit] Sicilian triskelion

The flag of Sicily, featuring the revived trinacria symbol
The flag of Sicily, featuring the revived trinacria symbol

Familiar as an ancient symbol of Sicily, the triskelion is also featured on Greek coins of Syracuse, such as coins of Agathocles (317-289 B.C.). In Sicily, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are the tribes of the Sicani (Greek Sikanoi) and the Siculi (Greek Sikeloi), 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 (illustration, left).

The symbol dates back to when Sicily was part of Magna Grecia, the colonial extension of Greece beyond the Aegean[1] 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 Lilybæum. 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 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."

[edit] Manx triskelion

Manx car registration plate, with the triskelion
Manx car registration plate, with the 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 (gold)."

On Manx banknotes, the triskelion appears within a rim containing the Latin inscription QUOCUNQUE JECERIS STABIT ("Wherever you throw it, it stands"), 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 ("three legs") 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 (Southern Hebrides and the Isle of Man) in 1226.

[edit] Spiral triskele

The triple spiral symbol
The triple spiral symbol
Spiral triskelion, occasionally used as a Christian Trinitarian symbol
Spiral triskelion, occasionally used as a Christian Trinitarian symbol

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 (alongside the hermine).

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.

[edit] Third Reich

The Third Reich adopted the Celtic triskelion as the insignia for a Waffen SS division composed of ("Celtic") Belgian volunteers. 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 II.

[edit] Modern use

A modern Triskelion variant of the Valknut symbol.
A modern Triskelion variant of the Valknut symbol.

[edit] 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,[1] 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.

[edit] 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. The specific emblem design is meant to be shown with metallic spokes and circle, and three holes (not dots) within the design.

[edit] Political usage of the triskelion

The South African white supremacist paramilitary group, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (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 (and the overall resemblance to the Nazi flag, both having a black symbol on a white disc on a red background), 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 (from which the three 7's can be extracted).

[edit] Modern popular culture

[edit] Comics

  • In the Manga Naruto, the Curse Seal of the character Tayuya resembles a triskelion.
Sam-Taeguk.
Sam-Taeguk.

[edit] 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 James Bond film Die Another Day featured a Korean Sam-Taeguk symbol (similar to the 1988 Olympic emblem) during the scene where Bond and Colonel Moon are in a duel on a hovercraft (the symbol is seen on a gong tower above a waterfall where Colonel Moon's hovercraft goes over).
  • In the movie The Believer, the protagonist has a tattoo of a triskelion on his arm.

[edit] Games

  • The collectible card game Magic: The Gathering 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 features triskelion as the symbol of Rayne's National Socialist enemies, instead of the historic use of the swastika.
  • The video game Metroid Prime: Hunters features a character, Trace, who can transform into a red, three-legged insectoid creature called a 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.
  • The sport triskelion is a ball game where three teams compete at once on a triangular field.
The flag of Ingushetia. See also the flag of the Ryukyu islands.
The flag of Ingushetia. See also the flag of the Ryukyu islands.

[edit] Literature

  • Severian, the protagonist of The Book of the New Sun (written by Gene Wolfe) adopts a dog with three legs and names him "Triskele".
  • In Limbo, by Bernard Wolfe (1953) the triskelion represents an achievement of high level in a society that believes in amputation of one's limbs (legs, arms) to avoid war or fighting.

[edit] Music

  • Flea, the bassist for the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, has a tattoo of the triskel on his right pectoral muscle.

[edit] Television and radio

  • In the second season Star Trek episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion", the crew of the Enterprise 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.
  • In the Doctor Who audio drama Storm Warning, 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, consisting of a large blue-silver raised dot with three curved arms of similar dots around it, is a major motif of the 2005 TV series Threshold. It is the symbol of the aliens who invade Earth.
  • In the anime Naruto Tayuya has a cursed seal resembling a triskelion.

[edit] 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.
  • A triskelion shape is also found in the roundel of the Irish Air Corps (unique among air force roundels). It is loosely based on the Flag of Ireland and traditional Celtic triskele boss designs.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bonewits, Isaac (2006) Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism. New York, Kensington Publishing Group ISBN 0-8065-2710-2. p.132: [Among Celtic Reconstructionists] "...An Thríbhís Mhòr (the great triple spiral) came into common use to refer to the three realms." Also p. 134: [On CRs ] "Using Celtic symbols such as triskeles and spirals"

[edit] Sources

  • Travels & Discoveries in the Levant. Volume: 1." by C.T. Newton, 1865, p24
  • "A History of Ancient Coinage, 700-300 B.C." by Percy Gardner, 1918, p180


[edit] External links

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