Triskelion
A triskelion or triskele is a motif consisting of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry. Both words are from Greek "τρισκέλιον" (triskelion) or "τρισκελής" (triskeles), "three-legged",[1] from prefix "τρι-" (tri-), "three times"[2] + "σκέλος" (skelos), "leg".[3] Although it appears in many places and periods, it is especially characteristic of the Celtic art of the La Tène culture of the European Iron Age.
A triskelion is the symbol of Brittany, as well as the Isle of Man and Sicily (where it is called trinacria).[4] The Manx and Sicilian triskelia feature three running legs, bent at the knee and conjoined at the hip area.
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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. It appears as a heraldic emblem on warriors' shields depicted on Greek pottery.[5] 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 those who theorize a Celtic origin for the triskelion.
Manx triskelion
The symbol of the Isle of Man is a triskelion, known as the "Three Legs of Man", and in the Manx language as the tre cassyn ("three legs"). The triskelion appears on the island's coat of arms, flag, and banknotes. The motto of the Manx coat of arms is QUOCUNQUE JECERIS STABIT ("Wherever you throw it, it will stand").
The origin of the Manx triskelion is uncertain. It is first documented in the thirteenth century, where it appears on coats of arms attributed to the King of Mann. The symbol also appears on the island's Sword of State, which is popularly said to have belonged to Olaf the Black, who ruled the Kingdom of Man and the Isles from 1226-1237; however, analysis of the sword shows that it likely dates to the 15th century.
Sicilian triskelion
Familiar as an ancient symbol of Sicily, the triskelion is also featured on Greek coins of Syracuse, such as coins of Agathocles (317–289 BCE). In Sicily, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are the tribes of the Sicani (Greek Sikanoi) and the Sicels (Greek Sikeloi), who gave Sicily its more familiar modern name. The triskelion was revived, as a neoclassic — and non-Bourbon — emblem for the new Napoleonic Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, by Joachim Murat in 1808.
The symbol dates back to when Sicily was part of Magna Graecia, the colonial extension of Greece beyond the Aegean.[6] Pliny the Elder attributes the origin of the triskelion of Sicily to the triangular form of the island, the 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.
The three legs of the triskelion are also reminiscent of Hephaestus's three-legged tables that ran by themselves, as 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."
Spiral triskele
The Celtic symbol of three conjoined spirals may have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. The triple 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 monument in County Meath, Ireland. A variant of the symbol is also found, carved into the wall in the inner chamber of the passage tomb. Because of its Celtic associations, it is also used as a symbol of Brittany (alongside the ermine).
 Celtic triskele of three stylized bird heads with yin yang whorl in the center |
 A version of the Neolithic triple spiral symbol. |
 Spiral triskele, found in Celtic artwork, used by Celtic Reconstructionists and occasionally as a Christian Trinitarian symbol. |
Modern usage
As recently as the late 1960s and the 1970s, the spiral triscele became very fashionable in Brittany, and, to some extent, in France and Spain, after Alan Stivell was wearing it around the neck on TV shows and magazines. The fashion has extended then to commercial, political and cultural fields, used in Brittany as one of the main symbols (for tourism, products, etc.).
In the north of Spain, the triskelion is used as a symbol of Galizan and Asturian nationalists. The triskele was used by Galician nationalists as early as 1930, although its use as a contemporary fashion icon only started during the Celtic revival of the 1970s. Currently, the Department of Agriculture of the devolved government of Galicia uses a triskele as its corporate logo. A similar symbol called lábaro by Cantabrian regionalist can be compared to the neighboring Basque culture's four-branched lauburu.
A GNU/Linux distribution called Trisquel uses a triskelion-based logo.
The Razer mouse company uses a triskelion-based logo.
A triskelion shape is the basis for the roundel of the Irish Air Corps[7] (unique among air force roundels). It is loosely based on the Flag of Ireland and traditional Celtic triskele boss designs. A triskelion pattern forms part of the United States Department of Transportation. The three comma shapes represent air, land, and sea transportation. The seal was adopted on February 1, 1967.
The SIG Sauer firearms company used a variation of a triskelion as the company logo.
Similar shapes (called "sam tageuk" in Korea and "tomoe" in Japan) are used in some East Asian cultures (one version was part of the official logo of the 1988 Summer Olympics).
A triskelion shape was used in the design of RCA's "Spider" 45 rpm adapter, a popular plastic adapter for vinyl records, which allows larger center-holed 45 rpm records (commonly used on 7" singles and EP's) to spin on players designed for smaller center-holed 33-1/3 rpm records (the standard for 10" and 12" LP's). The iconic design of the Spider has led to its adoption as a popular symbol for record and music enthusiasts.[8][9]
Reconstructionists and neopagans
The triskele, usually consisting of spirals, but also the "horned triskelion", is used by some polytheistic reconstructionist and neopagan groups. As a Celtic symbol, it is found primarily of groups with a Celtic cultural orientation and, less frequently, can also be found in use by some Germanic neopagan groups and eclectic or syncretic traditions such as Wicca. The spiral triskele is one of the primary symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism.[10] 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.[10]
Third Reich / extremist uses
Nazi Germany adopted a variation on the triskelion as the insignia for the 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck, composed mainly of Belgian volunteers. Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), a South African white supremacist paramilitary group, have used a flag featuring three black sevens that form a design reminiscent of the triskelion, in a white circle with a red background.
In fiction
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.
An episode of Star Trek, The Gamesters of Triskelion, takes place on the alien planet of Triskelion from Episode 16 of season 2. A Triskelion symbol was made into a fighting area.
Triskelion is the name of the headquarters of The Ultimates, as seen in Marvel Comics.
In Dean Koontz's "Relentless" a triskelion with three muscular arms, bent at the elbow, and fisted hands inside of a white circle was the symbol of the antagonist agency.
In the film Cremaster 4, part of a cinematic work by conceptual artist Matthew Barney (US), the triskelion appears as a reference to the mythology of the Isle of Man where the film's action is set.
Naturally occurring
- Clathrin, a protein involved in the formation of endocytic vesicles in most cells, has a triskelion shape.
Gallery
 Irish Air Corps Roundel. |
 Seal of the United States Department of Transportation. |
 Flag of the Ryukyu Islands from 1875 to 1879. |
 Flag of Ingushetia. |
 A symbol closely resembling the BDSM emblem. |
 The flag of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging. |
 The Official Seal of The Tau Gamma Phi Triskelion Grand Fraternity. |
 The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria |
 The coat of arms of the German city of Füssen. |
 Flag of the Isle of Man |
 Korean drum-head with a version of Sam-Taeguk symbol |
 ParticipACTION organization logo |
See also
- Awen
- Fylfot
- Gankyil
- Snoldelev Stone
- Sauwastika
- Taegeuk
- Three hares
- Triquetra
- Valknut
References
- ↑ τρισκελής, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ↑ τρι-, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ↑ σκέλος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ↑ Angelo & Mario Grifasi (1999-01-28). "Sicilia: Il Perchè del nome Trinacria". Grifasi-sicilia.com. http://www.grifasi-sicilia.com/trinacria.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ↑ For example the trislele on Achilles' round shield on an Attic late sixth-century hydria at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, illustrated in John Boardman, Jasper Griffin and Oswyn Murray, Greece and the Hellenistic World (Oxford History of the Classical World) vol. I (1988), p.50.
- ↑ Matthews, Jeff (2005) Symbols of Naples
- ↑ The Aircraft Encyclopedia by Roy Braybrook, ISBN 0-671-55337-2, p. 51
- ↑ We Love Life: Music - 45 RPM Adapters
- ↑ Boing Boing: Gadgets - Twenty 45 adapters
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 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"
External links
- Triskelion at symbols.com
- Triple spiral at symbols.com
- John Newton, "Armorial bearings of the Isle of Mann," in Manx Notebook, January 1886
- "The Isle of Man and the Triskelion", Peter Symes
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