The Triquetra Irish Trinity Knot

While many Celtic knots are popular designs as tattoos, the one most often seen is the Trinity Knot, also known as a Triquetra. But what does the symbol mean and what significance does it hold? It almost depends on who you ask, because it holds meaning to both Christians and non-Christians, but their definitions differ based on personal beliefs. Christians believe that the three points represent the three elements of the trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). Pagans, which are basically modern offshoots of the original Celts/Druids, take a more tellurium approach to the symbolism, seeing it as a representation of the natural forces: earth, air, and water. On a more spiritual level, it has also been known to symbolize life, death, and rebirth. There are also several other meanings that basically boil down to one thing: three separate entities that are inter-connected. Blurry Origins Who created the symbol has been an issue of controversy for centuries. Christians feel that it started with the Monks, who brought these designs along with their teachings of Christianity when attempting to convert the Celts of the day. However, it's been common practice for Christianity to adopt ancient pagan symbols and rituals into its own belief system, making it a very good possibility that the original knotwork symbols were, indeed, Celtic to begin with. The Circle Sometimes, the traditional triquetra symbol is accompanied by a circle. The circle, in many belief systems, is a symbol of eternity. Whether it is the eternity of God's love or the eternal circle of life itself, the circle adds even more weight to the significance of the triquetra. So, whether you're Christian, Pagan, or somewhere in between, there's a good chance that the Triquetra could hold some kind of personal significance and no one else can dictate what it should mean to you.

Trisquel or Trisquelion symbol

Triskelion Meaning as a Celtic Symbol In a nutshell, the triskelion Celtic symbol meaning deals with competition and man's progress. The Greek term triskelion literally means "three-legged," and appropriately, this sign looks very much like three legs running. The triskelion (also referred to as triskele, triquetra or fylfot) Celtic symbol meaning holds two major components of symbolism. First Component: When we observe this symbol, we are taken with the concept of motion. All three branches (legs, protrusions, angles) are positioned in such a way so as to make the symbol appear as if it is in constant forward motion. This is no accident as this feeling of motion in this symbol represents: action cycles progress revolution competition moving forward Second Component: The three protrusions (legs, angles, branches, etc) are of significant symbolic importance. However, depending upon the era, region, culture, mythological history, etc...symbologists can have a challenging time defining the exact symbolic meaning of the three protrusions. The various representations of the three protrusions found in the triskelion include: Spirit, Mind, Body Father, Son, Holy Ghost Mother, Father, Child Past, Present, Future Power, Intellect, Love Creator, Destroyer, Sustainer Creation, Preservation, Destruction All of these (and still yet more) can be designated for each of the protrustions found in the triskelion - it is simply up to the observer (or originating culture) to proffer up these meanings. The combination of these two components (motion and triad attributes) lead us to the conclusion that this Celtic symbol meaning tells a story of forward motion in the endeavor to reach understanding (within the context of one of the many triad dynamics above listed). This prominent Celtic symbols may also represent the three Celtic worlds: The Otherworld: Where spirits, gods and goddesses live. The Mortal World: Where you and I live along with plants and animals. The Celestial World: Where unseen energies live and move about. Like the forces of sun, moon, wind and water. An interesting side note - the number three is a powerful energy for seemingly infinite reasons. One such representation of number three deals with the three primary measure-marks within the phases of the moon (new, half, full). This is a worthy point because most lunar creatures are depicted as only having three legs inAlchemical and early European esoteric art. When we add lunar implications to the meaning of the triskelion we are dealing with: mystery feminine intuition subtleness subconscious spirituality illumination hidden desire As you can see, the Celtic symbol meaning of the triskelion is more far reaching than just "three-legged." When we combine the variables listed here with the concept of motion and evolution andillumniation, we find that the Celtic symbol meaning of the triskelion has much broader connatations. In short, the sum of this Celtic symbol meaning is: personal growth human development spiritual expansion