Pagan symbolism: Triskelion

The triskelion or triskele is a symbol that has been used by various peoples from the late Neolithic for thousands of years. In this blog, we delve deeper into the extensive history and meaning of this symbol.

The triskelion consists of a triple spiral with rotational symmetry or other triple patterns emerging from a common center. The spiral design can be based on interlocking Archimedean spirals or can represent three bent human limbs. The triple appearance can be compared to the Germanic valknut and the triquetra.

The name was introduced in 1835 by the Duke of Luynes, who studied symbolism.

The first triskelions in Europe were made by the Neolithic farmers. They used this sign alongside other left- and right-turning spiral motifs. Late Neolithic farmers were fond of spiral motifs and engraved these on their stone monuments such as graves and stone circles. The triskelion from Malta (4400-3600 BC) and on the megalithic tomb of Newgrange in Ireland (3200 BC) are two examples of this. 

For the Stone Age farmers, the fertility of the land and the sun that provided this fertility were central to their religion. They revered the equinoxes and aligned their stone circles and tomb monuments with them. The entrance of the Newgrange tomb aligns with the position of the sun on the winter solstice. After the harvest came the season of the dead, and during the winter solstice, the sun returned to the realm of the living to bring fertility to the land. 

Some theories suggest that these spirals represent a gateway to the underworld or the journey of the sun between the underworld and the upper world. Others suggest that these spirals symbolize eternal life. Spirals in the form of a triskelion can, according to some theories, be associated with the changing seasons or years.  

Between approximately 3000-2500 BC, the Proto-Indo-European steppe herders migrated from the Pontic steppes towards Europe.

We do not know how the steppe herders and Neolithic farmers merged. It was likely a combination of intermarriage, cultural assimilation, and warfare. In some areas, the steppe herders replaced up to 90% of the Neolithic DNA. 

The society of the steppe herders was based on livestock herding, with which they roamed. They practiced a dharmic nature religion. They rode horses and experimented with copper and later bronze weapons, such as axes. They were taller than the Neolithic farmers. 

Their culture was hierarchical, oath-bound, and focused on individual martial deeds. But they did not only wage war with their new neighbors. They adopted traditions and rituals from them, such as agricultural and fertility goddesses. It is possible that the Old Norse Vanir descended from Neolithic gods. The Vanir gods Freyr, Freya, and Njörd are directly linked to fertility, agriculture, and abundance. The goddesses Cybele and Demeter may also have a local Neolithic origin.

It is likely that the steppe herders also adopted the Neolithic spiral motifs, and thus the triskelion. 

In the Norse bronze Age, the sun is often depicted as a radiant wheel, drawn by a horse and resting in a chariot. An example of this is the Trundholm sun chariot from 1500-1300 BC. Fragments of a similar sun chariot have been found in a burial mound in Jægersborg Hegn, Denmark.

The sun is also depicted as a sun cross or sun disc. These symbols are regularly engraved with spiral motifs, possibly stylized sun rays.

In Indo-European religion, the cosmic order central. The sun plays an essential role as a marker of the seasons, the transition between day and night, and life and death. Thus, the sun became a symbol of order, fertility, and life. Darkness, on the other hand, stood for chaos and death. Light, with the sun as its primary source, was seen as the embodiment of cosmic harmony and vitality.

Various Proto-Indo-European deities were associated with the sun and other celestial bodies:

• *Seh₂ul (Old Norse Sól): the god or goddess of the sun, who brings life and maintains order.
• *Meh₁not (Old Norse Máni): the god of the moon, associated with the cycles of time and the rhythm of nature.
• *H₂éwsōs (West Germanic Eostre): the goddess of dawn, who brings the light of the morning and symbolizes the beginning of a new day.

The numbers three and nine frequently appear in Indo-European paganism. In Old Norse tradition, the Yggdrasil tree of life connects three different realms and with its branches connects nine worlds. The fates goddesses are always in threes, and there are three phases of Ragnarok. Many Old Irish Brehon laws also contain three or nine exceptions. 

The number three plays an important role in the mythological stories of peoples with an Indo-European background. Therefore, the Valknut symbol consists of three triangles and the triskelion of three arms. These numbers were probably used to symbolize cosmic order.

The art of the Celtic Hallstatt period (800-500 BC) was characterized by geometric patterns and abstract motifs. The spiral triskelion remained in use, for example on fibulae. Sometimes the triskelion had four instead of three forms. The Germanic art style in the Bronze- and Iron Age used similar motifs.

The Celtic La Tène art style (500-100 BC) is known for organic patterns, likely inspired by plants and animals. Various types of triskelions were used, including on coins, bracelets and torques.

Triskelions were widely used in the Mycenaean culture of the bronze Age. The motif likely spread from there to other Greek cultures and the Etruscan civilization. 

Greek art developed the stylized triskele, consisting of three stylized human legs. This is a younger symbol that frequently appears on Greek pottery. An Attic hydria vase from the late 6th century BC shows the triskele on the shield of Achilles, suggesting that Greek warriors wore it on their shields. The symbol also appears on coins from Lycia and on staters from Pamphylia (Aspendos, 370–333 BC) and Pisidia. The exact meaning of the Greek triskele is not explicitly conveyed.

The Duke of Luynes stated that the symbol was often combined with other iconography, such as the eagle, the rooster, the head of Medusa, Perseus, and various triadic motifs (such as three crescents, ears of corn, or maize kernels).

The triskele was later adopted by the rulers of Syracuse as an emblem. This use seems related to the Greek name for Sicily, Trinakria (Τρινακρία), meaning 'island with three capes.' The Sicilian variant of the triskele is often depicted with the head of Medusa in the center. Since 1848, the ancient symbol has been reintroduced in modern flags of Sicily. The oldest known depiction of a triskele in Sicily is found on a vase from the late 7th century BC. Researchers have speculated that this symbol may have a Minoan-Mycenaean origin, although no convincing evidence has been provided for this.

In contrast to the Greek and Etruscan cultures, where artists high were held in high regard, the Roman artists were mainly seen as merchants. Sculpture was considered the highest art form, but figure painting was also appreciated. Although many sculptures have survived from the 1st century BC, little painting or earlier sculpture has remained.

In Roman art, triskelions were likely adopted from the Greeks and Etruscans. They used the symbol, often incorporated into leaf-shaped decorations, in mosaic floors and other ornamental art. Terra sigillata pottery offered stylish and affordable design for a wide audience, while Roman coins served as powerful propaganda tools and have been found in large numbers.

The triskelion remained in use in Roman art, both in stylized form and incorporated into the organic motifs that are common in Roman art. Additionally, the Romans used the triquetra on their disc-shaped trumpet fibulae and in their mosaic floors. 

Also in Late Roman and Germanic art from the time of the Migration Period, the triskelion was frequently used. The Germanic tribes, such as the Alemanni, often depicted the triskelion in combination with the swastika or the sun cross, for example on disc fibulae and especially on pendants. 

After the introduction of Christianity in the second half of the 3rd century AD, the triskelion was considered the symbol of the Christian Holy Trinity. As such, from the 5th century onwards, it was also used in manuscript illuminations and on standing cross motifs, which were particularly popular on the British Isles until the 10th century AD. 

It is likely that the motif of the triskelion was interpreted differently by various peoples in different time periods. Certainly, in later periods, the triskelion may have simply been used as a knotwork to fill a void. In doing so, artists unconsciously connected to an ancient tradition. 

The spiral symbol of the original triskelion probably symbolized the sun or sun rays. In that context, the triskelion was used to depict different positions of the sun (years, months, or parts of the day). We speculate that this tradition may have still been known in the late Bronze Age.

In the Celtic La Tène art style and Roman art, organic patterns were very popular. It is unlikely that the meaning of the triskelion was the same around this time, although it is depicted expressively on Celtic coins, which seems to prove otherwise. The Germanic peoples during the Migration Period also used the triskelion. They depicted it on their large amulet-shaped pendants and often combined the symbol with the swastika and the sun wheel. It is possible that it was still associated with sun worship among the Germans.

Christianity associated the triskelion with the Holy Trinity. Therefore, the symbol was integrated into the Christian art of the British Isles.