Atriskelion ortriskeles is anancient motif consisting either of atriple spiral exhibitingrotational symmetry or of other patterns in triplicate that emanate from a common center.The spiral design can be based on interlockingArchimedean spirals, or represent three bent human limbs. It occurs in artifacts of the European Neolithic andBronze Ages with continuation into theIron Age – especially in the context of theLa Tène culture[1] and of relatedCeltic traditions.The actualtriskeles symbol of three human legs is found especially inGreek antiquity, beginning in archaic pottery and continued in coinage of the classical period.
In theHellenistic period, the symbol became associated with the island ofSicily, appearing on coins minted underDionysius I of Syracuse beginning inc. 382BCE.[2]It later appears inheraldry, and, other than in theflag of Sicily, came into use in the arms and flags of theIsle of Man (known in Manx asny tree cassyn'the three legs').[3]
Greekτρισκελής (triskelḗs) means'three-legged'[4] fromτρι- (tri-),'three times'[5] andσκέλος (skelos),'leg'.[6]While the Greek adjectiveτρισκελής'three-legged' (e.g. of a table) is ancient, use of the term for the symbol is modern, introduced in 1835 byHonoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes as Frenchtriskèle,[7] and adopted in the spellingtriskeles following Otto Olshausen (1886).[8]The formtriskelion (as it were Greekτρισκέλιον[9]) is a diminutive which entered English usage innumismatics in the late-19th century.[10][11]The form consisting of three human legs (as opposed to the triple spiral) has also been called a "triquetra of legs", alsotriskelos ortriskel.[12]
The triple spiral symbol, or three-spiralvolute, appears in many early cultures: the first appeared inMalta (4400–3600 BCE); the second in the astronomical calendar of the megalithic tomb ofNewgrange in Ireland built around 3200 BCE;[13] as well as onMycenaean vessels. TheNeolithic-era symbol of three conjoined spirals may have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion.[14] It is carved into the rock of a stonelozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument in nowCounty Meath, Ireland.[13] It also appears on a 1st-century BCEdolmen tomb in Rathkenny, County Meath.[15]
There is also an example of atriskele on a stone fragment discovered inGloucestershire that, as of 2023, is held by theBritish Museum and thought to date from between the Neolithic period and Bronze Age.[16]
The triskelion was a motif in the art of the Iron Age CelticLa Tène culture.[17]
Thetriskeles proper, composed of three human legs, is younger than the triple spiral found in decorations onGreek pottery—especially as a design shown onHoplite shields and later Greek andAnatoliancoinage.An early example is found on theShield of Achilles in anAttichydria of the late 6th century BCE.[18]It is found on coinage inLycia and onstaters ofPamphylia (atAspendos in 370–333 BCE) andPisidia. The meaning of the Greektriskeles is not recorded directly.TheDuc de Luynes, in his 1835 study, noted the co-occurrence of the symbol with the eagle, the cockerel, thehead of Medusa,Perseus, three crescent moons, three ears of corn, and three grains of corn.[citation needed]From this, he reconstructed a feminine divine triad that he identified with thetriple goddessHecate.[7][19]
Thetriskeles was adopted as emblem by the rulers ofSyracuse. It is possible that this usage is related with the Greek name of the island ofSicily,Τρινακρία (Trinacria)'having three headlands'.[20]The Siciliantriskeles is shown with thehead of Medusa at the center.[21]The ancient symbol has been re-introduced in modernflags of Sicily since 1848. The oldest find of atriskeles inSicily is a vase dated to the late 7th century BCE of which researchers speculated aMinoan-Mycenaean origin (and for which no proof has been given).[22]
Late examples of the triple spiral symbols are found inIron Age Europe,carved in rock inCastro Culture settlements inGalicia,Asturias, andNorthern Portugal.The symbol took on new meaning toIrish Celtic Christians before the 5th century CE as a symbol of theTrinity.[citation needed]
The triple spiral design is found as a decorative element inGothic architecture. The three legs (triskeles) symbol is rarely found as acharge inlate medieval heraldry, notably as the arms of theKing of Mann (Armorial Wijnbergen,c. 1280), and ascanting arms in the city seal of the Bavarian city ofFüssen (dated 1317).
ThePolish town ofDukla has used three huntingbugles arranged in triskelion shape as their symbol since XVI century.[23][24]
The triskeles was included in the design of theArmy Gold Medal awarded to British Army majors and above who had taken a key part in theBattle of Maida (1806).[25]An earlyflag of Sicily, proposed in 1848, included the Sicilian triskeles or "Trinacria symbol".Later versions of Sicilian flags have retained the emblem, including the one officially adopted in 2000.TheFlag of the Isle of Man (1932) shows a heraldic design of a triskeles of three armoured legs.
The flag and coat of arms of the Bavarian town ofFüssen, Germany, contain a triskele,[26][27] as does theflag of the Russian autonomous region of Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug.[28]
In theRepublic of Ireland the triskelion is displayed in hospitals and care centres to indicate that a patient is dying or has died.[29][30] It is based on the historical use of the triskele inCeltic Ireland and it is used as an alternative to religious imagery. In this context, the three spirals represent the cycle of birth, life and death.[30]
The spiral is used by somepolytheistic reconstructionist orneopagan groups. As a "Celtic symbol", it is used primarily by groups with a Celtic cultural orientation and, less frequently, can also be found in use by various eclectic or syncretic traditions such asNeopaganism. The spiral triskele is one of the primary symbols ofCeltic Reconstructionist Paganism, used to represent a variety of triplicities in cosmology and theology; it is also a favored symbol due to its association with the godManannán mac Lir.[31]
Other uses of triskelion-like emblems include the logo for theTrisquelLinux distribution and the seal of theUnited States Department of Transportation.[32]
In the 1960s television programmeStar Trek, members of the crew are forced to fight to the death on a triskelion playing surface in the episodeThe Gamesters of Triskelion.
A specific version of the triskele comprising three sevens has been adopted by neo-nazis. In South Africa theAfrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), anAfrikaner nationalist, neo-Nazi organization and political party (founded 1973), uses it as its symbol in place of aswastika.[33] TheBlood & Honour neo-Nazi group also uses it.[34] The27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck's shoulder strap cipher was a triskele (though not involving sevens).[35] Use of the triskele can be a prosecutable offence under German law, depending on the context in which it is used.[35]
Stylised versions of the Triskelion are commonly used as a symbol forBDSM.
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Theboric acid andtriethylborane molecules are triskelion-shaped as seen in the images. Themolecular point group of triskelion-shaped molecules isC3h.[36][37] The endocytic protein,clathrin, is triskelion-shaped, as well as theEdiacaran organismTribrachidium.[38]
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