The triquetra ( ; from the Latin adjective ''triquetrus'' "three-cornered") is a triangular figure composed of three interlaced arcs, or (equivalently) three overlapping '' vesicae piscis'' lens shapes. It is used as an ornamental design in architecture, and in medieval manuscript illumination (particularly in the Insular tradition). Its depiction as interlaced is common in Insular ornaments from about the 7th century. In this interpretation, the triquetra represents the topologically simplest possible knot.

History

Iron Age

The term ''triquetra'' in archaeology is used of any figure consisting of three arcs, including a pinwheel design of the type of the triskeles. Such symbols become frequent from about the 4th century BC ornamented ceramics of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and it appears on early

Lycia Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğ ...

n coins. The triquetra is found on

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

s in Northern Europe, such as the Funbo Runestones, and on early Germanic coins. It bears a resemblance to the '' valknut'', a design of three interlacing triangles, found in the same context.

Insular art

The triquetra is often found in

insular art Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, was produced in the sub-Roman Britain, post-Roman era of Great Britain and Ireland. The term derives from ''insula'', the Latin language, Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland ...

, most notably metal work and in

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

s like the ''

Book of Kells The Book of Kells (; ; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. 8 sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illustrated manuscript and Celts, Celtic Gospel book in Latin, containing the Gospel, four Gospels of the New Testament togeth ...

''. It is a "minor though recurring theme" in the secondary phase of Anglo-Saxon sceatta production (c. 710–760).Tony Abramson (ed.), ''Two Decades of Discovery'' Studies in Medieval Coinage 1, Boydell Press (2008)
p. 1
It is found in similar artwork on early Christian

High Cross A high cross or standing cross (, , ) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. Th ...

es and slabs. An example from early medieval stonework is the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

frithstool at

Hexham Abbey Hexham Abbey is a Grade I listed church dedicated to Saint Andrew, St Andrew, in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in the North East England, North East of England. Originally built in AD 674, the Abbey was built up during the 12th century ...

. The symbol has been interpreted as representing the Holy

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

, especially since the

Celtic revival The Celtic Revival (also referred to as the Celtic Twilight) is a variety of movements and trends in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries that see a renewed interest in aspects of Celtic culture. Artists and writers drew on the traditions of Gae ...

of the 19th century. The original intention by the early medieval artists is unknown and experts warn against over-interpretation. It is, however, regularly used as a Trinitarian symbol in contemporary Catholic

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

Buddhist tradition

The triquetra has been a known symbol in Japan called ''Musubi Mitsugashiwa''. Being one of the forms of the Iakšaku dynasty signs, it reached Japan with the dynasty's

Kāśyapīya Kāśyapīya (Sanskrit: काश्यपीय; Pali: ''Kassapiyā'' or ''Kassapikā''; ) was one of the early Buddhist schools in India. Etymology The name ''Kāśyapīya'' is believed to be derived from Kāśyapa, one of the original missionar ...

spreading technology and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

via the

Kingdom of Khotan The Kingdom of Khotan was an ancient Buddhism, Buddhist Saka kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin (modern-day Xinjiang, China). The ancient capital was origina ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Modern use

The triquetra is often used artistically as a design element when Celtic knotwork is used, especially in association with the modern

Celtic nations The Celtic nations or Celtic countries are a cultural area and collection of geographical regions in Northwestern Europe where the Celtic languages and cultural traits have survived. The term ''nation'' is used in its original sense to mean a ...

. The triquetra, also known as an "Irish Trinity Knot", is often found as a design element in popular Irish jewelry such as claddaghs and other wedding or engagement rings. Some Christians use the triquetra as a symbol for the

. Celtic pagans or

neopagans Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, spans a range of new religious movements variously influenced by the Paganism, beliefs of pre-modern peoples across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. Despite some comm ...

who are not of a Celtic cultural orientation may use the triquetra to symbolise a variety of concepts and mythological figures. Due to its presence in insular Celtic art, Celtic Reconstructionists use the triquetra either to represent one of the various triplicities in their

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

(such as the tripartite division of the world into the realms of Land, Sea, and Sky),Mac Mathúna, Liam (1999
"Irish Perceptions of the Cosmos"
''Celtica'' vol. 23 (1999), pp.174–187 or as a symbol of one of the specific Celtic

triple goddesses A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long history ...

– for example the battle goddess,

The Morrígan The Morrígan or Mórrígan, also known as Morrígu, is a figure from Irish mythology. The name is Mór-ríoghan in modern Irish before the spelling reform, and it has been translated as "great queen" or "phantom queen". The Morrígan is mainl ...

. The symbol is also sometimes used by Wiccans, White Witches, and some

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

rs to symbolise the

Triple Goddess A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long history ...

, or as a protective symbol.. In the 1998–2006 American fantasy drama ''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadc ...

'', that ran on the now-defunct

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

network, the triquetra was prominently used as a symbol on the Halliwells' '' Book of Shadows'', the book of spells, potions, and other information the sisters used to fight evil. The triquetra was also used as a symbol of the Charmed Ones and their collective

Power of Three In mathematics, a power of three is a number of the form where is an integer, that is, the result of exponentiation with number 3, three as the Base (exponentiation), base and integer as the exponent. The first seven non-negative powers ...

. The triquetra on the ''Book of Shadows'' would be seen to fracture and pull apart when their bond was temporarily broken by a demon. It was also featured prominently in the opening credits of each episode throughout its eight-season run. The symbol was also used in the 2018 reboot that ran on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

. In the TV series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010),

Michonne Michonne Grimes ( ) (full name in the comic book series: Michonne Hawthorne) is a Character (arts), fictional character from ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead''. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most ...

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

features a triquetra, chosen for its meaning as a "triple goddess symbol". In the German Netflix series ''Dark'' (2017), it symbolizes the caves' closed time loops with each loop being 33 years apart, with the past affecting the future and the future influencing the past. The Triquetra is of significant symbolic value to the time travelers. This symbol can be seen on the Cave's metal door, on the

Emerald Tablet The Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Table or the ''Tabula Smaragdina'', is a compact and cryptic text traditionally attributed to the legendary Hellenistic period, Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus. The earliest known version ...

, in The Stranger's papers, and in the Sic Mundus photo. The Triquetra is shown on Thor's hammer,

Mjölnir Mjölnir ( , ; from Old Norse ''Mjǫllnir'' ) is the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology, used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. The hammer is attested in numerous sources, including t ...

, in the 2011 film ''

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

''. After

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

utters to Mjölnir the words "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor", the Triquetra vanishes. It represents

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...

Midgard In Germanic cosmology, Midgard (an anglicised form of Old Norse ; Old English , Old Saxon , Old High German , and Gothic ''Midjun-gards''; "middle yard", "middle enclosure") is the name for Earth (equivalent in meaning to the Greek term : oikou ...

, and Utgard. The Triquetra is also used on the logo of the video game developer

Treyarch Treyarch Corporation ( ; formerly Treyarch Invention LLC) is an American video game developer based in Los Angeles with Additional studio locations in Vancouver, Canada; and Austin, Texas. Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it ...

, one of the developers of the ''

Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...

'' franchise.

Gallery

File:Trikvetra-closeup.JPG, Close-up of a triquetra on one of the Funbo Runestones. File:Triquetra-Münze 05.png, Interlaced triquetra on a Norwegian penny minted under

Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' in the sagas, was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He unsuccessfully claimed the Monarchy of Denma ...

(r. 1047-1066) File:Triquetra-Münze 03.png, Norwegian penny minted under Harald Hardrada (r. 1047-1066) File:Cruz_de_Santa_Susana.JPG, Four triquetras forming a " Carolingian cross" in the church of Santa Susanna in Galicia (11th/12th century ite?.

Variant forms

File:Triquetra-Vesica.svg, Triquetra composed exactly of three overlapping

Vesica piscis The vesica piscis is a type of lens, a mathematical shape formed by the intersection of two disks with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each disk lies on the perimeter of the other. In Latin, "" literally means "bla ...

symbols. File:Triquetra-Double.svg, An interlaced double triquetra. File:Triquetra-tightly-knotted.svg, Tightly-knotted form of triquetra. File:Triquetra-circle-interlaced.svg, Triquetra interlaced with circle as Celtic symbol (a "Trinity knot"). (Later adopted by Christian iconography as representative of "the Trinity") File:Triquetra-Interlaced-Triangle-Circle.svg, Triquetra in blue as part of an interlaced Celtic decorative symbol. (Later adopted by Christian iconography as representative of "the Trinity") File:Vodicka_triquetra1.svg, Interlaced triquetra in the style of the Funbo Runestone File:Triquetra-Cross.svg, The ''cross of triquetras'', or " Carolingian cross". File:Triquetra-Cross-alternate.svg, Cross composed of four interlaced triquetras. File:Celtic-Cross-Vodicka-decorative-triquetras-red.svg,

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

with triquetras.

References

External links

* {{MathWorld, JohnsonsTheorem, Johnson's Theorem Celtic art Christian symbols Church architecture Early Germanic symbols Iconography Culture of Ireland Ornaments Religious symbols Romanesque art Rotational symmetry Symbols Visual motifs Piecewise-circular curves