A triskelion or triskeles is an ancient motif consisting either of a triple spiral exhibiting

rotational symmetry Rotational symmetry, also known as radial symmetry in geometry, is the property a shape (geometry), shape has when it looks the same after some rotation (mathematics), rotation by a partial turn (angle), turn. An object's degree of rotational s ...

or of other patterns in triplicate that emanate from a common center. The spiral design can be based on interlocking

Archimedean spiral The Archimedean spiral (also known as Archimedes' spiral, the arithmetic spiral) is a spiral named after the 3rd-century BC Ancient Greece, Greek mathematician Archimedes. The term ''Archimedean spiral'' is sometimes used to refer to the more gene ...

s, or represent three bent human limbs. It occurs in artifacts of the European

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

s with continuation into the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

, especially in the context of the

La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a Iron Age Europe, European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman Republic, Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age ...

and of related

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

traditions. The actual ''triskeles'' symbol of three human legs is found especially in Greek antiquity, beginning in archaic pottery and continued in coinage of

Classical Greece Classical Greece was a period of around 200 years (the 5th and 4th centuries BC) in ancient Greece,The "Classical Age" is "the modern designation of the period from about 500 B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C." ( Thomas R. Mar ...

. In the

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

, the symbol became associated with the island of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, appearing on coins minted under Dionysius I of Syracuse beginning in BCE. It later appears in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, and, other than in the flag of Sicily, came into use in the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

s of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

(known in the

Manx language Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx ...

as ). Greek () means from (), and (), . While the Greek adjective ( of a table) is ancient, use of the term for the symbol is modern, introduced in 1835 by Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes as French ,Honore-Theodoric-Paul-Joseph d'Albert de Luynes, ''Etudes numismatiques sur quelques types relatifs au culte d'Hecate'' (1835)
83f.
/ref> and adopted in the spelling ''triskeles'' following Otto Olshausen (1886). The form ''triskelion'' (as it were Greek ) is a diminutive which entered English usage in

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

in the late-19th century. The form consisting of three human legs (as opposed to the triple spiral) has also been called a " triquetra of legs", also ''triskelos'' or ''triskel''.

Use in European antiquity

Neolithic to Iron Age

The triple spiral symbol, or three-spiral

volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an ...

, appears in many early cultures: the first appeared in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

(4400–3600 BCE); the second in the astronomical calendar of the megalithic tomb of

Newgrange Newgrange () is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, placed on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3100 BC, makin ...

in Ireland built around 3200 BCE; as well as on Mycenaean vessels. The

-era symbol of three conjoined spirals may have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. It is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument in what is now

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, Ireland. It also appears on a 1st-century BCE

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

tomb in Rathkenny in County Meath. There is also an example of a ''triskele'' on a stone fragment discovered in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England, that, as of 2023, is held by the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

and thought to date from between the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. The triskelion was a motif in the art of the Iron Age Celtic

Classical Antiquity

The ''triskeles'' proper, composed of three human legs, is younger than the triple spiral found in decorations on Greek pottery, especially as a design shown on Hoplite shields and later Greek and

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 ...

n coinage. An early example is found on the Shield of Achilles in an

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

hydria The hydria (; : hydriai) is a form of Greek pottery from between the Geometric art, late Geometric period (7th century BC) and the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC). The etymology of the word hydria was first noted when it was stamped on a ...

'' of the late-6th century BCE. It is found on coinage in

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 ...

and on

stater The stater (; ) was an ancient coin used in various regions of Greece. The term is also used for similar coins, imitating Greek staters, minted elsewhere in ancient Europe. History The stater, as a Greek silver currency, first as ingots, and ...

s of

Pamphylia Pamphylia (; , ''Pamphylía'' ) was a region in the south of Anatolia, Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean to Mount Taurus (all in modern-day Antalya province, Turkey). It was bounded on the ...

(at

Aspendos Aspendos or Aspendus ( Pamphylian: ΕΣΤϜΕΔΥΣ; Attic: Ἄσπενδος) was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Antalya province of Turkey. The site is located 40 km east of the modern city of Antalya. It was situated on the Eurymedon Ri ...

in 370–333 BCE) and

Pisidia Pisidia (; , ; ) was a region of ancient Asia Minor located north of Pamphylia, northeast of Lycia, west of Isauria and Cilicia, and south of Phrygia, corresponding roughly to the modern-day province of Antalya in Turkey. Among Pisidia's set ...

. The meaning of the Greek ''triskeles'' is not recorded directly. The

Duke of Luynes The Duke of Luynes ( ) is a territorial name belonging to the noble France, French house d'Albert. Luynes, Indre-et-Loire, Luynes is, today, a commune in France, commune of the Indre-et-Loire ''département in France, département'' in France. The ...

, in his 1835 study, noted the co-occurrence of the symbol with the eagle, the cockerel, the head of Medusa,

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

, three crescent moons, three ears of corn, and three grains of corn. From this, he reconstructed a feminine divine triad that he identified with the triple goddess Hecate. The ''triskeles'' was adopted as emblem by the rulers of Syracuse. It is possible that this usage is related with the Greek name of the island of

, () . The Sicilian ''triskeles'' is shown with the head of Medusa at the center.Matthews, Jeff (2005
Symbols of Naples
The ancient symbol has been re-introduced in modern flags of Sicily since 1848. The oldest find of a ''triskeles'' in

is a vase dated to the late-7th century BCE of which researchers speculated a Minoan-Mycenaean origin (and for which no proof has been given).

Roman period and Late Antiquity

Late examples of the triple spiral symbols are found in

Iron Age Europe In Europe, the Iron Age is the last stage of the prehistoric Europe, prehistoric period and the first of the protohistory, protohistoric periods,The Junior Encyclopædia Britannica: A reference library of general knowledge. (1897). Chicago: E.G. ...

, carved in rock in

Castro Culture Castro culture (, , , , meaning "culture of the hillforts") is the archaeological term for the material culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day northern and central Portugal together with the Spanish regions of ...

settlements in Galicia,

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, and Northern Portugal. The symbol took on new meaning to Irish Celtic Christians before the 5th century CE as a symbol of the

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 ...

. File:2009-03-22 03-29 Sizilien 683 Agrigent, Parco Valle dei Templi Agrigento, Museo Archaeologico.jpg, Triskelion of Sicily on vase of the late 7th century BCE File:Ancient greek beaked jug decorated with triple spirals.jpg, Late Helladic (14th century BCE) beaked jug decorated with triple spirals File:6257 - Archaeological Museum, Athens - Gold cup from Mycenae - Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto, Nov 10 2009.jpg, Gold cup from

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; ; or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines, Greece, Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos; and sou ...

decorated with triskelions File:Trisquel da Aira Vella, Santo Estevo de Allariz, Allariz.jpg, Iron Age

Castro culture Castro culture (, , , , meaning "culture of the hillforts") is the archaeological term for the material culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day northern and central Portugal together with the Spanish regions of ...

triskele, reused in a barn. Airavella, Allariz, Galicia,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

File:Torque de Santa Tegra 1.JPG, Triskelion and spirals on a Galician

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some have hook and ring closures and a few hav ...

terminal.

Medieval use

The triple spiral design is found as a decorative element in

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

. The three legs (triskeles) symbol is rarely found as a charge in late medieval heraldry, notably as the arms of the King of Mann ( Armorial Wijnbergen, ), and as

canting arms Canting arms are heraldry, heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. The expression derives from the latin ''cantare'' (to sing). French heralds used the term (), ...

in the city seal of the Bavarian city of Füssen (dated 1317). File:Triskel-triskele-triquetre-triscel VAN DEN HENDE ALAIN CC-BY-SA-40 0718 PDP BG 007.jpg, Triskèle Saint-Marcellin (in

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) File:Triskel_et_Biskel_-_Saint_Antoine_l_Abbaye_-_Alain_Van_den_Hende_17071627_Licence_CC40.jpg, On the front of Abbatial church of

Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye Saint Antoine l'Abbaye (, before 1991: ''Saint-Antoine''), also Saint-Antoine-en-Viennois, is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère departments of France, department in southeastern France. On 31 December 2015 the former commune of Diona ...

with 2 groups of 2 triskelions and 1 biskel (in

) File:Triskele karja church.jpg, Mural depicting a triskelion on the ceiling of Karja church in

Saaremaa Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

File:TremayneArms.PNG, Tremayne family triskelion arms

Modern usage

The town of

Dukla Dukla is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 2,017. The total area of the commune is . Dukla belongs to Lesser Poland, and until the Pa ...

in Poland has used three hunting bugles arranged in triskelion shape as its symbol since the 16th century. The triskeles was included in the design of the

Army Gold Medal The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field officer, field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predom ...

awarded to British Army majors and above who had taken a key part in the Battle of Maida (1806). An early flag 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. The flag 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 of Füssen, Germany, contain a triskele, as does the flag of the Russian autonomous region of Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug. In the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

the triskelion is displayed in hospitals and care centres to indicate that a patient is dying or has died. It is based on the historical use of the triskele in Celtic 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. The spiral is used by some polytheistic reconstructionist or neopagan 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 as

Neopaganism 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 ...

. The spiral triskele is one of the primary symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, used to represent a variety of triplicities in cosmology and theology; it is also a favoured symbol due to its association with

Manannán mac Lir or , also known as ('son of the Sea'), is a Water deity, sea god, warrior, and king of the Tír na nÓg, otherworld in Irish mythology, Gaelic (Irish, Manx, and Scottish) mythology who is one of the . He is seen as a ruler and guardian of t ...

, a sea god within

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

.Bonewits, Isaac (2006) ''Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism''. New York,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

Publishing Group . p. 132: mong Celtic Reconstructionists"... (the great triple spiral) came into common use to refer to the three realms." Also p. 134: n CRs"Using Celtic symbols such as triskeles and

spirals In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving further away as it revolves around the point. It is a subtype of whorled patterns, a broad group that also includes concentric objects. Two-dimensional A two-dimension ...

" Other uses of triskelion-like emblems include the logo for the Trisquel

Linux distribution A Linux distribution, often abbreviated as distro, is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro—if distributed on its own—is oft ...

and the seal of the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...

. In the 1960s television programme

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

, members of the crew are forced to fight to the death on a triskelion playing surface in the episode

The Gamesters of Triskelion "The Gamesters of Triskelion" is the sixteenth episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek''. Written by Margaret Armen and di ...

. A specific version of the triskele comprising three sevens has been adopted by

neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

. In South Africa the

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging The (, meaning 'Afrikaner Resistance Movement'), commonly known by its abbreviation AWB (), is an Afrikaner nationalism, Afrikaner nationalist, white supremacist, and Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi political party in South Africa. Founded in 1973 by Eug ...

(AWB), an Afrikaner nationalist, neo-Nazi organisation and political party (founded 1973), uses it as its symbol in place of a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

. The Blood & Honour neo-Nazi group also uses it. The 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck's shoulder strap cipher was a triskele (though not involving sevens). Use of the triskele can be a prosecutable offence under German law, depending on the context in which it is used. Stylised versions of the Triskelion are commonly used as a symbol for

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...

. POL Dukla COA.svg, Coat of arms of

File:Flag of the Isle of Mann.svg, Flag of the Isle of Man File:Flag of Sicily.svg, Flag of Sicily, with the triskeles-and- Gorgoneion symbol File:Flag of Sărata-Galbenă.gif, Flag of Sărata-Galbenă File:Flag of Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug.svg, Flag of

Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug, or Ust-Orda Buryatia, is an administrative division of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.

File:Flag of Ingushetia.svg, Flag of Ingushetia File:27. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division „Langemarck“ (1. flämische).svg, Emblem of the 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck File:Flag of the Afrikaner-Weerstandsbeweging.svg, Flag of

File:Logo-Trisquel.svg, Logo of Trisquel GNU/Linux File:End-of-Life symbol Ireland.jpg, The triskelion is used as an end-of-life symbol in the Irish healthcare system.

Occurrence in nature

The

boric acid Boric acid, more specifically orthoboric acid, is a compound of boron, oxygen, and hydrogen with formula . It may also be called hydrogen orthoborate, trihydroxidoboron or boracic acid. It is usually encountered as colorless crystals or a white ...

and triethylborane molecules are triskelion-shaped as seen in the images. The molecular point group of triskelion-shaped molecules is ''C''_3h. The endocytic protein,

clathrin Clathrin is a protein that plays a role in the formation of coated vesicles. Clathrin was first isolated by Barbara Pearse in 1976. It forms a triskelion shape composed of three clathrin heavy chains and three light chains. When the triskel ...

, is triskelion-shaped, as well as the Ediacaran organism

Tribrachidium ''Tribrachidium heraldicum'' is a tri-radially symmetric fossil animal that lived in the late Ediacaran (Vendian) seas. In life, it was hemispherical in form. ''T. heraldicum'' is the best known member of the extinct group Trilobozoa. Etymolo ...

. Triethylborane.svg, A molecule of triethylborane Boric-acid-2D.svg, A molecule of

Tribrachidium_heraldicum_トリブラキディウム_ヘラルディキウム_24mm.jpg, The Ediacaran organism

References

External links

{{Authority control Iconography Ornaments Rotational symmetry Symbols Symmetry Heraldic charges Visual motifs Early Germanic symbols