THE TRISKELION
The Triskelion known also as Triscele (Italian), and also called triquetra or trinacria, depending on the usage and contexts, is a symbolic figure with a very ancient history. It is also known as a symbol of Sicily formed of three legs or three intertwined spirals according to other traditions, that start from a common center point (a head in the Sicilian version). The name derives from Greek and means simply “three legs”, being composed of “tri” (three) and “skelos” (leg). The legs represent running and speed, and therefore change and transformation. The origins of this symbol come from far, far away, and traces of this type of representation have been found in very different areas and cultures. Frequently depicted in Greek and Roman coins, it is generally considered a symbol of oriental origin representing the Moon, the Sun, or movement, with interpretations of its meaning being varied and conflicting. Here’s the story of this traditional yet enigmatic symbol.
In Sicily, it first appeared on Syracusan coins around the fourth century BC and later became the symbol of the island for all intents and purposes. Most likely it arrived on the Italian island through contact and trade with the island of Crete.
In the first version of the coins, it was formed of the head of the Gorgon (or Medusa), with snakes instead of hair, with three legs bent at the knee radiating outwards. Later the snakes were replaced by ears of wheat to symbolize the fertility of the land of Sicily (they were replaced by the Romans in reference to Sicily’s role as the “breadbasket” of Rome).
The triskelion, in its original version, is a symbol of life, time, and the movement of all things. Variants of this representation are also found among the Celts and the ancient Nordic peoples. The Vikings, for example, used it as a symbol of eternity and the renewal of life and chose it as a symbol for the divinities Frey and Thor.
Its shape is also reminiscent of another ancient symbol: the Indo-European swastika. They very likely share a common origin and a similar appeasing, auspicious meaning. In Eastern religious symbology, it is thought to have represented the god Baal, or the sun in the form of the god of the seasons or the moon (the goddess Hecate), with legs made of lunar sickles.
Paola Luciani Fulbright
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