Celtic Triskele

About the Celtic Triskele

Dating back to the Bronze Age in Ireland, the Celtic Triple Spiral or Triskele was found on the entrance stones of an ancient rock and earth temple called Newgrange. It is composed of three equal spirals radiating from a common center with numerous versions that have been found in many ancient cultures around the world, including the Celtic Isles, Greece and pre-Columbian Central America.

Also called the Spiral of Life, the Triple Spiral represents the three cycles of life: Birth/Life/ Death. It is also believed by scholars to symbolize the Druidic Threefold Sister goddess: Fotla/Eiru/Banba. Ireland, or Erin, is named after Eriu. It also symbolizes the Threefold Goddess: Maiden/Mother/Crone.

Use by pre-Christian Celtic tribes and then adopted by many Druids turned Christian priests, the Triple Spiral has been found in illuminated manuscripts of early Christian text such as the Book of Kells.