Celtic Symbols from ancient times
The following symbols are
included in this section. The triquetra, The
Sheela-na-gig, The Celtic Cross, The Spiral, The Green Man, The Celtic Knot, Continuuing
looping symbol.
The triquetra- Its original meaning
was simply "triangle" and it has been used to refer to various three-cornered
shapes. Nowadays, it has come to refer exclusively to a certain more complicated shape
formed of three vesicae piscis, sometimes with an added circle in or around it. Its
original meaning was simply "triangle" and it has been used to refer to various
three-cornered shapes. Nowadays, it has come to refer exclusively to a certain more
complicated shape formed of three vesicae piscis, sometimes with an added circle in or
around it. The triquetra is often found in Insular art, most notably metal work and in
illuminated manuscripts like the Book of Kells. The fact that the triquetra very rarely
stood alone in medieval Celtic has cast a reasonable doubt on its use as a symbol in
context where it was used primarily as a space filler or ornament in much more complex
compositions. But Celtic art lives on as both a living folk art tradition and through
several revivals. Here are some other versions of the Triquetra
Symbol. |
Triquetra composed exactly of three overlapping Vesica
piscis symbols. |
Triquetra in blue as part of an interlaced Christian
Trinitarian decorative symbol. |
Triquetra interlaced with circle as Christian Trinitarian
symbol (a "Trinity knot"). |
The cross of triquetras or Carolingian Cross. |
The
Sheela na Gig - The name was first published in the Proceedings of the Royal
Irish Academy 1840-44, as a local name for a carving once present on a church gable wall
in Rochestown, County Tipperary, Ireland; the name was also recorded in 1840 by John
O'Donovan, an official of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, referring to a figure on a
church in Kiltinane, County Tipperary. There is controversy regarding the origin and
meaning of the name, as the name is not directly translatable into Irish. Alternative
spellings of "Sheela" may sometimes be encountered; they include Sheila, Síle
and Síla. The name "Seán-na-Gig" was coined by Jack Roberts for the
ithyphallic male counterpart of the Sheela which is fairly rare in Ireland but is much
more common on the continent. The Sheela na Gig is a fertility figure. |
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a
ring surrounding the intersection. The symbol is associated with Celtic Christianity,
although it has older, pre-Christian origins. Such crosses form a major part of Celtic
art. A standing Celtic cross, made of stone and often richly ornamented, is called a high
cross or Irish Cross. Celtic crosses may have had origins in the early Coptic church.
In Ireland, it is a popular myth that the Celtic cross was introduced by Saint Patrick or
possibly Saint Declan during his time converting the pagan Irish. |
The
triple spiral or triskele is a Celtic and pre-Celtic symbol found on a number of
Irish Megalithic and Neolithic sites, most notably inside the Newgrange passage tomb, on
the entrance stone, and on some of the curbstones surrounding the mound.
Believed by many to be an ancient symbol of pre-Celtic and Celtic beliefs, the triple
spiral appears in various forms in pre-Celtic and Celtic art, with the earliest examples
having been carved on pre-Celtic stone monuments, and later examples found in the Celtic
Christian illuminated manuscripts of Insular art. The triple spiral was possibly the
precursor to the later triskele design found in the manuscripts. |
The Green Man is often perceived as an ancient Celtic symbol. In Celtic
mythology, he is a god of spring and summer. He disappears and returns year after year,
century after century, enacting themes of death and resurrection, the ebb and flow of life
and creativity. The Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain, The Green Knight, is a notable image
of the Green Man from the Middle Ages. Gawain had a green helmet, green armor, green
shield... even a green horse. When he was decapitated, he continued to live. |
The Celtic Knot - Celtic knots are a variety of (mostly endless) knots and
stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, adopted by the ancient
Celts. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of
Christian monuments and manuscripts like the 8th century Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne
Gospels.
There is no evidence to indicate that a knot had any specific philosophical or religious
significance beyond perhaps the most obvious, that being the intricacy capable in the work
of humans, itself reflective of the intricacy of Natural forms. |
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