I bet you’ve noticed this pretty little spiral that decorates my website. And I bet you’ve seen it before!
Did you ever grow curious enough to look it up?
No?
Ah, that’s fine! Everyday life does get in the way sometimes, and little spirals tend to fade away from the forefront of the mind when you have a family to care for.
But since I know your curiosity must be eating at you…
Well, that’s why your friend Maddie is here, to solve the riddle and offer you the answers you seek!
Due to both their origins and their unique meanings, Celtic symbols—used by the Scottish Celts, of course—are probably one of the most fascinating aspects of the culture.
Ruling over a big part of Europe during the Iron Age and the Medieval Period, the Celtic people surely played a big role in shaping the structure of the continent.
From their ethical codes, artworks, jewelry, building techniques, blacksmithing, farming and diplomacy skills to their folklore and beliefs, the ancient Celts had a unique way of life in every meaning!
But how much do we know about them? While part of our knowledge about the Celts, their culture and history is compiled from what was told in resources written by the ancient Greeks and Romans, artworks and other cultural remnants of the ancient Celts help a great deal in providing insight into their traditions, customs, spirituality and belief.
The issue with many Celtic symbols is that we can’t offer a definitive guide to what they truly mean. Archaeologists and anthropologists can provide accurate accounts of what symbols mean in other cultures because of written records left behind. However, there are no writings to accompany Celtic symbols, so we are left to provide educated guesses based on what we know about the culture.
It is important to remember that in the Druid faith, placing sacred material in writing was forbidden. The Celts preferred to pass down beliefs and symbolism from generation to generation verbally.
And when it comes to symbolism, the Celtic civilization was far more enamored with imagination than reality when creating their symbols.
So, let’s delve a bit deeper into the fascinating world of the Druids, the Celts and the symbols that to this day, capture our imagination!
Sit back comfortably, open your mind and let me do the talking!
Or writing.
Oh, you know what I mean! 😉
The Triade, Triskelion, Triskele or Triple Spiral is an ancient Celtic symbol related to earthly life, the afterlife and reincarnation. Drawn in one continuous line to suggest a fluid movement of time, Triades are one of the most common elements of Celtic art. They are found in a variety of styles, both in ancient and contemporary use, especially in relation to depictions of the Moon Goddess. They also evoke the universal concept of the domains of material existence—earth, water, and sky, body, mind, and spirit, and the eternally spiraling cycles of time.
The Triade radiates the potential of complete experience and wisdom for all.
Looking similar to three legs running, this ancient symbol outlines the need to be in a perpetual state of growth.
The Trinity Knot. The term ‘triquetra’ originally meant ‘triangle’ and was used to refer to a variety of three-cornered shapes; a circle was sometimes added inside the symbol or around it. In the Celtic tradition, it was a three-pointed symbol that represented three-way unity. The Celtic version of the symbol features their unique knotwork style which means it is endlessly looping and interweaving. If you see a triquetra symbol with a circle going through it, it means it is a symbol of eternity.
You will often see this design on a Claddagh ring as it can represent the three promises of a relationship: love, honor and protection. Christians adopted the symbol and used it to represent the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is extremely difficult to pin down an exact meaning for the Triquetra as the symbol has several possible meanings. It can represent:
It appears as if virtually everyone who has a Celtic tattoo opts for the spiral pattern, but how many of these individuals know the real meaning behind it? Spirals are among the oldest decorations created by humans, and they are very apparent in Celtic art and architecture. Experts believe the spiral is the oldest symbol in the Celtic culture and is either representative of the sun or ethereal radiation energy.
Also symbolizes growth, birth and expansion of consciousness. This very same spiral symbol is often conveyed as a labyrinth in many ancient cultures, including Celtic.
As a spiraling labyrinth, this pictograph stands for the path we all take in life.
Specifically, the spiral as a life symbol reminds us that our path is never from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’. More accurately, every life lived takes a spiral trajectory. In this light, each step we make winds us ever inward into ourselves, our core beliefs, and our roots.
Other scholars suggest that spirals are symbols of the balance between inner and outer consciousness or else they are representative of the journey from materialism and external awareness to the blissful state of enlightenment and cosmic awareness.
Art scholars suggest the direction of Celtic spirals is all-important. If they are clockwise, they are associated with harmony on Earth and the sun. If they are anti-clockwise, they relate to Pagan spells that manipulate nature. According to research, Celtic spiral patterns were accurate representations of the brightest fixed stars and planetary configurations from thousands of years ago.
Crann Bethadh, the Celtic Tree of Life, is much more than a single trunk borne of roots below and stretching to the heavens with branches above; it is the Celtic symbol of all of life on the planet, born of the earth and sustained by the power of the Universe.
It is one of the most prominent symbols widely used on ancient Celtic art.
There is no better depiction of the intimate and unbreakable bonds between each of us and the natural world in which we live than the Tree of Life knot.
It is an intricate representation that links every root below to every branch above, depicting the network of natural bonds that links all Life together.
Awen or Arwen, also known as the Three Rays or the Three Flames. It is a neo-Druid symbol the creation of which is attributed to Iolo Morganwg, a Welsh poet of the 18th century.
The two rays on the sides represent male and female energy while the one in the center represents the balance between them. The Awen was used as the symbol of unity and harmony of opposites in the universe.
You see, human cultures use symbols to express specific ideologies and social structures and to represent aspects of their specific culture.
They use them to convey entire conversations worth of definition and context within a much more concise space.
Human beings attach such meaning to symbols that they can inspire hope, stand in for Gods and Goddesses, and speak in languages that our ears will never hear.
And above all else, symbols are stories! 😉
Written by Maddie MacKenna
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