Trisquel pendant, made of sterling silver (925).
Measurements:
Length: 2.3 cm.
Width: 1.7 cm.
The triskelion is a solar symbol composed of three arms joined by a central point. The arms of this symbol represent the union of three elements, the triad, something fundamental in the Celtic cosmos: earth, water and air and whose number three, a sacred number in Celtic culture, was decisive. In fact, this number appears frequently in their legends and representations as their triads of gods, the cycle of life, made up of birth, death and reincarnation, the three tests that warriors had to repeat to reach the next level, etc
Normally it is included in an outer circle that represents totality and renewal and represents for the Celts the evolution and the balance between body, mind and spirit and it is what makes it different from the spiral of life.
The druids used it as a identifying sign of their rank towards their initiated students, symbolizing continuous learning < /strong>and its time: past, present and future. The Trisquel was the end to be achieved, the final symbol of maximum spirituality, the path that the initiates had to travel to achieve complete knowledge to become a druid.
It was also estimated that the Trisquel was used by the most experienced druids to cure all kinds of fevers and injuries. At least it is one of the many theories supported by different researchers, since the Trisquel has been found engraved on stones over three thousand years old in the Neolithic and in different cultures without having any relationship with each other, so their real meaning is unclear and what we know is thanks to the writings of Roman scholars on Celtic culture; since druidic customs were transmitted only verbally from generation to generation.
According to research, the Trisquel was added profusely to weapons, shields, cauldrons, mounts, mirrors and other objects of daily use, being considered a symbol of good luck and protector of the person who wears it in full conversion to the Roman Religion. With Christianization, the Trisquel continued to be used as a simple ornament against the evil eye or to represent the Holy Trinity. It also used to appear in burial mounds whose function, in this case, was to facilitate the access of the deceased to the other side.
Now then... What does the word Trisquel mean? It is not clear where the origin of this talisman lies, but it is known that its nominative name comes from Greek and could mean three wings or three legs in honor of “Trinacria” (the Greek name for Sicily) whose symbol was a female head with winding hair (the head of Medusa) in the center surrounded by three legs and representing the three sides of the island.
It is also noteworthy that on the island of Mann, an island located between England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, the coat of arms includes the symbol of three legs bent from the knee and together at the crotch emulating what looks like a Trisquel and it is logical since this islandis part of the six Celtic nations, along with Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany, Scotland and Wales. The researchers affirm that both symbols, the Sicilian one and the one from the Isle of Mann, were originally references to ancient pagan cults whose three-legged Trisquel represented the Sun .
For the curious: The origin of the Three Legs is explained in an ancient Celtic legend, which explains how the god Celtic of the waters and the sea, Manannán Mac Lyr, prevented the invasion of the Isle of Mann by transforming into three legs that rolled down the hill until they defeated all the invaders.