In many cases, there is a Celtic origin attached to the Triskele but the word comes from the Greek word, “Triskeles”, which means three legs. However, there is some truth to the symbol having a Celtic history. Many people used this symbol during the Tene or the second Iron Age. The symbol is engraved all over the place including a big rock at the entrance of Newgrange.

The symbol had all but disappeared for many years until it made a resurgence in the later parts of the 6th century when it was seen in Merovingian art. However, it soon left the forefront of symbols being used except for those that lived in Ireland where the symbol still sits on many illuminations and monuments. It was a popular druidic symbol in the late 19th century. It was once again rediscovered in national journals in 1914 in Britain and was adopted as the Breton National party symbol in 1940. Ireland still uses the triskele officially and is a common symbol in Celtic music as well.

Triskele Tattoo Meaning

There are many interpretations to what the symbolism of the triskele is. It is said that it isn’t easy to give a definition as to the meaning but we will share what we’ve gathered below.

First, the curved, rotating sections of the triskele or branches, symbolize movement, enthusiasm and dynamism in opposition of all that is fixed and right. It can be a symbol of life. The Breton, it means “three rays” and one historian and archaeologist named Wenceslas Kruta talks of the solar nature of the triskele.

In Celtic mythology, the triskele could be a symbol of the three points of movement for the sun, which include sunrise, then zenith and finally, sunset. In other Celtic lore, the triskele is a symbol of the pantheon of gods. It is threefold and symbolizes Ogme, Daghda and Lugh. The three sections of the triskele represent these. The triskele symbol is also known to represent the only goddess and all three of her beings, which include wife, mother and daughter.