Triquetra - Tumblr Posts
Good morning. Yesterday was Inktober day 19 "loop". (What catch up?) The triquetra symbol can mean many things including unity, protection, or strength
Trinities
When I was younger, all of the women in my family, myself included, were obsessed with the show Charmed on the WB. Witches, demons, spells, magical creatures. Who didn’t love it? That’s when I was introduced to the Triquetra. It’s famously emblazoned on the cover of their “Book of Shadows”. What I didn’t realize was how aggressively Irish it is. And I mean that in the best possible way. I guess it’s because the Halliwells didn’t seem all that Irish, I just assumed that it was a more universal symbol.
Now, don’t misunderstand. Thanks to doing the research, I know that the triquetra has been found in multiple cultures, but it is most important to the ancient Celts. Due to the fact that most ancient cultures didn’t really record much of their lives, the actual age of the symbol is dubious, but it’s definitely Iron Age old. It’s been found all over the northern half of Europe on runestones and Germanic coins, and even on Persian pottery and coins from Lycia. Lots of areas of post-Roman occupation. The triquetra is a celtic knot, which just means that it’s drawn in one line, with no beginning or end. It’s also known as the Trinity knot, Celtic triangle, or Celtic trinity.
Now the Celts, like many cultures, believed that 3 was an important, natural number. For them; it was earth, sea, and sky. When it was co-opted by the Christians, it was their Father, Son, Holy Spirit. For Pagans, it was air, water, earth, or life, death, rebirth, or even maiden, mother, crone. However, it’s really a symbol to identify with any 3 part concept. The triquetra could also be a representative for marriage - love, honor, protect, family- father, mother, child, or time - past, present, future.
Essentially, the Irish came up with a symbol that could be used by any culture, because they all understand the solidity of 3. In pop culture, we’ve seen it used not only on Charmed, but in Marvel properties, like on Thor’s hammer. People use them to decorate wedding rings, and get them as tattoos. At this point, the triquetra isn’t really a pagan symbol, but a universal one. I look at it and see balance. Not duality, but balance. I see the triple moon, the maiden, mother, crone. I see time balanced in nature. I respect it.
The story of a boy who traveled through time
A tribute to Jonas Kahnwald