[[Image:Manx Triskelion.png|thumb|The armoured triskelion on the flag of the Isle of Man]] Triskelion (or triskele, from Greek language τρισκελης "three-legged") is a symbol consisting of 3 (number)#In human culture bent human legs, or, more generally, three interlocked spirals, or any similar symbol with three protrusions exhibiting a symmetry of the cyclic group ''C3''. A triskelion is the symbol of the Bretagne, of Sicily and of the Isle of Man; The Sicilian and Manx triskelions feature three running legs, bent at the knee, conjoined at the centre. The relation of the legged triskele to other variants is unclear. The spirally triskele is often classed as a solar symbol, while the legged version, sometimes including a gorgon mask or Medusa (mythology)'s head at the central axle point in the Sicilian version, suggests a chthonic significance. ==Origins== [[Image:Achilles Hector triskele cropped.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Attic Black-figure pottery amphora showing Achilles dragging Hector from his chariot, with a hoplite displaying a triskele on his shield. (Boston 63.473, ca. 510s BC)]] The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, including on Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia, and on staters of Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370–333 BC) and Pisidia. A symbol of four conjoined legs, a tetraskelion, is also known in Anatolia. Celtic influences in Anatolia, epitomized by the Gauls who invaded and settled Galatia, are especially noted by students who prefer to see a Celtic origin for the triskelion. ==Sicilian triskelion== Familiar as an ancient symbol of Sicily, the triskelion is also featured on Greek coins of Syracuse, Italy, such as coins of Agathocles (317-289 B.C.). In Sicily, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are the tribes of the Sicani (Greek ''Sikanoi'') and the Siculi (Greek ''Sikeloi''), who have given Sicily its more familiar modern name. The triskelion was revived, as a suitably Neoclassicism—and non-Bourbon—emblem for the new Napoleonic Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, by Joachim Murat in 1808 (''illustration, right''). Pliny attributes the origin of the triskelion of Sicily to the triangle (geometry) form of the island, ancient Trinacria, which consists of three large capes equidistant from each other, pointing in their respective directions, the names of which were Messina, Pachino, and Marsala. Thus Pliny provided an eminently rational explanation— but for a symbol that must be older than any cartography of the island, surely. Since the triskelion may be associated with a multitude of triads, with new associations cropping up regularly, it is more productive just to look at the symbol itself. The three legs of the triskelion are reminiscent of Hephaestus' three-legged tables that ran by themselves. They were mentioned in ''Iliad'' xviii: :"At the moment Hephaestus was busily :Turning from bellows to bellows, sweating with toil :As he laboured to finish a score of three-legged tables :To stand around the sides of his firm-founded hall. On each :Of the legs he had put a gold wheel, that those magic tables :Might cause all to marvel by going with no other help :To the gathering of gods and by likewise returning to his house." ==Manx triskelion== license_plate,_with_the_triskelion">Image:ManxCarRegistrationPlate.jpg|thumb|left|Manx license plate, with the triskelion In the symbol for the more thoroughly Celtic Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the "three legs embowed" of the heraldic triskelion are represented now in armour, "spurred and garnished ''or'' (gold)." On Manx banknotes, the triskelion appears within a rim containing the Latin inscription ''QUOCUNQUE JECERIS STABIT'' ("Wherever you will throw it, it stands"), which is boldly confident enough, and safely divorced from any pagan connection. Just how old the triskelion is as a symbol of Man is mooted; it is documented since the thirteenth or fourteenth century at least. The triskelion is alternatively known as the ''tre cassyn'' in Manx language. The symbol appears on the Isle of Man's ancient Sword of State, which may have belonged to Olaf Godredson, who became King of the Sudreys (Southern Hebrides and the Isle of Man) in 1226. ==Spirally triskele== The druidic symbol of three conjoined triple spirals may well have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. That spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol in Western Europe: it is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. Because of its celtic associations, it is also used as a symbol of the Bretagne (alongside the ''hermine''). In Spain, the triskelion is used as a symbol of Asturias' nationalists. A similar symbol called ''lbaro'' by Cantabrian nationalists can be compared to the neighboring Basque culture's four-branched lauburu. A possibly related symbol of Germanic origin is the Valknut. ==Nazis and racist groups== The Nazis adopted this Celtic symbol specifically as the insignia for a Waffen SS division composed of ("Celtic") Belgian volunteers. That has led to an association with the swastika. It is claimed, possibly apocryphally, that the similarity to the swastika caused confusion or distress amongst some Jewish refugees interned on the Isle of Man during World War 2. A group of racist South African Whites, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, have used a flag consisting of a red background with a white circle. In the circle, three black sevens form a design distantly reminiscent of the triskelion. In spite of the similarities to the swastika, they claim their flag is inspired by a Biblical meaning of the seven. == Other uses == As a Celtic symbol, the triskelion, usually consisting of spirals, but also the "horned triskelion", plays a role in the satr and Wiccan subcultures. This is odd, as satr is North Germanic not Celtic, and Wicca is neither Celtic nor North Germanic. Perhaps this is through confusion or association with the Triquetra or the valknut. The triskelion has been adopted as an emblem by some BDSM groups. The specific emblem design is meant to be shown with metallic spokes and circle, and three holes (not dots) within the design. More information is available at the official [http://members.aol.com/quagmyr/emblem.htm Emblem Project] website. In the second season ''Star Trek'' episode ''The Gamesters of Triskelion'', the crew of the Enterprise observe and are pressed into gladiatorial combat on a planet named Triskelion. The symbol of the planet is a truncated blue triangle with a yellow stylized triskelion inscribed. The Triskelion is the name used for the headquarters of the Ultimates in the Ultimate Marvel. The building has a three-pronged shape if viewed from above. The collectible card game Magic: the Gathering has a card named ''Triskelion''. This artifact creature has been depicted in two separate ways; both versions have three limbs, but neither resembles the actual symbol. Matthew Barney used the triskelion as a symbol to represent the fourth film in his work The Cremaster Cycle. ==See also== *Valknut *Lauburu *Swastika *Flag of the Isle of Man *clathrin triskelion ==External links== *[http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/16/1632.html triskelion] at symbols.com *[http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/14/1419.html triple spiral] at symbols.com *[http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxnb/v05p001.htm John Newton, "Armorial bearings of the Isle of Mann," in ''Manx Notebook'', January 1886] *[http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/triskelion.htm Peter Symes, "The Isle of Man and the Triskelion"] *[http://www.pickard.com.ar/startrek/ingles/602i.htm ''Star Trek'' second season] Symbols Isle of Man Sicily scn:Trisceli
afaik, a "triskelion" is: # three spirals or whorls interlocked # as a special case, and more recently, the three legs of Manx the article has it the other way round. User:Dbachmann 22:28, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC) :That's my fault. I'll keep my fingers off it, if you'll fix it. (Any further references?) --User:Wetman 23:20, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC) I am not entirely sure now. A google search seems to support my assumption. I attempted a generalisation, although "cyclic group C3" may be going too far. Feel free to interfere again (this is no 'pet article' of mine, I just happened to stumble accross it). User:Dbachmann 09:40, 25 Nov 2004 (UTC) :We had just put up an article in the Sicilian wikipedia on the Trisceli, when I stumbled across your excellent piece. As a primary reference, I was going to use the address of a certain John Newton, delivered well over 100 years ago, that argues rather convincingly that the Isle of Man Tre Cassyn is not recorded prior to 1266, and explains how it got there from Sicily. All the dates stack up and I cannot fault the analysis. This is the site if you wish to check it out - [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxnb/v05p001.htm] - I have come across at least one other Isle of Man official site that accepts this account without qualification. On the other hand, most others put forward the theory that it was there since Viking days, and that it ended up in Sicily via the Normans - but that is clearly impossible, since it has been used in Sicily continuously for 2,500 years. That is the version we have in our account. It's here at :scn:Trisceli but you will find an english version of the article in the talk page - I was saving it up there to put onto en:wiki, but I won't now that I have found it is sufficiently covered. However, there are some noteworthy elements in the sicilian article that you may wish to incorporate. Cheers and salutamu - --User:Pippu d'angelo 11:09, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC) :Excellent article by Newton, now among External links, though I haven't used it yet to revise this entry; I made the Sicilianu Wiki connection too. Thanks! --User:Wetman 13:37, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC) :I see that I may have introduced inaccuracies :( We need to mention the 1266 connection. My understanding is that there was the classical/mediterranean "Triskele", which indeed consisted of three human legs, and all along there was the celtic/germanic Valknut or similar, and in the case of the Isle of Man, the two became associated, viz., the celtic symbol was morphed into the mediterranean one. This should all be made more clear here, I am afraid I muddled the points because I didn't understand them correctly. (cool, I didn't even know there was scn: User:Dbachmann_(User_talk:Dbachmann )__">User:Dbachmann|User:Dbachmann (User_talk:Dbachmann) 14:00, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Newton's essential point is that Alexander III of Scotland introduced the triskele to the Isle of Man when it fell to him in 1266. Alexander's mother, a Norman-French princess, married for her second husband the son of the crusader king of Jerusalem. Sicily was no longer Norman, but until quite recently Hohenstaufen. Cultural connections don't have to be looked for in the Bronze Age after all. :o) --User:Wetman 15:08, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC)
::Thanks for the incredibly quick response! Scn:wiki is only two months old, so we're very new and still learning. While we are interested in all things Sicilian, we do wish to become a proper online encyclopedia, and that means getting a lot closer to your more comprehensive article than where we are at the moment. Once you have updated, I will talk with my colleagues about incorporating most of your info, because which ever way you look at it, the triskelion has a prehistoric pedigree, and our version is missing that perspective altogether. As a final point, seeing that so few sites have this subject (and the fact that it is utterly fascinating - who would ever have dreamed of a connection between two small distant islands from opposite ends of Europe!) - would you be interested in a joint nomination for Translation of the Week on metaWiki? Cheers and salutamu - --User:Pippu d'angelo 00:59, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
:well, yes; what I am uncertain of at this point is whether or not 'triskelion' or 'triskele' is properly applied to symbols ''not'' consisting of human legs. I can only say:
:*I have heard Viking Age valknuts being referred to as 'triskeles' in university lectures
:*On a visit to the Isle of man, I have been told that the 'sicilian version' replaced/was based on such a germanic 'triskele' (which doesn't contradict the 1266 story, it just gives additional motivation to Alexander's move).
:User:Dbachmann_(User_talk:Dbachmann )__">User:Dbachmann|User:Dbachmann (User_talk:Dbachmann) 07:41, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
I found this image of a black-figure amphora. Unfortunately, I don't know any details of the piece (attic? 4th century?). Also, the image of the entire vessel may be copyrighted, but the cropped image should go under User_talk:Dbachmann )__">User:Dbachmann|User:Dbachmann (User_talk:Dbachmann) 08:21, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
==images==
not very important, but I liked the plain symbol better next to the intro (as opposed to the complicated Achilles-Hector image). the :Image:Achilles Hector triskele.jpg is not fragmentary, I just cropped the image. User:Dbachmann_(User_talk:Dbachmann )__">User:Dbachmann|User:Dbachmann (User_talk:Dbachmann) 12:30, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
==the vase==
I was able to identify the vase now, and the origin of the image:
[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0043&query=Boston%2063.473]
:Boston 63.473: Main panel: Achilles dragging Hektor past the tomb of Patroklos
Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. William Francis Warden Fund
see also [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/vor?x=0;y=0;lookup=triskele;target=en%2C0;alts=1;extern=1;group=collcat;detail=Perseus%3Acollection%3AGreco-Roman#Perseus:collection:Greco-Roman]: lots of sicilian coins, and 4 black-figure vases. this one [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=Perseus:image:1990.14.0107] is nice, too. User:Dbachmann User_talk:Dbachmann 11:44, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)
== Breton triskelion? ==
Quote: ''A triskelion is the symbol of'' the Bretagne (sic)
: What evidence is there that the triskelion is, or has ever been, a Breton symbol? -- /User:Picapica 17:41, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)
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Words begining with Triskelion:
Triskelion
Triskelion
Triskelion_(sport)
Triskelion
[[Image:Manx Triskelion.png|thumb|The armoured triskelion on the flag of the Isle of Man]] Triskelion (or triskele, from Greek language τρισκελης "three-legged") is a symbol consisting of 3 (number)#In human culture bent human legs, or, more generally, three interlocked spirals, or any similar symbol with three protrusions exhibiting a symmetry of the cyclic group ''C3''. A triskelion is the symbol of the Bretagne, of Sicily and of the Isle of Man; The Sicilian and Manx triskelions feature three running legs, bent at the knee, conjoined at the centre. The relation of the legged triskele to other variants is unclear. The spirally triskele is often classed as a solar symbol, while the legged version, sometimes including a gorgon mask or Medusa (mythology)'s head at the central axle point in the Sicilian version, suggests a chthonic significance. ==Origins== [[Image:Achilles Hector triskele cropped.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Attic Black-figure pottery amphora showing Achilles dragging Hector from his chariot, with a hoplite displaying a triskele on his shield. (Boston 63.473, ca. 510s BC)]] The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, including on Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia, and on staters of Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370–333 BC) and Pisidia. A symbol of four conjoined legs, a tetraskelion, is also known in Anatolia. Celtic influences in Anatolia, epitomized by the Gauls who invaded and settled Galatia, are especially noted by students who prefer to see a Celtic origin for the triskelion. ==Sicilian triskelion== Familiar as an ancient symbol of Sicily, the triskelion is also featured on Greek coins of Syracuse, Italy, such as coins of Agathocles (317-289 B.C.). In Sicily, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are the tribes of the Sicani (Greek ''Sikanoi'') and the Siculi (Greek ''Sikeloi''), who have given Sicily its more familiar modern name. The triskelion was revived, as a suitably Neoclassicism—and non-Bourbon—emblem for the new Napoleonic Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, by Joachim Murat in 1808 (''illustration, right''). Pliny attributes the origin of the triskelion of Sicily to the triangle (geometry) form of the island, ancient Trinacria, which consists of three large capes equidistant from each other, pointing in their respective directions, the names of which were Messina, Pachino, and Marsala. Thus Pliny provided an eminently rational explanation— but for a symbol that must be older than any cartography of the island, surely. Since the triskelion may be associated with a multitude of triads, with new associations cropping up regularly, it is more productive just to look at the symbol itself. The three legs of the triskelion are reminiscent of Hephaestus' three-legged tables that ran by themselves. They were mentioned in ''Iliad'' xviii: :"At the moment Hephaestus was busily :Turning from bellows to bellows, sweating with toil :As he laboured to finish a score of three-legged tables :To stand around the sides of his firm-founded hall. On each :Of the legs he had put a gold wheel, that those magic tables :Might cause all to marvel by going with no other help :To the gathering of gods and by likewise returning to his house." ==Manx triskelion== license_plate,_with_the_triskelion">Image:ManxCarRegistrationPlate.jpg|thumb|left|Manx license plate, with the triskelion In the symbol for the more thoroughly Celtic Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the "three legs embowed" of the heraldic triskelion are represented now in armour, "spurred and garnished ''or'' (gold)." On Manx banknotes, the triskelion appears within a rim containing the Latin inscription ''QUOCUNQUE JECERIS STABIT'' ("Wherever you will throw it, it stands"), which is boldly confident enough, and safely divorced from any pagan connection. Just how old the triskelion is as a symbol of Man is mooted; it is documented since the thirteenth or fourteenth century at least. The triskelion is alternatively known as the ''tre cassyn'' in Manx language. The symbol appears on the Isle of Man's ancient Sword of State, which may have belonged to Olaf Godredson, who became King of the Sudreys (Southern Hebrides and the Isle of Man) in 1226. ==Spirally triskele== The druidic symbol of three conjoined triple spirals may well have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. That spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol in Western Europe: it is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. Because of its celtic associations, it is also used as a symbol of the Bretagne (alongside the ''hermine''). In Spain, the triskelion is used as a symbol of Asturias' nationalists. A similar symbol called ''lbaro'' by Cantabrian nationalists can be compared to the neighboring Basque culture's four-branched lauburu. A possibly related symbol of Germanic origin is the Valknut. ==Nazis and racist groups== The Nazis adopted this Celtic symbol specifically as the insignia for a Waffen SS division composed of ("Celtic") Belgian volunteers. That has led to an association with the swastika. It is claimed, possibly apocryphally, that the similarity to the swastika caused confusion or distress amongst some Jewish refugees interned on the Isle of Man during World War 2. A group of racist South African Whites, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, have used a flag consisting of a red background with a white circle. In the circle, three black sevens form a design distantly reminiscent of the triskelion. In spite of the similarities to the swastika, they claim their flag is inspired by a Biblical meaning of the seven. == Other uses == As a Celtic symbol, the triskelion, usually consisting of spirals, but also the "horned triskelion", plays a role in the satr and Wiccan subcultures. This is odd, as satr is North Germanic not Celtic, and Wicca is neither Celtic nor North Germanic. Perhaps this is through confusion or association with the Triquetra or the valknut. The triskelion has been adopted as an emblem by some BDSM groups. The specific emblem design is meant to be shown with metallic spokes and circle, and three holes (not dots) within the design. More information is available at the official [http://members.aol.com/quagmyr/emblem.htm Emblem Project] website. In the second season ''Star Trek'' episode ''The Gamesters of Triskelion'', the crew of the Enterprise observe and are pressed into gladiatorial combat on a planet named Triskelion. The symbol of the planet is a truncated blue triangle with a yellow stylized triskelion inscribed. The Triskelion is the name used for the headquarters of the Ultimates in the Ultimate Marvel. The building has a three-pronged shape if viewed from above. The collectible card game Magic: the Gathering has a card named ''Triskelion''. This artifact creature has been depicted in two separate ways; both versions have three limbs, but neither resembles the actual symbol. Matthew Barney used the triskelion as a symbol to represent the fourth film in his work The Cremaster Cycle. ==See also== *Valknut *Lauburu *Swastika *Flag of the Isle of Man *clathrin triskelion ==External links== *[http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/16/1632.html triskelion] at symbols.com *[http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/14/1419.html triple spiral] at symbols.com *[http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxnb/v05p001.htm John Newton, "Armorial bearings of the Isle of Mann," in ''Manx Notebook'', January 1886] *[http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/triskelion.htm Peter Symes, "The Isle of Man and the Triskelion"] *[http://www.pickard.com.ar/startrek/ingles/602i.htm ''Star Trek'' second season] Symbols Isle of Man Sicily scn:Trisceli
Triskelion
afaik, a "triskelion" is: # three spirals or whorls interlocked # as a special case, and more recently, the three legs of Manx the article has it the other way round. User:Dbachmann 22:28, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC) :That's my fault. I'll keep my fingers off it, if you'll fix it. (Any further references?) --User:Wetman 23:20, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC) I am not entirely sure now. A google search seems to support my assumption. I attempted a generalisation, although "cyclic group C3" may be going too far. Feel free to interfere again (this is no 'pet article' of mine, I just happened to stumble accross it). User:Dbachmann 09:40, 25 Nov 2004 (UTC) :We had just put up an article in the Sicilian wikipedia on the Trisceli, when I stumbled across your excellent piece. As a primary reference, I was going to use the address of a certain John Newton, delivered well over 100 years ago, that argues rather convincingly that the Isle of Man Tre Cassyn is not recorded prior to 1266, and explains how it got there from Sicily. All the dates stack up and I cannot fault the analysis. This is the site if you wish to check it out - [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxnb/v05p001.htm] - I have come across at least one other Isle of Man official site that accepts this account without qualification. On the other hand, most others put forward the theory that it was there since Viking days, and that it ended up in Sicily via the Normans - but that is clearly impossible, since it has been used in Sicily continuously for 2,500 years. That is the version we have in our account. It's here at :scn:Trisceli but you will find an english version of the article in the talk page - I was saving it up there to put onto en:wiki, but I won't now that I have found it is sufficiently covered. However, there are some noteworthy elements in the sicilian article that you may wish to incorporate. Cheers and salutamu - --User:Pippu d'angelo 11:09, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC) :Excellent article by Newton, now among External links, though I haven't used it yet to revise this entry; I made the Sicilianu Wiki connection too. Thanks! --User:Wetman 13:37, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC) :I see that I may have introduced inaccuracies :( We need to mention the 1266 connection. My understanding is that there was the classical/mediterranean "Triskele", which indeed consisted of three human legs, and all along there was the celtic/germanic Valknut or similar, and in the case of the Isle of Man, the two became associated, viz., the celtic symbol was morphed into the mediterranean one. This should all be made more clear here, I am afraid I muddled the points because I didn't understand them correctly. (cool, I didn't even know there was scn: User:Dbachmann_(
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Triskelion
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