A triskelion, or triskeles, is an ancient design that can be a pattern of three spirals that look the same when rotated or other shapes that repeat three times and come from a single center. The spiral design may be made of connected Archimedean spirals or show three bent human legs. This symbol appears on objects from the European Neolithic and Bronze Ages, continuing into the Iron Age, especially in the La Tène culture and related Celtic traditions. The version with three human legs is found in ancient Greek art, starting on pottery and later on coins from Classical Greece.

During the Hellenistic period, the symbol became linked to the island of Sicily, appearing on coins made under Dionysius I of Syracuse around 382 BCE. It later showed up in emblems and was used in the flag of Sicily, as well as in the symbols and flags of the Isle of Man, which is called "ny tree cassyn" in the Manx language, meaning "the three legs."

The Greek word τρισκελής (triskelḗs) means "three-legged," combining τρι- (tri-), meaning "three," and σκέλος (skelos), meaning "leg." While the Greek term for "three-legged" is old, the word triskelion was first used in 1835 by Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes in French as "triskèle." The spelling triskeles was later adopted by Otto Olshausen in 1886. The word triskelion, which is a smaller form of the Greek word τρισκέλιον, began appearing in English in the late 1800s when studying coins. The version with three human legs is also sometimes called a "triquetra of legs," triskelos, or triskel.

Use in European antiquity

The triple spiral symbol, also called the three-spiral volute, is found in many early cultures. The first known example is from Malta, dating between 4400 and 3600 BCE. Another appears on the astronomical calendar of the megalithic tomb at Newgrange in Ireland, built around 3200 BCE. It is also found on Mycenaean pottery. The Neolithic-era symbol of three connected spirals may have had three important meanings, similar to the triskelion. This symbol is carved into a stone lozenge near the entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument in County Meath, Ireland. It also appears on a 1st-century BCE dolmen tomb in Rathkenny, County Meath.

A triskele is found on a stone fragment discovered in Gloucestershire, England. This artifact, held by the British Museum as of 2023, is believed to date from the Neolithic period to the Bronze Age.

The triskelion was a design used in the art of the Iron Age Celtic La Tène culture.

The triskeles, which show three human legs, is a later symbol than the triple spiral found on Greek pottery, especially on Hoplite shields and later Greek and Anatolian coins. An early example is on the Shield of Achilles, shown on an Attic hydria from the late-6th century BCE. It appears on coins from Lycia and on staters from Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370–333 BCE) and Pisidia. The meaning of the Greek triskeles is not directly recorded. In 1835, the Duke of Luynes noted that the symbol often appears with the eagle, cockerel, Medusa’s head, Perseus, three crescent moons, three ears of corn, and three grains of corn. From this, he suggested the symbol might represent a group of three female deities linked to the goddess Hecate.

The triskeles was used as an emblem by rulers of Syracuse. This may be connected to the Greek name for Sicily, Trinacria, meaning "three headlands." The Sicilian triskeles often includes Medusa’s head in the center. The ancient symbol has been used again in modern flags of Sicily since 1848. The oldest known triskeles in Sicily is a vase from the late-7th century BCE. Researchers have speculated it may have Minoan-Mycenaean origins, though no proof has been found.

Later examples of the triple spiral symbol are found in Iron Age Europe, carved into rock in Castro Culture settlements in Galicia, Asturias, and Northern Portugal. Before the 5th century CE, the symbol was used by Irish Celtic Christians to represent the Trinity.

Medieval use

The triple spiral design is used as a decorative feature in Gothic architecture. The symbol of three legs, called triskeles, is not often seen as a main element in late medieval heraldry. It appears, for example, in the arms of the King of Mann (Armorial Wijnbergen, around 1280) and as canting arms on the city seal of Füssen, Bavaria (from the year 1317).

Modern usage

The town of Dukla in Poland has used three hunting bugles arranged in a triskelion shape as its symbol since the 16th century.

The triskeles was part of the design for the Army Gold Medal. This medal was given to British Army majors and above who played a key role in the Battle of Maida in 1806. An early flag of Sicily, proposed in 1848, included the Sicilian triskeles, also called the "Trinacria" symbol. Later versions of Sicilian flags kept the emblem, including the one officially adopted in 2000. The flag of the Isle of Man, created in 1932, shows a heraldic design of a triskeles with three armored legs.

The flag and coat of arms of the Bavarian town of Füssen, Germany, include a triskele. The flag of the Russian autonomous region of Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug also features a triskele.

In the Republic of Ireland, the triskelion is displayed in hospitals and care centers to show that a patient is dying or has died. This symbol is based on the historical use of the triskele in Celtic Ireland. It is used instead of religious imagery. In this context, the three spirals represent the cycle of birth, life, and death.

The spiral is used by some groups that follow ancient religions or modern spiritual practices. As a "Celtic symbol," it is used mainly by groups with a Celtic cultural background. It is also sometimes used by other traditions, such as Neopaganism. The spiral triskele is one of the main symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism. It represents different groups of three in their beliefs and is also linked to Manannán mac Lir, a sea god in Irish mythology.

Other uses of triskelion-like emblems include the logo for the Trisquel Linux distribution and the seal of the United States Department of Transportation.

In the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, crew members were forced to fight to the death on a triskelion-shaped playing field in the episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion."

A specific version of the triskele with three sevens has been used by neo-Nazis. In South Africa, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), an Afrikaner nationalist and neo-Nazi group, uses this symbol instead of a swastika. The Blood & Honour neo-Nazi group also uses it. The 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck’s shoulder strap had a triskele design (though it did not include sevens). In Germany, using the triskele in certain ways can be against the law.

A common symbol in the BDSM community is a version of the triskelion shape inside a circle. This use comes from the "Ring of O" in the book Story of O. The BDSM Emblem Project claims ownership of one specific form of the triskelion symbol. Other versions are not protected by copyright.

Occurrence in nature

The molecules of boric acid and triethylborane have a triskelion shape, as shown in the images. These triskelion-shaped molecules belong to the molecular point group C₃h. The endocytic protein called clathrin also has a triskelion shape, as does the Ediacaran organism Tribrachidium.