Codex of FaithsAn illustrated atlas of belief

Knots and interlacings

Triquetra

The triquetra, the three-cornered knot of interlaced arcs: its use in early medieval Irish and Norse art, its adoption as a sign of the Christian Trinity and its popularity in modern pagan and Celtic-inspired design.

Also called Trinity knot · Celtic knot

In brief

  1. I.The triquetra is a figure of three interlaced arcs, often with a circle woven through them.
  2. II.It appears in early medieval Irish, Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian art.
  3. III.Christians read it as the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one.
  4. IV.Modern pagan groups use it too, with their own meanings.

Chapter I

What it means

The triquetra weaves three equal arcs into one unbroken shape. In Christian use it stands for the Trinity: one God in three persons, distinct yet inseparable. When a circle is added, it shows the eternity and unity of the three.

Because it has no beginning or end, it is also read more generally as a sign of eternity and of things bound together.

Chapter II

Where it comes from

Interlaced ornament flourished in the art of the early medieval British Isles and Scandinavia. The triquetra appears in Irish gospel books such as the Book of Kells (about 800), on carved stones and on metalwork. In Norse art similar knots appear on runestones and coins.

In the 19th century the Celtic Revival popularised such designs, and the triquetra became a familiar “Celtic knot”.

Chapter III

Where you see it today

The triquetra is common in jewellery, tattoos and church decoration, especially in Ireland. Some Christians use it as a Trinity symbol on wedding rings; modern Wiccan and pagan groups use it with meanings of their own.

Questions people ask

Was it a pagan symbol before it was Christian?

Similar three-part figures appear in pre-Christian art, but there is little evidence of what they meant. Its best-known early uses are in Christian manuscripts such as the Book of Kells.

What does “triquetra” mean?

It is Latin for “three-cornered”.

Sources and further reading

  1. Miranda Green, Celtic Art: Symbols and Imagery (Sterling, 1996)
  2. J. C. Cooper, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols (Thames & Hudson, 1978)
  3. Robin M. Jensen, The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy (Harvard University Press, 2017)
  4. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Religious symbolism and iconography”

← All symbols · ↑ Back to top