Celtic Jewelry: Symbolic Meaning of The Trinity or Triquetra

Sterling Silver Celtic Jewelry

In the world of Celtic jewelry there are many different symbols. The one common denominator between all the Celtic jewelry symbols is the geometric use of lines and the interconectedness of these lines.

This article is on the meaning of the Celtic Triquetra or Trinity knot as used in Celtic Jewelry.

This symbol as shown in this article was originally referred to as the Triquetra knot. As The culture of the Celts melded with the culture of the Christians it became know as the Trinity knot. The Celtic Trinity knot is used by Churches to this day. It is used both in Christian Jewelry and in Christian Architecture.

The Triquetra or Celtic Trinity Knot is signified as a knot with three corners in it.

Some of the ancient meanings for the Celtic Trinity symbol were related to the number three because of the three points to the knot such as: "Mother, Maiden, Crone" the three types of womenhood.

Additional ancient symbolism is "Other world, Mortal world, Celestial world". Possibly the Celt's may have used it to represent the lunar or solar phases. This conclusion is made as the triquetra motif has been seen along side other solar and lunar symbols in ancient Celtic archeological sites.

It is known that the Celts honored the Great Mother, a lunar goddess who was actually three personifications in one (three lunar phases and faces of the goddess).

The circle often seen around the triquetra signifies the infinite, eternity and protection. Circles are often drawn around Celtic trinity knots to represent spiritual unity with the devine. A eternal (never ending) connection that cannot be broken.

There are many other meaning apointed to the Celtic Triquetra symbol over the ages. No one can be sure when these meanings were asign to this symbol. But again they deal with the symbol of three.

Some of these meanings are:
Spirit, Mind, Body
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Mother, Father, Child
Past, Present, Future
Power, Intellect, Love
Creator, Destroyer, Sustainer
Creation, Preservation, Destruction
Thought, Feeling, Emotion

As Christianity came into mix with the Celtic society the Triquetra knot became know as the Trinity knot and it became a symbol of the holy trinity or Godhead. Again the symbol of three.

Modern day Celtic Jewelry designers add a lot of geometric lines and designs to the Celtic Trinity knot but as long as there are three points it is a trinity knot. The pictures used to illustrate the different types of Celtic Trinity Knots can be found here: Celtic Trinity Knot Necklace.