What do celtic knots mean

The Shield Knot is an ancient Celtic symbol of protection. This knot was placed near ill people or on battle shields for warding off the evil spirits or any other danger. It can be made in several designs, but its uniqueness lies in its four distinct corners. A Shield Knot is usually shaped as a square or appears to be a square within a circle. Besides being a part of the ancient Celtic culture, the Shield Knot is believed to have been used by several other cultures also for invoking the protective power of the Gods representing the.

In fact, it is one of the oldest symbols and is seen even in the stone-age carvings. It is also one of the few symbols that can be found in nearly all the major civilizations. Its frequent appearance in ancient synagogues led to it being linked with King Solomon. The absence of any beginning or end in the knot makes it a symbol of eternity and immortality, while the design of two entwined figures makes the knot a symbol of love. Skip to content A large range of knots and some stylized type or knots that are used as decoration by the ancient Celts are known as Celtic Knots.

Taken from KiwiCraftsMirrors. To protect and ward away evil spirits from their homes and on the battlefield, Celts used the Shield Knot. Typically, these knots contain four corners and can be either circular or square. The meaning behind these Celtic knots is very different, despite the similarity in design. Silver Celtic Knot Pendant.

The Spiral Knot is thought to represent the journey from the physical life to the spiritual life. This is based on the location of where these engravings have been found at and around grave sites, burial and passage tombs. The Triple Spiral is another trinity style design and is represented by three connecting spirals.

It is thought that they were used to representing the natural world land, sea and sky. Inspired by the thousands of examples of beautiful Irish artwork of our past, jewellery designer Eileen Moylan designs and handcrafts her unique pieces in her workshop in County Cork, Ireland.

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Yet the Celtic tradition continued in Gaelic areas as wealthy aristocrats paid for ornaments decorated with Celtic knotwork. Most scholars believe that Celtic knots were developed for religious and secular purposes. In the Christian era, Bible manuscripts, Celtic crosses and jewellery were adorned with these symbols. However, historians are having difficulty ascertaining whether or not there was particular significance behind each complex design.

For the most part, it appears as if the Celts did not have any special meaning for each design as they were typically used as decorations to fill empty spaces such as in manuscripts for example. In the modern era, some designs have had meanings attached to them based on personal interpretation. Now, we look at some of the Celtic knot patterns and individual meanings. Knotwork Interlace This pattern is said to represent the interconnection of life and our place within the universe.

The pattern is also said to be representative of the Heavens, Cosmos and Water. In ancient Celtic culture, the spiral was a representation of the sun while a double spiral represented the equinox. Step Patterns These patterns are deemed to be representative of development and progression in life and could also be symbolic of the connection between the realms of heaven and earth. Step and maze patterns are also found in the art of the ancient Mayan, Egyptian and Aztec civilisations.

For individuals of Welsh, Irish and Scottish heritage, Celtic knot designs can be seen as a source of great cultural pride. As we mentioned above, historians cannot agree on whether or not there are specific meanings for each design. As a consequence, a number of the most popular designs have had meanings attributed to them within the last or so years and we analyse them below. A fine example of the simple Trinity knot design in the form of a beautiful diamond pendant. In this Celtic knot band , we have incorporated the Celtic sailors knot design.

This exquisite Celtic pendant uses diamonds to highlight the curves of this Dara knot design. We use the Celtic shield knot design throughout our Celtic Shield Ring collection. These were based on three and four-chord plaits.

There is no shortage of books on the topic. Yes, there really is that many variations of the Celtic knot.

But of course, we know it is a knot see what I did there? So if you were to create or draw a Celtic knot, you would have one start point and eventually finish back where you started, which symbolizes how life and eternity are interconnected.

The book of Kells, written in Latin and stored safely in Dublin. Clear evidence of a Celtic Knot. Created around AD. So yes, while that may look just like a pretty necklace or a leg tattoo, you are actually wearing a piece of history.

Some historians even believe that Celtic knots could date back as far as B. However, when looking into this further, the evidence is vague to back up their claims. But that being said, anything from B.

C lacks a lot of proof. It was over years ago, after all! In its purest form, the triquetra is three interconnected ovals — one pointing upward, the other two pointing down, to the left and right. I actually wrote a more in-depth article on the Trinity Knot here. It is the most spoken about, so I felt that it required some additional research. As previously mentioned in the Celtic tree of life, the Celts favoured that everything in this world came in threes. Said to mean eternal life and believed to be one of the oldest Celtic designs.

This is another three-sided knot that stands for water, fire and earth, which are the forces of nature.

In the Neolithic Age of Europe, it was common to see single and double spirals on temples and other monuments in Europe. The whirls of the spiral stand for continuous growth, while the gaps between the spirals stand for the gaps between life, death, and rebirth. Of course, it is down to your own interpretation and what it means to you with all of these symbols. I must say I like this one. It just reminds me of the patterns that I have seen somewhere or designs.

It might be strange to say, but we all have a favourite Celtic symbol which is yours? Comment at the end and let me know.