The triple spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol common to many Indo-European cultures, examples of it are found from the megalithic temples of Malta in the South (4400–3600 BC) to the Northern megalithic tomb of Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland, built around 3200 BC. The triskelion/triskele is one of the most distinctive motifs in Iron Age Celtic art as well, both as a symbol in itself and forming the geometric basis for more complex artistic compositions. It remained a core symbol in Celtic artistic compositions for over a millennium, recorded throughout the La Têne period across the continent, and a central element in later Insular Celtic art of the early Christian period. Significant also is the fact that the triskele composition is often composed of animals of various types, indicating that the symbol was linked to or emanated from the natural world.
Collaboration with the very talented artist from Siberia Sergey Arzamastsev, who very generously gave us the permission to print his amazing work. You can find more of his artworks at this link: https://www.instagram.com/celticartlogo/
**this print is grey on black, but it’s available in different colour combinations
New print in collaboration with @celticartlogo, available as backpatch and t-shirt in a variety of colours. Follow us oninstagram for more updates!
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As one of the most puzzling and misinterpreted creature, the wolf has been at the very centre of cults and mythologies throughout history. In ancient times, Roman era, and Greek mythology, to the late Norse age and its depiction of the infamous Fenrir, the wolf has been a key figures in many cultures. Even if it’s not often associated with it, it played a pivotal role in Celtic culture as well. The wolf is not as present as other animals or zoomorphic representations in Celtic art, not like the boar, the eagle or the deer. Even so, there are mentions of the wolf in Celtic lore, particularly the very late one from the Middle-Age. Soon after Cormac mac Airt, the future High King of Ireland, was born, he was carried off and raised by a she-wolf for a period of time in the caves of Kesh, alongside her other cubs. In the tale of Táin Bó Cúailnge, the goddess Mórrígan appears under different shapes to the legendary hero Cú Chulainn, one of these being the shape of a wolf. Interestingly, the wolf plays a key role in the Celtic year cycle as well. It has always been associated with the first part of the year, usually the time around January, in different areas of Scotland and Ireland. Still today, in the Gaelic-speaking Highlands and islands, people refer to the first month of the year as “Faoilleach”, originally associated to a whole period in the Scottish agricultural calendar. The name has a close link to the wolf figure: in fact, “faol” or “faol-chú” means wolf in Gaelic, and it would appear to be a very old term, as wolves have been extinct in Scotland for centuries. In Scotland, the most notable representations of wolves are to be found in the Pictish culture, such as the one majestically engraved on the Ardross stone, 30 miles north of Inverness. This print is a modern reinterpretation of one of the most significant animals celebrated in hundreds of years of lore, legends and stone carvings.
Celtic Sand dollar with Triskele on reverse side, crystallized dichroic glass ornament. I have modified an Celtic Cross to form a sand dollar. This is one of my favorite pieces. Richard Elvis
