Limes with Orange

Was just reading up on the Celtic symbol that I recently had tattooed onto my upper back (at Smilin' Buddha... anyone know if they've got a website?), called a triskelion or triskele (from Greek for "three-legged"):



I was initially drawn to it because it was reminiscent of the Isle of Man symbol of the three bent, armoured legs joined around a central point (my paternal grandmother was from the Isle of Man):



A little background: Long before the Christian trinity was introduced to the Celts, the number 3 was very prevalent in Celtic religions and had a variety of forms and meanings. Commonly seen images in Celtic art and symbolism include spirals and Celtic knots. Spirals are considered to represent spiritual balance between inner and outer consciousness, whereas knotwork represents the intricacy and interconnectedness of all things. The three Manx legs comprise one fairly literal form of triskelion from around the 11th century, but the symbol in my tattoo actually pre-dates it.

The triple spiral triskelion that I chose is often thought to symbolize the Druidic Sister Goddesses of sovereignty: Fodla, Eriu and Banba. Though others claim it represents the three forms of the Wiccan Goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone. Other interpretations include the four elements, with earth at the centre surrounded by "the wave of sea, the breath of wind, and the flame of fire." Yet another theory is that the triskelion represents the continuity of life in the trinity of birth, death and rebirth.

I had expected myself to settle on the "maiden, mother, crone" meaning, but the wording of the last interpretation reminded me of a poem I wrote many years ago:

How Long

How long will these emotions last
a minute
a day
forever?

Through birth
then death
then rebirth?

If I live other lives
do my emotions live them with me?
If I live through a war
does the memory burn within me
through birth
then death
then rebirth?

Is that why I wake
in the middle of the night
with sweat on my brow,
hearing thunder when the sky is clear
hearing screaming when there's no one near
being afraid of...
nothing,
nothing at all.

How long will these emotions last
a minute
a day
forever?


Leaving aside for a moment the implication of reincarnation, I think the very cycle of the life we are currently living includes many metaphorical births, deaths and rebirths. Having chosen to get this tattoo as a sort of rite of passage marking a significant event in my life (not dissimilar to the Maori, I suppose), I like the idea of it representing a recent "death" and current "rebirth."

Labels: poetry, tattoos