On a green meadow in Funbo in the Uppland province of Sweden sit four runestones, believed to be the only ones remaining from a larger group. The stones were probably once used for building.  The runes, beautifully carved into the stones along with other symbols, memorialize this family, the father and sons.  One stone features a larger flowing three-cornered symbol.  Other similar symbols have been found throughout Northern Europe on other runestones and on early Scandinavian coins.

That flowing three-cornered runic symbol is the triquetra, a geometric figure having three points which is most often identified these days as a Christian symbol.  Anyone who has watched the TV show, Charmed, will recognize it as the symbol on the cover of the Book of Shadows.  The triquetra, however, has a much longer history than Christianity and Charmed, going back to the earliest Germanic and Celtic cultures in Europe as a constant symbol of triplicity and unity.

The word “triquetra” comes from new Latin and is the feminine of “triquetrus”, tri- meaning “three” and quetrus meaning “cornered”.  Originally, triquetra simply meant “triangle”.  Today, it is a shape formed of three vesicae piscis (an “almond” shape formed from two intersecting circles), sometimes with a circle in it.  The Christian triquetra is often drawn with a circle in it and alternatively, sometimes also has a triangle around it. 

The earliest use of the triquetra appears to be in the early Germanic tribes.  It resembles the valknut, or Odin’s Knot, giving rise to speculation that the triquetra was also a symbol of Odin.  In Celtic paganism, the triquetra was a symbol of the Triple Goddess, Mor-righain, and the three feminine stages – daughter, mother and grandmother (or virgin, mother and crone).  It was mostly used in Celtic art, especially on metal work and in illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells.   Celtic paganism relied heavily on triplicities and the number three was used often and was important in ancient cultures.  The triquetra may also have been a symbol of the triplicity of the universe – the Earth, Sea and Sky – as well as birth, death and rebirth.

With the rise of Christianity, the Church adopted the symbol as one of the Holy Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  The circle within the triquetra represents eternity.  One reason Christians so readily adopted the symbol is its perfect representation of the concept of “three in one”.   It is still widely used, appearing as a double triquetra on the cover of the New King James Version Bible.

In modern times, the triquetra has again been adopted by Wiccans and New Agers to symbolize the triad of mother, daughter and grandmother (crone), as well as the mind, body and soul.  Ironically, some Christians have objected to this embracing of their symbol, probably unaware of the origins of the triquetra.  The symbol is used in pop culture in a variety of contexts, the most easily recognized being the Book of Shadows.  Led Zeppelin used the symbol on the cover of their album, Led Zeppelin IV, and it has been used by the band P.O. D. on most of their album covers.

For thousands of years, the triquetra has represented the unity and eternal manner of nature – from birth to death to rebirth, from virgin to mother to crone, from body to mind to spirit.  The adoption of the symbol by so many groups of people speaks to the powerful nature of threes, “three-in-one” and our need for eternity.  As the triquetra continues to be used in popular culture, it’s history and legacy will be passed from generation to generation, a unity of the human spirit from the earliest Germanic tribes to the far-flung future.