Celtic Symbol Meanings

Celtic symbol meanings are tough to track because there are minimal known surviving written records of indicating specific Celtic symbol meanings.

Quite a bit of understanding about Celtic use of symbols comes from conjecture and supposition from authorities and historians of ancient Celtic culture.

This is not a bad thing because this allows us to tap into the mystery of the Celtic way, follow our hearts, and open up to our intuition when it comes to Celtic symbolism.

Below you will find some common Celtic symbol meanings.

Triskelion:
A Greek term meaning "three-legged," and thus this sign looks very much like three legs running. The Celtic symbol meaning here is appropriate because this symbol stands for competition and man's progress. For more details on the Celtic symbol meanings of the Triskelion, click here.

Triquetra:
Latin meaning "three-cornered." It's a holy symbol, and it's meanings are many. It varies in its aspects of spirit, nature, being-ness, and of the cosmos. For the full meaning of the Celtic triquetra symbol, click here.

Triple Spiral:
Represents the drawing of the three powers of maiden, mother and crone. It is a sign of female power and especially power through transition and growth. See more about the symbolism of spirals here.

Three Rays (Arwen):
The first and third rays in this symbol represent male and female energy (respectively). The middle ray represents the balance of both energies. See also Yin-Yang symbols page. See also fire symbol (Arwen is the 3rd symbol down).

Single Spiral:
Represents ethereal energy radiating out (or inward depending on your perspective) Also symbolizes growth, birth and expansion of consciousness. I've devoted an entire page on the symbolic meaning of spiral here (blog).

Five-fold:
This pattern also represents balance. The four outer circles symbolize the four elements: earth, fire, water, air. The middle circle unites all the elements with a goal to reach balance between all four elements or energies. See this page for more Celtic meanings for the five-fold symbol.

Threefold:
See Triple spiral. The center of this symbol represents the "hub" signifying unity of the three powers. More on the Celtic symbolism of threefold symbols can be found here.

Double Spiral:
A sign of balance and also representative of the equinoxes.

Crosses:
Represent the bridge or the passage between heaven and earth. The circle in the ringed cross signifies infinity and eternal spiritual love. see more on Celtic cross meaning here.

If you like this page, check out my thoughts on the Celtic Symbols of the Tuatha De Danann.

Looking for Something? Search This Site:

---