Triskele

Sicilians use the 3-legged symbol on their flag. So do the Manx, on the flag of the Isle of Mann. The Sicilian Triskele is unique for including the head of a woman at it's center whereas other ones are just legs joined at the hip.

So who used it first? There is evidence to support both arguments:
• There are neolithic stone carvings in spiral form near Newgrange.
• Triskele/Triskelion come from the Greek word for 3-legged.
• There are Greek vases with the symbol on it, tho minus the woman's head.
• Celts lived in what became Northern Italy, but that's a far cry from Sicily, which had a history separate from and in addition to Italy proper.
• Greeks used the emblem on coins and ships.

• Pliny claims it was based on the shape of Sicily, whose 3 points are equidistant.

I believe the woman's head is a Goddess, worshiped at Lake Pergusa, which is in the exact center of the island and equidistant from the 3 capes. Proserpina (Persephone) is the Goddess of Sicily and is said to have been "abducted by Hades" from a lake in Enna. That's where Lake Pergusa is. The lake turns red at times over the summer. It has been called the Lake of Blood and was a gathering place for Women's Mysteries: "Lake Pergusa was once the location of an important religious center dedicated to female deities. Ceramic material found there dates to as early as 4000 BCE, and remains of circular and elliptical huts overlooking the lake date to 2500 BCE."-- Persephone's Sacred Lake and the Ancient Female Mystery Religion in the Womb of Sicily, Marguerite Rigoglioso.

Click above to download the article- it's fabulous. It confirmed nearly everything I felt was true about the Elusinian Mysteries, which has been added to the list of blog topics. Maybe I'll get around to posting about that this summer, 13 years since my visit to Eleusis.)

In the realm of historical research and who had more influence on whom, the vast expanse of trade and travel and conquering and wars has my head in a tizzy. I need to audit some classes on the warfare of the ancient greeks, romans and celts. Combine the wars, the colonizations, and the trade routes and it's a bit overwhelming. I need a guide who can help me take it in one logical piece at a time instead of trying to inhale it whole. I need a guide through this labyrinth.

Perhaps it's just one of those ancient archetypes ingrained in us all.