Trinacria

The trinacria (“three-leggedness”) is the image of a triskele with a head in the center. The triskele forms an equilateral triangle of three legs, as shown here. Triskels are found in many cultures around the world and are considered a symbol of the sun or the path of life. Trinacria is an early name for the “triangular” island of Sicily and is the symbol currently on the Sicilian flag. The pottery pictured here represents an early version of this symbol. Here you can see a Medusa head with snake hair, which comes from Greek mythology. Later versions show the head of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, surrounded by ears of wheat: the wheat symbolizes fertility and the wings are a reminder of Hermes the messenger of the gods. To this day, this traditional symbol can be found everywhere on the “triangular” island.