Concentric circles indicate Apotropaic magic

Concentric circles indicate apotropaic magic

Picture courtesy — (1)

The carved figurine in the centre looks like an Egyptian Mummy. The concentric circles may be indicating apotropaic magic. Similar circles appear on another Indus seal also. See the below-given detail.

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Figure 1: Mythical animal with concentric rings.

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What is this animal? Is it Rhino (or) Antelope? What is the meaning of this concentric rings pattern? It is a mythical animal. The Indus priest could have claimed that he had sacrificed such an animal for some benefit. What could be the benefit? We have to search for some similar ideas in other cultures. Fortunately, such an idea is available in Celtic culture. Details are as given below:

Figure 2: rainbow saucer -coins

Rhine Celts, electrum Rainbow Saucer. Triskellum on front.

A Rainbow Cup, a type of Silver coins, is a special coin from the Iron Age, made in the last centuries before the beginning of our era, including strains from the Rhine area. Rainbow Saucers are dish-shaped (not flat, like our modern coins) and are made of silver with some gold and copper. On the one hand, it is often a triskelion depicted or three-leg, and a number of laps on the other side. It is a small coin with a diameter of approximately 16 to 20 mm.

The name Rainbow Cup grew out of the idea that these coins were created where the rainbow touches the ground. The function of the saucers and the identity of the creators is still much uncertain. Following historical sources, it is thought that they were not used as currency for regular payments. (3)

Flag of Sicily showing the triskelion symbol.

Picture courtesy – (4)

The triskelion symbol

The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, the first in Malta (4400–3600 BC) and the astronomical calendar at the famous megalithic tomb of Newgrange in Ireland built around 3200 BC, Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia, and silver coins of Pamphylia. It appears as a heraldic emblem on warriors’ shields depicted on Greek pottery.

Triskelion symbol on Greek shield (pottery figure)

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Variation of Triskelion symbol on pottery

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The triskelion is an ancient symbol of Sicily, with the head of the Gorgon, whose hair are snakes, from which radiate three legs bent at the knee. The emblem dates back to when Sicily was part of Magna Graecia, the colonial extension of Greece beyond the Aegean.

Triple spiral visible on entrance stone at Newgrange

Picture courtesy – (6)

Picture courtesy — (7)

Note that the stone with spiral rings is placed in front of the entrance to the passage grave. This spiral pattern indicates ‘The Gorgon’ and thereby warns trespassers that they will be turned into stone if they enter the passage grave. The second possibility is that the spiral pattern could be indicating the ‘Under world/nether world’. Anyhow, both the options indicate association with death and the underworld.

The Celtic symbol of three conjoined spirals may have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. The triple spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol in Western Europe. Though popularly considered a “Celtic” symbol, it is, in fact, a pre-Celtic symbol. It is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument in County Meath, Ireland. Newgrange, built around 3200 BC, predates the Celtic arrival in Ireland but has long since been incorporated into Celtic culture. (4)

Other interpretations

The triple spiral is one of the main symbols of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, often standing for the “three realms” – Land, Sea and Sky (6). It is also accepted that it could represent the “three worlds”: the world of the living, the dead, and the spirit (8). All these interpretations show that the triskelion symbol is associated with ‘the other world /nether world. This idea is supported by my earlier article on ‘Kur symbol’ $C:\Users\IT\Desktop\ivc-logos-indus - 3\kur-1 - Copy - Copy.jpg$ . (9) There, I have concluded that the ‘Kur symbol’ indicates the nether world.

Relationship between ‘Kur’ symbol and ‘concentric rings’ symbol

What is the relationship between this ‘Kur symbol’ and concentric rings symbol? See figure- 2 given above. Both these symbols are appearing on both sides of a coin. It shows that these symbols are interrelated. The triskelion symbol likely had apotropaic qualities. (10). Further, the coins were also made in a convex shape, giving a shield feeling (Kedaga). Overall, it provides a meaning of ‘Protection’ through apotropaic magic. (Or) repelling some evil influences.

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1. Harappa.com@AncientIndus. Photos. https://www.facebook.com/ancientindus. [Online] 2016. https://www.facebook.com/AncientIndus/photos/a.10150315616924846.360999.24752074845/10154091064914846/?type=3&theater.

2. Sullivan, Sue. Indus Script Dictionary. s.l. : Suzanne Redalia, 2011.

3. wikipedia(rainbow-saucer). Regenboogschoteltje. nl.wikipedia. [Online] 2016. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenboogschoteltje.

4. wikipedia(Triskelion). Triskelion. wikipedia.org. [Online] 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskelion.

5. grandvoyageitaly.weebly.com. trinacria-this-sicilian-symbol-has-got-legs. http://grandvoyageitaly.weebly.com. [Online] 2016. http://grandvoyageitaly.weebly.com/the-piazza/trinacria-this-sicilian-symbol-has-got-legs.

6. wikipedia(Triple_spiral). Triple_spiral. wikipedia. [Online] 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_spiral.

7. Bellacero, Cynthia. /triskele/. cynthiabellacero.wordpress.com. [Online] 2016. https://cynthiabellacero.wordpress.com/tag/triskele/.

8. jweel.com/. symboles-and-their-meaning-the-triskelion. www.jweel.com/en/blog/. [Online] 2016. https://www.jweel.com/en/blog/p/2015/symboles-and-their-meaning-the-triskelion/.

9. Jeyakumar(Kur-symbol). Kur_symbol_indicates_the_land_of_the_dead. www.academia.edu. [Online] 2016. https://www.academia.edu/26926251/Kur_symbol_indicates_the_land_of_the_dead.

10. Jeyakumar(Apotropaic_magic). Kedaga_symbol_indicates_Apotropaic_magic. academia.edu. [Online] 2015. https://www.academia.edu/11583479/Kedaga_symbol_indicates_Apotropaic_magic.