The Celtic Triple Knot

 

Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate. Mark 10:9 New Oxford Bible.

In the bible study that I attend on Tuesday mornings, we are learning about the formats used to tell the stories found in the Bible. Our second week of study found us learning about the format called “Doublets”. A Doublet is a story told twice whose facts change somewhat depending on who tells the story. An example of that can be found in Mark 6 where the story of the “feeding of the 5,000” is told by two different people with the facts varying a bit.

Each class member was asked to tell a story that they knew that changed depending on who told it. Many classmates thought of family stories that changed depending on who told it and when it was told. As for me, I love the stories that are not in the bible, but are related to our faith, and are handed down orally from generation to generation. One of my favorite stories is the symbolism of the Celtic Triple Knot.

I knew the story of the triple knot as having two different names each with its own symbolism. The stories have been told by both the people of Ireland and the people of Scotland. Currently, we think of the symbolism of the “knot “as being the Holy Trinity, but its earlier meaning was to honor the Triple Goddess (the 3 cycles of a woman’s life), i.e., maiden, mother and crone.

In hindsight, perhaps I should have chosen a different story because as I did some research to make sure I had my facts straight, I learned that there were at least 2 more names and 2 additional symbolisms. One was “The Family Knot” the 3 loops representing father, mother, child/children. And finally, a 4th name is “The Infinity Knot” symbolizing eternal love.

Have you ever heard the slang expression for getting married as “Tying the Knot?” This expression comes from using the “infinity knot, as a part of the Irish wedding ceremony. It turns out, the infinity knot is the triple loop knot in one country while it is an entirely different knot in another country.

So now my story turned into a quadruplet or two “Doublets.”

There is a retired Lutheran minister in our class and he said that he used the stole around his neck to bind the hands of the bride and groom together in the name of the trinity. This is done to indicate that they have pledged their commitment to one another in a holy act and that they are “forever tied to one another, until death parts them.”

Hearing that, I wondered how the knot was used in the Irish Catholic wedding ceremony. In this ceremony, they use either a braided rope or ribbons using a different knot to tie the bride and groom’s hands together. This is done while they are saying their vows. 

Both ceremonies seem beautiful to me and both represent the “no beginning and no end kind of love. Whether the Celtic Triple Knot or the Celtic Love Knot is used, both symbolize eternal love.

I think that’s a pretty good message no matter which knot is used, who tells the story, or when it is told. 

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we praise You for showing Your love for us in so many ways. We are so grateful that Your love for us, like that symbolized in the Celtic “trinity knot,” and the Celtic “Infinity knot” is eternal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Judy Welch