Celtic Knotwork: celtic knots

I’m sorry, but my research indicates that the Celts who first drew knotwork patterns had no such meaning attached to their work.

Now, there have been hundreds of years since knotwork patterns were first invented. It’s not impossible that meanings have been attached to certain patterns over time. From what I can tell, such meanings do exist, but as far as I know, they are very localized and relatively recent in origin.


Addendum: documented meanings I’ve found.

In Brigit’s Feast (Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 9, 11) Frank Mills writes… The interlaced patterns with their unbroken lines symbolize humankind’s pilgrimage, both as a quest to return to our divine source and our spiritual growth as we move along in the quest. The pattern is to be mentally unraveled, which, while occupying the mind with a repetitive task, creates a deeper concentration enabling us “to see.” In this it is akin to the use of a mantra or rosary beads. …though in a footnote he says…. It must be remembered that in our interpretation of Celtic art we cannot know the mind of the ancient Celts who developed these forms, thus the best we can do is to hopefully ‘read between the lines’ correctly and make some educated guesses.

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