The True Meaning of Celtic Jewelry Symbols

OK, I know the title of this article is a bit provocative. Having dealt with questions of meaning for years as a designer of Celtic jewelry, I offer up the following thoughts on how we might reconcile the ancient and the new, while not disregarding the history of Celtic jewelry symbols.

These days many of us seem to be looking for meaning in many aspects of our lives. So it comes as no surprise that one of the first questions that arises when considering Celtic jewelry is, “What does that particular symbol/design mean?”

When dealing with the meaning behind Celtic symbolism, the most accurate response might be, “From what era would you like your meaning?”

Gold and silver Celtic jewelry dates back to 2000 B.C., and it is wise to remember that meanings, if there were any, have likely changed over time. Any meaning that was given Celtic symbols by their early creators will most likely be different from those intended by modern interpreters of Celtic designs due to the different contexts in which they were created.

One of the things that makes Celtic art so compelling is that it is a living tradition that links us with our distant past. Attempting to go back hundreds of years or more to find original meanings is likely impossible, but more importantly, ignores the ongoing creative evolution of Celtic jewelry design. This living tradition aspect clouds the issue of significance because as new designs evolve, no one’s waiting around for the official word to come down on what the symbols originally meant. An artist creates a new pendant design with knotwork in the shape of a heart, and viola, it’s symbol for endless love.

A scholar might cringe that we’ve taken such liberties, but shouldn’t Celtic symbol meanings given by today’s artisans be valid within our modern context when there’s no real evidence to the contrary?

Although there is evidence that Celtic knots, spirals and other symbols were being created in Celtic polytheistic times, not much history of these designs is available before the beginning of the Christian influence on Celtic art in about 450 A.D.

Celtic interlace, or knotwork, has been best documented in 7th century manuscripts, illuminated (illustrated) by monks who were transcribing sacred texts. The Book of Kells, Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Durrow are three lavishly decorated texts often referred to as the best examples of high Celtic art that inspires much of what we recognize today as Celtic design. But even these manuscripts pretty much leave it to the imaginations of those who came after to determine what it all means. (Note: The one theme we have found most consistently documented relates to the “interconnectedness of all things.”)

Historians and scholars must be concerned with hard facts such as timelines and origins, but there seems to be very little to go on in that regard concerning the definitive original meanings of many of the Celtic symbols.

As an artist and appreciator of Celtic jewelry and other forms of Celtic art, I would suggest that we have much more leeway than the academics. What interests us are the creative and emotional results of these designs. What is important to us is how they allow us to express our individuality, and how we feel when we wear them.

A great part of the mystique surrounding Celtic symbols is the belief that each shape in the designs holds a secret significance just waiting to be revealed. And that the right interpretation of the right manuscript may come along and, once and for all, unlock all the mysteries.

Until that time, I suggest that perhaps the true meanings of Celtic symbols in jewelry are those we hold dear in our hearts and minds, right now in the present. And that through an evolving process of consensus (and most likely effective marketing), in the distant future, the meaning of Celtic jewelry symbols will be much more defined.