These Framed Tiny Tiles are new in stock, and I just love them. The colour combination is a beautiful variety of green and brown colours, which have been inspired by the typical shades of an Irish forest. The different Celtic designs intrigue me, and as there are a few Celtic symbols in this frame that I hadn’t heard of before, it prompted me to do a little research. If anyone has any further details on this I would be very interested to hear some more as ancient Ireland holds so many secrets.

The various Celtic designs were very powerful symbols for so much of the way of life of the ancient Celts, including meaning of life, religion, love, wisdom, and war. Some of the symbols predate Celtic times and would have been used, or variations would have been used, in a number of different countries and religions.

The Celtic designs symbolise significant meaning, and the more ancient symbols would have been used or adapted as part of the language of the time, particularly for the Druids. 

The ancient Celts believed in the eternal spiritual life and the relationship with the divine and with nature. That the most important things in life came in sets of three and various Celtic symbols represent sets such as air, fire and water; land, sea and sky; maiden, motherhood and matriarch.

Take advantage of a 15% discount code for TheWildGeese.irish members -- at checkout use code tig15%wg (No expiry date, valid sitewide except on sale items, cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount code.)

Here we have provided a brief guide to these tiny tiles and the meaning of the Celtic symbols, 
 

The Celtic Cross

Also referred to as the High Cross, the Irish Cross and the Cross of Iona.  The Celtic Cross is traditionally a Christian Latin cross with a circle around the centre arms. The circle and cross combination symbolises the harmony and stability of powerful divine energies of a solar life source.

The circular shape was an important pagan symbol. Incorporating this pagan circle on the cross helped to convert pagans to Christianity -- indeed, some believe the idea was first conceived by St. Patrick in an effort to convert the Druids.

The Celtic Dragon

The ancient Celtic dragon was a symbol of wisdom, fertility and immortality. Celts believed dragons were wingless creatures like worms or water-serpents. Representing the untamed forces of nature, dragons were very powerful and the symbol of the chieftain, the Celtic word for which is ‘pendragon.’

Christians saw the dragon as representing chaotic natural disasters and evil, and they regarded the Druids as devil worshippers. St. Patrick drove the serpents out of Ireland -- some suggest this represents a religious conflict between Christianity and Paganism, ‘serpents’ being the Pagan way of life.

Triquetra/Trinity Knot

The most common Celtic knot is the Triquetra, which literally means three cornered. This design is also known as the Trinity Knot, and, when encircled, it is known as the Trinity Circle.

This Celtic design symbolises unity of the body, mind and soul -- physical, mental and spiritual. The triquetra can also represent the past, present and future. In the Christian faith, the three points of this design represent the Holy Trinity, i.e., Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Triskelion

The Triskelion is also known as the Triskele. This design symbolises the unity of the three: eternal life, flow of nature and spiritual growth and also land, sea and sky.

This symbol can be found on the amazing historic site of Newgrange, which dates back to Neolithic times, proving this symbol is more than 5,000 years old.

Triple Spiral

This spiral appears in many Celtic designs and ancient Celtic art. The spiral is believed to be an ancient symbol of even pre-Celtic times and can be found carved on pre-Celtic stone monuments.

The Triple Spiral design signifies the spiral of life, i.e., birth, death, rebirth. The spiral shows the continuity and cycle of life.

Double Spiral

The double spiral design represents the equinox, which occurs each year about the 20^th of March and the 22^nd of September. At these times, the length of the day and the night are the same, i.e., 12 hours each. The spiral is a solar symbol and the double spiral represents the journey of the sun.

The double spiral is frequently found in stone carvings and signifies the combination of nature and balance.
   

Celtic Love Knot

The Celtic Love Knot is also known as Eternity Knot or Round Knot. The design of this Celtic knot is complete interlaced loops that have no start or finish and so is everlasting. The Love knot represents faith, friendship and love between two people, where the knot crosses it symbolises the unity and wisdom of the couple.

It is thought the Celts exchanged these Love Knots to proclaim their devotion, just as rings are exchanged now.

Shield Knot

The ancient Celts believed this knotwork had powers of protection. This shield knot would have been marked on the shields of warriors to protect them in battle. It was also placed on children’s clothes to keep them safe from danger. This knot was also used when people were sick, to ward off the evil spirits who brought illness.

The four corners of this knot are thought to represent the four gods who protect the people of the earth and who bring us the four seasons and the four elements of earth, water, fire and sky.

Dara Knot

The Dara knot is derived from the Irish word ‘doire,’ meaning oak tree, and this design represents the deep root system of the oak tree and in turn our own source of deep inner strength. The trees were sacred to the Celts, especially the Druids, who felt the trees embodied life and had spiritual powers and wisdom. They considered the oak tree to be the king of the trees. the tree of life, with an impressive root system, as such the Dara knot symbolises wisdom, stability and endurance.

This beautiful Irish gift is also available in Winter Forest colours of apple jade, turquoise and lignite. -- Click here to view

Click here to browse more beautiful Irish gifts by Celtic Valley Ce...

15% discount code for TheWildGeese.irish members - at checkout use code tig15%wg

(No expiry date, valid sitewide except on sale items, cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount code.)