The flag with a woman's head and three legs is the flag of Sicily, Italy, featuring the Trinacria symbol: a winged head of Medusa with three bent legs (representing the island's three corners) and sometimes ears of wheat. This ancient emblem, known as the Triskelion, symbolizes protection, fertility, and Sicily's triangular shape, dating back to Greek times.
Flag of Sicily. The flag of Sicily shows a triskeles symbol (a figure of three legs arranged in rotational symmetry), and at its center a Gorgoneion (depiction of the head of Medusa) with a pair of wings and three wheat ears.
The Trinacria Symbol is known worldwide as the emblem of Sicily. But why a woman with three legs? And what does it mean? Let's find out more about the history of Sicily.
The three legs of the central figure represent a trinacria, or triangle, from the Greek name for Sicily, Trinacria, as well as the island's three corners: Peloro (northeast), Passero (southeast), and Lilibeo (west).
Sicily was known by the Romans as Trinacrium, meaning “star with three points.” La "Trinacria" is a 3 legged woman referenced as the symbol of Sicily. The symbol is the head of Medusa (a head of snakes) surrounded by three bent running legs and three stalks of wheat.
The Trinacria is characterized by the presence of a triskele. This ancient motif originally consists of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry. In the Trinacria, however, the spirals have been replaced by three legs that are said to represent Sicily's capes: Peloro, Passero, and Lilibeo.
The central Medusa or Gorgon head was believed to offer protection from evil, warding off harm with its fearsome gaze. The three legs signify motion and continuity, symbolizing the dynamism of life on the island.
Ancient Origins: The Gorgon's Protective Power
Originally, the central figure depicted Medusa, the fearsome gorgon from Greek mythology. This choice connected the Sicilian flag to the goddess Athena, protectress of Sicily, who bore the head of Medusa on her shield.
The Triskele: Ancient Symbol of Energy and Enlightenment
While the symbol is often associated with Celtic culture, it actually has roots that stretch back to Neolithic times. The term “triskele” comes from the Greek word for “three legs,” and it represents a dynamic symbol of constant motion and action.
Sicilians (Sicilian: Siciliani) are an Italian ethnographic group who are indigenous to Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, as well as the largest and most populous of the autonomous regions of Italy.
A triskelion (or triskele, from Greek τρισκελης "three-legged") is a symbol consisting of three bent human legs, or, more generally, three interlocked spirals (joined in such a way that the overall emblem has a threefold rotational symmetry, but no reflection symmetries).
so Sicilians are in fact Italians, but with a wider background of DNA, such as Greek, Roman, Norman, Spanish, French and Arab.
In ancient Rome, Sicily produced large quantities of grain and was deemed the granary of empire. The head of Medusa; which dominates the center of the symbol represents protection and resilience. This meaning can be traced back through Greek mythology and the story of the Greek Gorgon Medusa.
On this flag, these three legs represent Sicily's three “corners”: Peloro, Passero, and Lilibeo. For the Greek mythology lovers out there, you might have recognized the head of Medusa at the center of this flag. She is often portrayed with snakes for hair, turning people to stone with her eyes.
Controversy persists about whether the British national flag should be called “the Union Flag” or “the Union Jack”. Among those who are informed about the matter, it is generally accepted that either name may be used.
Myrtle Corbin. Josephine Myrtle Corbin (May 12, 1868 – May 6, 1928) was an American sideshow performer born as a dipygus. This referred to the fact that she had two separate pelvises side by side from the waist down, as a result of her body axis splitting as it developed.
The three-legged symbol of Sicily is called the Trinacria, known as the Triskelion. It's a female head with three bent legs around it, and it's been used as a symbol of Sicily since ancient times.
Regardless of its meaning, the Triskel symbol has plays an important role in Irish history. The symbol was used by the ancient Celts in Ireland as a way to mark sacred sites. It was also used by early Christians in Ireland as a way to incorporate the pagan symbol into their new religion.
The Triskele's Symbolic Meanings
The triple spiral, often associated with female power and mother goddesses, reflects the phases of life and the universe's constant motion. It's a reminder of the interconnectedness of all things and the perpetual journey of growth and evolution.
In classical Greek art, the depiction of Medusa shifted from hideous beast to an attractive young woman, both aggressor and victim, a tragic figure in her death.
Medusa, the snaky-haired monster
The head depicted on the flag is a Medusa head. Medusa is a figure from Greek mythology. She was one of the three Gorgons: an ugly, winged monster with snakes instead of hair on her head, who turned anyone who looked into her eyes to stone.
Medusa was a character from Greek mythology known for her snake-like hair and the ability to turn people into stone just by looking at them.
At the time she was beheaded, Medusa was namely pregnant by Poseidon, god of the sea. Two drops of her blood fell into the sea, from which the giant Chrysaor and the winged horse Pegasus sprang.
The flag of the Isle of Man (Manx: brattagh Vannin) is a triskelion, composed of three armoured legs with golden spurs, upon a red background.
In recent years, Medusa has been “regarded as a major symbol for female empowerment and reclaiming agency from male-dominated society” (Rogers 21).