TRINACRIA [Explicit]
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The trinacria is a coat of arms that depicts a woman’s head with three bent legs extending from it. A symbol used since ancient times and spread throughout the west by the Greeks, the head represents the God of the sun whilst the three legs represent the seasons of spring, summer and winter. Already in Roman times the trinacria lost this meaning, becoming simply the symbol of Sicily.
Today the trinacria is even represented in the official regional coat of arms, set against yellow and red backgrounds. The two colours represent the courage of the cities of Palermo and Corleone, which distinguished themselves during the Sicilian Vespers of 1282 by rising up against the French. Identified by Sicilians as a good luck charm and by tourists as a curious souvenir, the Sicilian trinacria also carries meanings of fertility, purification and good wishes.
The trinacria in Sicily can be found practically everywhere, from flags to postcards, from ceramics to fabrics. The reason why this particular heraldic figure became the symbol of the region is simple: the three legs represent the three vertices of the island, namely the promontories of Capo Boeo to the north-west near Trapani, Capo Peloro to the north-east near Messina and Capo Passero to the south, near Syracuse. Indeed, according to some, the word trinacria means precisely “three promontories“, from the Greek treis (three) and akra (promontory).
The trinacria symbol is composed of a series of elements: here’s what they are and what their meanings are.
This symbol is inextricably linked with the island to such an extent that the most devoted use the word “trinacria” to mean precisely “Sicily”. But beyond the geographical meaning we provided above, the Sicilian trinacria is at the heart of a curious legend.
It is said that in ancient times, three wandering nymphs travelled collecting the most beautiful things that nature had to offer them, such as stones, trees or fruits. Upon arriving at what is now Sicily, they found it so beautiful that they decided to settle, scattering everything they had collected into the sea at three different points.
At these three points the waters of the sea parted, and three mountains emerged; the space between them rose from the water, and so Sicily was born, with its distinctive triangular shape.
The trinacria has been present in Sicily for a very long time: coins have indeed been found in the Syracuse area, dating back to the 3rd century BC, on which this very symbol appears.
But going back even further through the centuries, the trinacria was already part of the customs of the ancient Greeks: Spartan warriors would indeed carve a bent leg onto their helmets, which represented strength and courage. It was therefore they who imported this particular figure into Sicily, which over the years acquired the form we know today.
Small, large, visible or hidden, on this page you can see some of the best trinacria tattoos, to have Sicily always impressed on your body.
If you’d like to take home a gadget featuring the symbol of Sicily, have a look on Amazon: there’s a vast selection, from flags to jewellery, from magnets to t-shirts!
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