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As regards the 'trinacria'
of Sicily the grain represents
the fertility of the island
and the three legs the extreme
points of Sicily ie.
Capo Pallor in the province
of Messina, Capo Passer near
Siracusa and Capo Lille west
of Marsala.
Interestingly, the symbol
of a man's leg bent at the
knee was popular with Spartan
warriors and represented power
or force.
Ancient Greek linguists will
pick up on the geographical
significance of the term 'triskèles'
meaning 'three promontories'.
So how did it ever end up
in the Isle of Man?
Apparently the Normans, who
had already reached Sicily
by the end of the 11th century,
imported the symbol following
their invasion of England
in 1066.
The 'trinacria' replaced
a previous Scandanavian symbol
and must have been a political
act as the culture of the
island was deeply Celtic-Viking.
It was only in February 2000
that the 'trinacria' as we
see it above was approved
for the Sicilian flag.
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