The Last Foot Triskelion was commemorated by a handful of localized communities in Orkney during the 19th century into the early 20th century [1]. The Triskelion was often held as part of Hogmanay celebrations [2], serving as a way for members of the community to reflect on the year as a group.

Participants were separated into three teams (for more information on the teams, please see The Teams). The teams would then compete in a number of different events.

The exact number of events seems to have changed from year to year [3], [4], but either 9 or 12 was the norm, in-keeping with the Triskelion’s preoccupation with multiples of 3. Specific information on the individual events is limited, as most of what we have access to comes from contemporary personal correspondence, but it seems that events were selected to reflect the events of the previous year (for more information on the events, please see The Events).

Events were typically held over a week or a weekend [5]. Some were physical contests, but most focused on mental acuity and gamesmanship. Participants might attend one or more of the events, but as many as possible would be present for the closing ceremony, where the final event would be contested and the winner would be decided [6].

While the direct sources we have access to all pertain to the 19th century iteration of the Triskelion, we have reason to believe that this practice may be linked to an earlier tradition. In the 4th and 5th centuries, various groups emigrated to Orkney from Ireland [7]. These migrants came from regions thought to be involved with the ancient Irish Tailteann Games [8], and appear to have continued practicing some kind of sporting event after relocating to Orkney [9].

There is little information about games occurring in the intervening centuries. However, the contemporary correspondence that much of our information about the 19th century Triskelion is drawn from does make repeated references to knowledge of an earlier tradition passed down among families from generation to generation [10], [11], [12]. While it certainly seems unlikely that the Triskelion was passed down for such a long time entirely through an oral tradition, there are certain compelling similarities. Triads and triples seem to have had an importance to the ancient games [13], not to mention the Triskelion’s unusual emphasis on figures from ancient folklore and the use of archaic names to describe individual events in contemporary correspondence [14], [15].

In all likelihood, the connections between the ancient games and the 19th century Triskelion owe more to a desire to feel connected to ancient history than any true fact, as the discovery of Skara Brae prompted a sudden upswing in such public interest. But as anthropologists, this is also of interest to us, and tells us more about how the 19th century Triskelion came to exist. In any case, the concept of a winter games has existed in Scotland at various points of its history, whether or not each iteration is directly zlinked to one another.

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