An endless woven band with no loose ends. Knots like it fill Gospel books made in Britain and Ireland from about the 7th century, such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells. What the makers meant by them, they did not write down.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.
From about the 7th century, knotwork fills the pages of Gospel books made in Britain and Ireland, among them the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells. Bands weave over and under each other in borders and panels, drawn and painted by hand.
To verify: The dates of the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells themselves; Which book is the earliest to use this knotwork
The people who drew these knots left no note of what they meant. We found no early record of a meaning, for love, for eternity or for anything else. Perhaps they were simply beautiful work; we cannot say.
Jewellers today sell the Celtic knot as a sign of love or of eternity. Those meanings are modern; we found no early record of them. We draw a simple knot in the style of the Gospel books, and leave its meaning to you.
