I don’t know but gee, imagine those minds back then, immersed in the belief that animals like that roamed the earth, had some kind of powers, were to be revered. What a mindset.
Do you not just love that ‘braidwork’?
It is cool “knotting”. Celtic Knots have a symbolic meaning and are like hieroglyphs in their own right. The Knot hieroglyphs from then to now may have changed meanings, but it is an age old practice that goes back to the beginning of these cultures. :)
https://www.gaelicmatters.com/celtic-knot-symbols.html
What I see in this is a possible clan coat of arms and maybe land ownership. The knots are all similar and possibly identify a particular clan family.