Celtic Cross Tattoo Designs

The Celtic cross tattoo is very popular in the Scottish culture. With the cross tattoo, you can link both the cultural heritage and religion to the one tattoo design. With the Celtic cross tattoo, not only does it look amazing but its also a very easy cross design to pick out from the crowd. The Celtic cross is a symbol that has been around for hundreds of years and has a lot of heritage. There are many Celtic tattoos you can get but they vary from clan to clan. Each type of Celtic tattoo represents the culture and heritage aspect of a people group. The one design that sticks out the most is the Celtic cross tattoo.

The inspiration with these types of tattoos can come from your coat of arms for the clan or the family you were from. The coat of arms was a way to distinguish each clan and some of the coats of arms are very detailed. Some Celtic cross tattoos have been modernized to fit in to today’s culture. Most of the original designs are still around, but with a more modern twist to them.

You can also add your family emblems and crests along with your coat of arms to your Celtic tattoo. Whatever you choose to do, your Celtic cross tattoo you end up being very unique. The only obstacle you will need to work around, is finding the best place to put your Celtic cross tattoo because if you add more parts to the tattoo you will need more room for the detail. Usually people put this type of tattoo on their back or down their arms, starting at the shoulder. Look at other pictures of the Celtic cross tattoo and you will find inspiration to start your own design.

Irish Tattoos – Designs Of Irish Tattoos

Many people get a tattoo based on their cultural heritage and to celebrate where they have come from. There are many forms of tattoos that are considered to be an Irish tattoo, which includes the Celtic aspects of the tattoo, such as the very popular Celtic knots and the Celtic weaves within the traditional Irish tattoos.

What are the most popular forms of the Irish tattoo designs? The Celtic designs are by far the most influential patterns in the Irish tattoos for both men and women. The Celtic designs can be seen in the forms of the Celtic knots and symbols and applied to the Irish tattoos. It is very easy to integrate parts of a tattoo within another tattoo and give it meaning to everyday life. Anyone can customize a non-traditional tattoo to have Irish values by using the Celtic designs within the Irish tattoo.

If you are trying to find the best Irish tattoo design its best to get advice from a tattoo artist who is familiar with the Irish and Celtic tattoos. You can be sure they have done many integrations to the tattoos and taken pieces of each tattoo and integrated them together in some form or another. Usually the Celtic tattoo has larger fonts and block or never ending symbols or lines. By going to an artist who is familiar with the Irish tattoos you can be sure to understand the meaning of your tattoo instead of just having some ‘cool’ tattoo design. The Irish and Celtic tattoos are a part of history and all have special meanings to the people who get them.

The best place to find an Irish tattoo is by searching online and looking through picture galleries of tattoos. Look at both the Irish tattoo and the Celtic styles and compare the two different designs.

Have you ever considered a Viking tattoo? Vikings were always associated with fear, bravado and ferociousness.  They were warriors, explorers and merchants who sailed all around Europe (and maybe even North America) and raided villages.  They pretty much brought a reign of terror with them wherever they went.  The Viking Age lasted from around the late 700s to the early 1000s.  These Norsemen sailed in their iconic long ships, and were often depicted as fierce warriors in art.

The Vikings themselves did not leave many written records behind, as they spent much of their time traveling.  Their surviving artwork does show that some symbols and designs were important to them.  Today, these symbols are popular Viking tattoo designs.  They include  Thor’s hammer, complex knot work, triskeles, crosses, swords and so forth.

Some popular Viking tattoo designs feature helmets with horns.  This is a popular symbol often associated with Viking warriors, although there is no historical evidence that they ever even wore them!   Still, Viking art would not be complete without this symbol, and there are hundreds of designs to choose from depicting it.

Some people go all out and get tattoos of an actual Viking warrior, all decked out in a helmet with horns and brandishing a broadsword.  Getting this type of tattoo can take awhile, and it takes an extremely talented artist to successfully draw it and get it right.  After all, a Viking warrior must have a distinct, fierce look on his face, and only the best tattoo artists can pull something like that off.

The actual meanings of medieval Scandinavian symbols and images are unknown.  Thor’s hammer is about the only symbol associated with the Viking Age that is not unknown.  It basically represents the Norse thunder god Thor’s hammer, Mjollnir, which means crusher.  It is believed that many Scandinavian people wore Thor’s hammer necklaces for protection.  In later centuries, as Christianity spread to Scandinavians, crosses were often incorporated into Mjollnir pendants.

This day and age, many people choose Viking tattoo designs to symbolize courage, bravery and strength.  Many people from Norway and Denmark especially wear Viking tattoos.  Americans who have Saxon or Norse ancestry appreciate the art as well.  Some Viking art also appears as if it has some Celtic roots, and the Vikings did invade Ireland and were among the founders of Dublin.  For this reason, many people with Irish or Scottish ancestry will get Viking tattoo designs.  The triskeles, for example, are a common Viking and Celtic sign both.

Viking tattoos are not for everybody, because they can be big and in your face, but many people do love them.  If you are thinking about getting one, you should get a few temporary Viking tattoos to see how they look on you.  You can browse the internet for numerous Viking tattoo designs and images.  You may want to consider paying for a membership to view a tattoo gallery.  They feature thousands of tattoo images that you will never be able to see otherwise.

The Mystique Of Celtic Tattoos

You do not have to be Irish or Scottish to get a Celtic tattoo.  These are incredible designs and anyone can have one of these bold or intricate patterns, which are always certain to grab attention.  While Celtic art is of course associated with the areas around Ireland and Scotland, the art is actually very old and predates the real establishment of both these countries as we know them now.  A revival of the art in the 18th century means that reproductions of this art can easily be found in books and on the internet.  This is art is extremely ornamental. Straights lines and the use of symmetry are limited while circles and unusually complex patters are prevalent. This art easily lends itself to the body artist’s tattoo pen.

These ancient symbols have meaning and symbolism that add to the mystique of the tattoo.  There are, for instance, highly stylized representation of animals such as the Celtic cat thought to be the guardian of the underworld and privy to ethereal knowledge. The Celtic butterfly, like so many other representations of this insect, is a symbol of rebirth and the change of seasons. No doubt the most famous and recognizable Celtic tattoo animal is the Celtic bull.  Much revered among all the Celtic animals, this bull with the bowl shaped horns is the symbol of unbending stubborn personality traits.  Just as beautiful a tattoo is the Celtic dolphin seen as a long nosed fish with a long curly tail.  This symbol of friendship and intelligence is said to bring the wearer good luck, especially on the seas.

The Celtic five-fold symbol has several meanings and makes a great Celtic tattoo.  The inside of the design holds four-petal shaped prongs, two of which face right with two facing left. These butterfly-like petals are surrounded by four rounder, thicker petal-like leaves.  The middle is divided around the edges by a circle.  This might confuse some seeing this tattoo, but what are counted are the circles in this design.  It comes out to five with the center line represent the fifth element. The outer four are Fire, Earth, Air and Water, but the fifth symbolizes an esoteric element.

Celtic knots make great tattoos because of their complex look and bold dramatic lines.  For example, the quaternary Celtic knot represents the four directions and is an emblem of Brigid, the Queen of the Four Fires.

Celtic tattoos such as knots, tree or flower symbols may connect other tattoos fairly easy. For a slightly darker Celtic look, skulls with their circular design and round eyes make for dynamic images and tattoos.  This is a symbol for eternity.  And you cannot forget to get a shamrock for luck.

Getting a Celtic tattoo puts you in great company as the ancient Celts themselves were known for getting tattoos large decorative tattoos.

Celtic tattoos have been very popular for many years and many people are looking in to getting this unique tattoo. Before you go out and get permanent ink on your body, you may want to do some of your own research and find out what each Celtic symbol means. This is especially important if someone asks you what your particular tattoo means. You will want to have an honest answer if you are ever in this predicament.

A tattoo that has a Celtic meaning will be representing old Irish views and symbols. The Celtic symbols often have loops and lines that cross and entwine very beautifully. These loops look as if there is not a beginning or ending point and represent life and death cycles. This is a great way for someone with Irish heritage to display their heritage for everyone to see.

Celtic crosses are the most common type of tattoo and you can also find many versions of Celtic crosses available for tattoo. You may want to check out the internet to see if there is a version out there that you really love. You may also want to reference Celtic literature to make sure that the tattoo you are getting is authentic Celtic style.

You may also want to learn about the Celtic culture and heritage so you can understand the tattoo you will be getting. You can also use this information to find out what symbol you believe in. This will help you find something that you truly believe in and you will not get stuck with a tattoo that does not represent the things you believe in.

You can also use the Celtic knotting and create a design of your own. This is a good way to have both a Celtic theme and also a personal one. You can make a design for a tattoo that no one else has. Many of the tattoos that people get today come off of the wall in the tattoo parlor and there is no telling how many other people have the same exact tattoo.

If you are getting a tattoo to be unique and this is the purpose of a tattoo, you may want to try and make it your own. Even if you use a design that is premade and put your own personal spin on it, this can help it be more unique and personal. You want find Celtic tattoos that you will be satisfied with for a lifetime, since this is most likely how lone you will have it.