Celtic Cross Tattoos

Faith, Heritage or Both?

When many people look at Celtic cross tattoos, they immediately assume they're a symbol of the wearer's Christian faith. While this may be true in some instances, these crosses do hold a different meaning for people who hold other beliefs. We'll delve further into those differences in just a moment.

Celtic cross tats can be just as much a symbol of a person's heritage as his/her faith. In fact, you may be interested to know that the artwork typically used in Celtic tats is not strictly an invention of the British, Irish, Scottish and Welsh peoples. A great deal of trade used to take place between these tribes and the Scandinavians, so there has naturally been an exchange and incorporation of elements between the cultures. The similarity between Celtic and Norse art is believed to be one of the fruits of these exchanges.

Faith and heritage come together when a person of Celtic descent chooses to wear a Celtic cross tat as a symbol of pride in their culture as well as their faith.

Various Meanings of the Celtic Cross

Existing as both a Christian and Pagan symbol, Celtic crosses can mean different things to different people. Here is a basic summary of both viewpoints.

Christian Symbolism

To Christians, the Celtic cross itself is a stylized symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The circle that encompasses the cross-section of the bars has always been explained as both a symbol of the eternal nature of the universe and never ending faith in God.

Pagan Symbolism

Pagans view the cross in a very different, yet mystical light. As you might expect, it is layered with meanings. Let's begin with the cross itself. The four points can relate to the four compass points of North, South, East and West. The points can also be symbolic of the four elements: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. When you take both veins of symbolism into consideration, the intersection of the cross is viewed as a joining of forces.

Now let's discuss the role of the circle. When laid over the intersection of the cross, the circle is believed to represent a place where the mystical and corporeal worlds meet. This is extremely important in the greater context of Pagan beliefs because communications between the two worlds is paramount to many religious ceremonies.

Styles of Celtic Cross Tattoos

Let's look at some of the most prevalent designs for Celtic cross tats.

Traditional Celtic Crosses

The basic structure of the traditional Celtic cross is a standard cross laid over a circle, although sometimes the arms of the cross are of equal length. This design is believed to have come into existence when St. Patrick was struggling to convert the Celts to Christianity, although many people contend the design was around long before Patrick ever reached Ireland's shores.

Legend has it that St. Patrick looked at one of the Celt's large standing stones carved with a circular symbol of the sun and drew a cross over the circle. This was probably done to show, at least in his viewpoint, Christianity's supremacy over Pagan sun worship. However, many Celts simply incorporated the cross symbol into their own current beliefs, and so the Celtic cross was born. The design probably didn't take on a firmer Christian connotation for many years.

Triquetra

Celtic cross tattoos are typically as ornate as the crosses themselves, with the entire surface covered in designs.

Celtic Knot Crosses

This is the most typical type of Celtic cross tats you'll encounter. Celtic knot work is seamless having neither a beginning or ending point. These tats can have knot work filling in the outline of a cross, or the entire cross may be constructed completely from knot work. The design can be as simple as a cross made from four single looped knots, but more often than not, a Celtic cross tat is composed of a larger series of interlocking knots.

Triquetras

The triquetra is a classic Celtic tattoo design. made completely from knot work, this cross is very compact with just three triangular points to symbolize the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The points are encompassed by the ever present circle.