Celtic Tattoos

Celtic Tattoos: History and Religion

Body art popularity has exploded in the last twenty-five years. Once considered the domain of bikers and sailors, today you can find tattoos on almost anyone, and Celtic tattoos are among the most popular designs chosen today. Characterized by intricate designs of interwoven or "braided" bands, Celtic designs have been appearing in jewelery and tattoo styles for many years but have seen a considerable surge in popularity since the mid nineties.

It's believed Celtic tattoos trace their origins as far back as cave paintings. The Picts, one of the ancient peoples of the British Isles, are believed to have tattooed animal art on their bodies by puncturing their skin with hot sticks to create the patterns. Later on, a blue dye rendered from the leaves of a plant called woad was used to enhance the designs by coloring the skin.

Both beautiful and intricate, Celtic tattoos are more than just a design. Most express some religious significance, a mix of Christian and Druid beliefs that have become entwined through the centuries. Why the mix? The Celts had no written form of language and passed on all of their traditions and beliefs orally. However, when Christianity reached ancient Britain's shores, monks introduced the first written language to the culture and began incorporating Celt designs into Christian symbolism as a way to bridge the gap between Druids and Christ. Much of this incorporation is represented in The Book of Kells, a work by those same monks, which has been preserved at the library of Trinity College in Dublin Ireland. The Celtic cross, and shamrock are two prime examples of their work.

Celtic Tattoo Designs

While there is definite symbolism attached to Celtic tattoos today, for most people wearing them it has little or no relation to what the Druids themselves may have originally intended. Still, it shouldn't prevent anyone from enjoying these tattoos for what they have come to mean today. History is a living entity, constantly evolving, and we evolve right along with it. Today people are more likely to choose a Celtic tattoo because it "looks cool" than for any religious significance; be it Christian or Pagan.

The most common theme in Celtic tattoos is the knot. These knots have no beginning or end, meaning you can start at any given point and follow the loops around to the point you started at without a single break. These patterns are thought to represent the intermingling of the spiritual and physical realms, and the never ending continuity of life, and as such are very powerful symbols.

A variation on the Celt knot theme is the animal interlace. The knot work is still present, but instead of an uninterrupted connection, the cords of the knots begin and end in the animal's feet, tail and head, as represented by the dog, scorpion and ever popular red dragon, favored by those of Welsh decent.

Tattoo CD's

Today, you can rely on the tattooist's talents for your designs, or you can go the technical route and purchase CD's containing hundreds of Celtic tattoo designs. These CD's can be extremely useful for showing your artist exactly what you want, and most tattooists are able to copy the designs quite expertly. The CD's are also a great resource for tat shop owners, allowing them to offer the most current popular designs with the click of a mouse.

Conclusion

Tattoos, whatever their design, have been part of the human experience for thousands of years. That band of knots around your wrist or upper arm, or that butterfly on your ankle provides an unspoken connection to our ancestors of many centuries past. You can wear ink to express your heritage or personal philosophy, or simply for the pure pleasure found in the artwork, but one thing is certain. The art of tattooing shows no sign of fading into the mists, as the Celtic culture did so long ago.

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