Celtic Tattoo Designs

While not initially known for tattoo work or body art, Celtic history goes back many millennia and provides a very rich visual and symbolic vocabulary of designs from which to draw. The early Celts were people well known for their skills in such various trades, crafts, and artworks such as jewelry, metalworking, and even weaponry. Not only that, they were warriors as well, whom the Romans regarded as fierce fighters, and this pride in their prowess and warrior culture is evident particularly in the aforementioned trade of weaponry. Most fans of Celtic lore will note that throughout Ireland, there is much evidence and many examples of Celtic crosses, and Celtic artwork in general.

Over the years, modern Celts have developed these motifs even further into an established symbology for themselves as a cultural touchstone. This is particularly present in North America, with Celts being very proud to display their Celtic descent. Particularly so since there was no written history of Celtic lore, unlike the work done by monastic scribes in Central Europe, so since the Celts had to rely on oral tradition, this symbology became all the more important. Ergo, these symbols and forms of knowledge have been passed down through the years, due to this lack of written history. It is perhaps this reason that Celtic tattooing has become so popular, since this tattooing helps to keep the Celtic tradition alive with such famous motifs as the aforementioned Celtic cross and as well as various forms of Celtic knotting.

Now, incidentally, while many might assume that Celtic Tattooing is a recent phenomenon, presumably with tattoo aficionados simply looking to add some Celtic flair to what would otherwise be an arbitrary choice in tattoo design, in fact, the Celts do indeed have a rich history of tattoo work and body art. Most of these designs come from Ireland, where the evidence of Celtic history is very strong indeed, as one would imagine. The Trinity College, which is founded in Dublin, contains copious manuscripts documenting the myriad of Celtic symbols, customs, and heritage. The zenith of Celtic tattooing, however, happened during the height of the era when stone and metal work was highly popular.

The aforementioned Celtic knot tattoo is one of the most popular and most common design motifs, featuring unending loops symbolizing a never ending cycle of life and death, dying and rebirth. Also present in lore are Celtic animal tattoo designs, which bear a resemblance to their siblings, the knot tattoos, though usually the cords in the design commonly terminate in heads, tails, and feet, whereas the pure knot tattoo designs are typically never ending, unless the artist wishes to add an end to symbolize a spiral.