25 August 2013

Germanic Pagan Tattoos

Source: darksuntattoo.deviantart.com

Oftentimes it seems that Germanic Paganism and tattoos go well together. Scholars tell us that the Germanic tribes of the east (eg, first the Goths, then the Rus; both peoples said to have originated in the general region of modern day Sweden) were partial to tattoos.* We know from the mummified remains of Indo-Europeans buried in Siberia in the 5th century BCE that ancient tattoos could be beautifully decorative and detailed.** Thus it is conceivable that some ancient and medieval Germanic Pagans (from the east at least?) looked a bit like this fellow in the picture on the right ->

It seems that these days most Germanic Pagan tattoos are either of Odin, Thor or Mjölnir. In my searches I came across very few tattoos of Germanic Goddesses or of any other Germanic Gods. Fittingly, animals in a Celtic-Viking design seem to be popular (though perhaps not always explicitly Pagan, unless they are ravens in pairs or Sleipnir), as are runic inscriptions and Yggdrasil, the world tree. Here follows the best of what I was able to find after countless hours of sifting through online images of Germanic Pagan tattoos.


Odin / Oden / Odino / Wodan / Woden / Wotan / Wodanaz 

Source: fenix42.deviantart.com
Source: skinandbone.dk
Source: svasticross.blogspot.com
Source: lvmenes.blogspot.com
Source: tattoo-bewertung.de
Source: uptowntattoo.com
Source: tattoopins.com/346/odin-tattoo-pictures
Source: tattoopins.com/342/odin-for-tattoos
Source: romanpagan.blogspot.com (thanks to Scott)


Odinist Women / Valkyries / Valkyrier / Valkyrior / Walküren / Walkuren 
Source: flickr.com/photos/hognell
Source: gallery.freakportal.com
Source: cattattoo.com
Source: whipshader.com
Source: ottomade.com

Odin's Ravens / Huginn / Hugin / Muninn / Munin
Source: dailydoseoftattoos.com
Source: tattooconventionsnow.com
Source: tattoo-bewertung.de (note the triskele in the centre, associated
with Celtic Paganism, but also more broadly with Paganism in general)

Norns / Norner / Nomen
Source: violet-fire-tattoo.deviantart.com
Source: flickr.com/photos/hognell

Freyja / Freya / Freja / Frija
Source: tattoofairy.com
Freyr / Ing / Yngvi
Source: pinterest.com/jefffishburn/boar/

Tyr / Tiwaz / Tiw
Source: meatshop-tattoo.deviantart.com

Thor / Tor / Thunor / Donar / Donner
Source: darksuntattoo.deviantart.com
Source: darksuntattoo.deviantart.com
Source: pinterest.com/pin/148055906473267956/ (based on album art for Amon Amarth)
Source: romanpagan.blogspot.com (thanks to Scott)
Source: artetattoo.com.br


Mjöllnir / Mjölner / Mjølner / Mjølne / Thor's Hammer / Tors Hammare
Source: skinandbonetattoo.blogspot.com
Source: skinandbonetattoo.blogspot.com
Source: tattoowise.com
Source: sobie182.deviantart.com
Source: maizy138.deviantart.com
Source: psykopathm.deviantart.com
Source: profile.ultimate-guitar.com/Firenze
Source: webcontemporary.com
Source: romanpagan.blogspot.com (thanks to Scott)

Runic Inscriptions / Runes / Runor / Runealfabet / Runen
Source: loja.banner-link.com.br
Source: meatshop-tattoo.deviantart.com
Source: tattoodonkey.com
Source: norsemyth.org
Source: nirvanaoftime.deviantart.com
Source: tattoo-bewertung.de
Source: meatshop-tattoo.deviantart.com
Source: meatshop-tattoo.deviantart.com
Source: Valhalla's Glory (Facebook)


Yggdrasil / World Tree / Världsträdet / Weltenbaum
Source: arcanis-lupus.deviantart.com
Source: faraaer.ro
Source: flickr.com/photos/hognell

Irminsul (the World Tree of the Saxons)
Source: checkoutmyink.com
Valknut
Source: 405th.com

Triple Horns of Odin 
Source: tattoopins.com/859/horns-of-odin-tattoo

Icelandic Staves / Sigils / Aegishjalmur / Vegvisir / Helm of Awe
Source: tumblr.com/tagged/aegishjalmur
Source: tumblr.com/tagged/aegishjalmur
Source: tuttotattoo.com
* vanishingtattoo.com & nordicway.com
** siberiantimes.com; see below for an example of one of these tattoos:
5th century BCE tattoo. Source: johnhawks.net

6 comments:

  1. Wow! Very informative. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. is there a Germanic pagan tattoo jesus on a crucifix

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jesus on a crucifix is a decidedly Christian image so I can't really see how that could be Pagan. That said, I am aware of some Pagans including crucifixes on their shrines and the like so I guess anything goes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Many Pagan Religions used crosses. Just pagan crosses different then the christian. Christian "religion" stolen and changed many symbols and stories from pagans and the cross is just one of them. Pagans used Equal Armed cross and some used the inverted cross and other variations. (So the inverted cross the original and in fact the christian is the inverted one.) But the hippie jew on a crucifix is definetely not a pagan image.

    ReplyDelete