Popular tattoo choices
Celts two times covered a giant area of Europe & had their own languages & culture, not to mention religion. The symbols they used in those days are incorporated in to the highly popular Celtic tattoos used today.
Tattoos are as popular today as they were in ancient times, but for different reasons. They wear them as decoration the ancients wore tattoos as permanent war paint. Their tattoos were designed with two thing in mind & that was to instil as much fear in their enemies as they possibly could. Wars were fought hand to hand & in battle warriors bared their chests in order to make sure that their tattoos were highly visible to the enemy. Tattoos indicated toughness & fearlessness when faced with danger. Tattoos were also designed as a method of identification, much like soldiers today wear 'dog tags'.
The Celts worshipped gods & goddesses, animals & the land, & as they were exposed increasingly to Christianity, their symbols & shapes started to modify in to crosses & stars. Two of the reasons for this adaptation was to keep away from conflict with Christian beliefs. But, these adapted elements are what remains & what is most seen in traditional tattoos.
Celtic Knot Patterns
Although lots of traditional Celtic designs are copied in tattoos, perhaps two of the most recognizable & coveted tattoo is the knot. Knots resemble interwoven vines & are arranged to form a particular shape, for example a heart, but their shape can be anything a person can think of, from circles to the more complex star shape.
Animals were important to the Celts, animals such as butterflies, canines & geese. Butterflies were held in high esteem by the Celts because of their beauty. Canines symbolize loyalty & nice luck while eagles are linked with death, so are ravens & other birds. Horses were sacred to the Celts & a tattoo depicting a horse is linked to mystery & magic. Power can be symbolized by a Celtic art tattoo of a bear while the dragon is associated with both power & magic. Sometimes an animal will be the main focus in a tattoo while others may form on a part of the background.
A Celtic knot also carries with it the symbolism recognizable by someone who has even a slight knowledge of Celtic art which is that it represents continuous life as well as the season's cycles & the complexity of nature.
The number two, 3, has always featured highly in Celtic designs & is typically found somewhere in the design, sometimes even hidden deeply within it. It can be small or giant.
Cross
The Celtic cross is without doubt perhaps the most recognisable of all Celtic designs & is a popular tattoo subject. They are highly religious in their nature & often Celts will wear the design as a proclamation of their ethnic roots.
The Celtic tree of life is self-explanatory, it follows the same style as the knot & the cross but it is composed of interweaving lines which form branches around a tree trunk. It represents the beginning & finish of life & also the eternal nature of the world they live in.
Claddagh
A Claddagh, though perhaps not as widely known is popular & is perhaps more recognizable to those of Celtic & Irish heritage. Consisting of one hands clasping a heart covered by a crown. When represented graphically in the form of a tattoo, it stands for everlasting love & loyalty.
The beauty of body art
Celtic designs are beautiful when incorporated in to a tattoo & there's a host of different choices suited to both male & female. every tattoo studio will offer a wide variety of Celtic tattoo designs.
Celtic art in the form of tattoos is often seen as bands around the arms or on the wrist. More recently Celtic designs are being tattooed on the lower back. Celtic art is usually always done with black ink & the lines can be a combination of thick & thick. Celtic tattoo designs have their origin dating back several thousand years & their aesthetic value has grown ever more popular since then as they are beautiful abstract works of art.
Celts two times covered a giant area of Europe & had their own languages & culture, not to mention religion. The symbols they used in those days are incorporated in to the highly popular Celtic tattoos used today.
Tattoos are as popular today as they were in ancient times, but for different reasons. They wear them as decoration the ancients wore tattoos as permanent war paint. Their tattoos were designed with two thing in mind & that was to instil as much fear in their enemies as they possibly could. Wars were fought hand to hand & in battle warriors bared their chests in order to make sure that their tattoos were highly visible to the enemy. Tattoos indicated toughness & fearlessness when faced with danger. Tattoos were also designed as a method of identification, much like soldiers today wear 'dog tags'.
The Celts worshipped gods & goddesses, animals & the land, & as they were exposed increasingly to Christianity, their symbols & shapes started to modify in to crosses & stars. Two of the reasons for this adaptation was to keep away from conflict with Christian beliefs. But, these adapted elements are what remains & what is most seen in traditional tattoos.
Celtic Knot Patterns
Although lots of traditional Celtic designs are copied in tattoos, perhaps two of the most recognizable & coveted tattoo is the knot. Knots resemble interwoven vines & are arranged to form a particular shape, for example a heart, but their shape can be anything a person can think of, from circles to the more complex star shape.
Animals were important to the Celts, animals such as butterflies, canines & geese. Butterflies were held in high esteem by the Celts because of their beauty. Canines symbolize loyalty & nice luck while eagles are linked with death, so are ravens & other birds. Horses were sacred to the Celts & a tattoo depicting a horse is linked to mystery & magic. Power can be symbolized by a Celtic art tattoo of a bear while the dragon is associated with both power & magic. Sometimes an animal will be the main focus in a tattoo while others may form on a part of the background.
A Celtic knot also carries with it the symbolism recognizable by someone who has even a slight knowledge of Celtic art which is that it represents continuous life as well as the season's cycles & the complexity of nature.
The number two, 3, has always featured highly in Celtic designs & is typically found somewhere in the design, sometimes even hidden deeply within it. It can be small or giant.
Cross
The Celtic cross is without doubt perhaps the most recognisable of all Celtic designs & is a popular tattoo subject. They are highly religious in their nature & often Celts will wear the design as a proclamation of their ethnic roots.
The Celtic tree of life is self-explanatory, it follows the same style as the knot & the cross but it is composed of interweaving lines which form branches around a tree trunk. It represents the beginning & finish of life & also the eternal nature of the world they live in.
Claddagh
A Claddagh, though perhaps not as widely known is popular & is perhaps more recognizable to those of Celtic & Irish heritage. Consisting of one hands clasping a heart covered by a crown. When represented graphically in the form of a tattoo, it stands for everlasting love & loyalty.
The beauty of body art
Celtic designs are beautiful when incorporated in to a tattoo & there's a host of different choices suited to both male & female. every tattoo studio will offer a wide variety of Celtic tattoo designs.
Celtic art in the form of tattoos is often seen as bands around the arms or on the wrist. More recently Celtic designs are being tattooed on the lower back. Celtic art is usually always done with black ink & the lines can be a combination of thick & thick. Celtic tattoo designs have their origin dating back several thousand years & their aesthetic value has grown ever more popular since then as they are beautiful abstract works of art.
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