Viking Tattoos are back and today we are going to cover more information on symbols, elements and imagery used in Norse tattoos.
My first Blog post on Norse tattoos became one of my absolute TOP posts and in that blog, I strictly focused on the use of Runes in Viking Style tattoos and covered a bit of Icelandic Magical Staves.
RELATED: Viking Rune Tattoos: All You Need Know Before Getting One. Norse Runes & Icelandic Staves in Tattoos
I also talked about the basics of getting a Runic tattoo and how to choose your tattoo artist for the best results. So, if you are interested in this topic (and I bet you are since you are reading this blog, post), I suggest you check it out after.
Also, by a popular request, I have included in my services Norse tattoo consultation where together we can review your design to make sure you don't make a mistake that can bring you harm or destruction.
Post Outline
Did the Vikings Have Tattoos?
Norse Tattoos Types & Their Meanings
Modern Interpretation of Viking Style Tattoos
Valknut - the True Symbol of the Viking Era.
Conclusion
No doubt that Vikings are one of the most interesting historical figures, especially nowadays. Viking TV shows, such as "Vikings" and "The Last Kingdom" have pushed a new wave of obsession with Norsemen and their lifestyle.
Many want to take it a step further and show off their ancestry and relation to the Vikings, while others simply share the fascination and decorate their bodies with tattoos of mighty warriors, Runes and Viking era elements.
Let's take a closer look at what these tattoos usually look like and what they mean.
First of all...
Did Vikings even have tattoos?
Unfortunately, there is no concrete information supported by archaeological discoveries that state that Vikings had tattoos. Of course, archaeologists can't excavate the body covered in tattoos, as skin decomposes quite fast, so we can only rely on chronicles, scriptures and sagas.
However, here we can look at history in general to make our assumptions.
First of all, in the chronicles written by Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an Arab Muslim traveller and adventurer describes meeting people of Scandinavian origin in the capital of Bulgaria during one of his adventures. And here is what he says: "Every person carried an axe, a sword and a knife at all times. Every person was covered in tattoos from the points on their fingers to the neck. The tattoos were dark green in colour and depicted trees, ornaments and figures." Who could've he met in Bulgaria? Only Swedish Vikings made it there, so at least we can deduce that the Vikings of that origin did indeed have tattoos.
But historically, there are records of people getting tattoos and we actually have proof of that. For example, in Siberia, a body of a Scythian leader was found in very good condition due to the practice of embalming and low temperatures. His arms, legs, chest and back were covered with tattoos of animals and ornaments. It is possible the traditions were adapted from Eskimos peoples, as this practice was not common amongst the Scythians. The grave with the leader is from 500 years BCE. This is almost 1000 years before the peak of the Viking Age.
How did Vikings get tattoos?
In the 7th century, Archbishop Isidore of Seville reported seeing some patterns on the bodies of the Picts (peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland) which seems to be describing the process of tattoo making: "The Pictish tribe got its name because of their bodies. They make injections with needles, where they rub the squeezed juice of a local plant. As a result, marks remain on the skin indicating the status of a person. The drawing is done on the limbs to show a noble origin. "
Norse Tattoo Types and Their Meanings
Viking Warrior Tattoos
Many requests to the tattoo artists are about Viking warrior tattoos. Tattoo artists that are knowledgeable in the area will be able to offer you an amazing sketch that would combine the different elements, such as Runes, Galdrastafir and Norse ornaments, as well as tell the story behind the sketch of a particular warrior.
While we don't have any photos or even good paintings of what the Viking warriors looked like, we have the elements of their era in the museums (such as weapons and armour), as well as amazing details in tales and sagas.
Viking Ship Tattoos
Viking ships are often incorporated into a tattoo with other elements, such as warriors, birds, Gods and magical staves (especially Vegvisir).
Ships represent the undoubted love for travel of the Norsemen and exploration of new lands. We can see these tattoos as part of a sleeve, on the back or even leg.
Bindrune Tattoos
Bindrune tattoos is one of my favourite subjects as I offer this service myself. And I know this is very controversial for some people, so let's expand this subject a little bit.
Bindrune Tattoo Meaning
Bindrune is sort of like a sigil, a spell comprised of several Runes that are all linked to each other. While the techniques vary a lot, the idea is the energies of the Runes work through each other targeting a specific topic in a person's life.
The most common Bindrune we see in tattoos is a protection one.
Many people strongly oppose Bindrunes in tattoos, as they say, a Bindrune needs to go through a cycle that has a clear end: you create it, you, activate it, it serves its purpose and you destroy it.
While it makes sense, I still don't think that there is anything wrong with such a tattoo if you pick your subject carefully with an understanding that this will be with you until you die (and the cycle will end).
So when you think of a theme for your Bindrune it needs to be something major and long-term. For example, if it is a business idea for a pancake café and you want it to be successful, then I would suggest creating an amulet instead. But if you have a chronic illness that tends to flare up and you want the help of the Runes to control it, then I think a Bindrune can really serve you a good purpose. You can select the Runes specifically for your health problem or area, as each Rune answers for a certain organ or system.
I personally don't like to select too many Runes for a Bindrune but it all depends on the person creating it.
With regards to the placement, and I know I talk about the reversals of the Runes a lot, it's not as critical as when you tattoo individual Runes. Just make sure you don't tattoo your Norse elements beside symbols of other religions because, well, what message are you sending to the Gods?
If you want a personal Bindrune, book a consultation with me!
Modern Interpretation of Viking Style Tattoos
In this section, I want to discuss the three most common symbols used in Viking and Norse Style tattoos: Web of Wyrd, Helm of Awe and Vegvisir.
But!
I want to start by highlighting this: these symbols were not created during the Viking Era. They are all modern creations. We do not have records of these symbols in tales or sagas. We have some descriptions and tales based on which these symbols were created.
However, these symbols were created by great and knowledgeable people and in my opinion, a symbol or stave doesn't have to be created by someone who lived a thousand years ago to be powerful.
Web of Wyrd Symbol Tattoo Meaning
Web of Wyrd is our destiny weaved by the Norns. Urd and Verdandi weave fate, while Skuld cuts the thread, ruthlessly ending our lives.
The three Norns are the deities that shape our fate. Urd (Old Norse Urðr, “fate”) she would read the scroll with your past, Verdandi (Old Norse Verðandi, “present” she would say what you are becoming and Skuld (Old Norse Skuld, “future”), she will keep your future and where your “duty” lies. They live in a hall by a Urðarbrunnr, “Well of Fate” beneath the Yggdrasil tree.
Some say that the Norns could only define the destiny of Gods, Giants, Dwarves and Humans but couldn’t actually alter it.
Still, in my opinion, if you want to tattoo Web of Wyrd you need to ask yourself what destiny means to you. Many people nowadays claim to be the masters of their destiny, solely responsible for what will happen based on their decisions and choices. When you place such a symbol on your body, you send an obvious signal to the Cosmos: my destiny was written for me.
Lastly, the pictorial representation of the Web of Wyrd is a modern creation and was only traced back to the 90s. It is based on Norse Mythology, but just like Vegvisir is a creation of our period.
This, however, does not erase the meaning and beauty of this symbol.
Helm of Awe/ Helm of Terror (Ægishjálmur) Tattoo Meaning
Helm of Awe is usually tattooed in a form of a Magical Stave but it was first mentioned as a physical object. It was mentioned in Volsunga Saga and Poetic Edda.
According to the legend, the first person to obtain this object or artefact was Viking Warrior Sigurd after the victory over the dragon Fafnir.
The Helm of Awe
I wore before the sons of men
In defense of my treasure;
Amongst all, I alone was strong,
I thought to myself,
For I found no power a match for my own
(Crawford, Jackson. The Poetic Edda. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 2015)
Now, let's take a deeper look at the symbol itself.
First, no artefacts are found with this stave carved or painted. As you can now understand, this symbol does not belong to the Viking Era. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as the symbol originated during the period of Christianization and can in theory have Pagan roots like many elements, holidays and twisted legends. Can we say for certain who was first? It seems those who were able to write long manuscripts have more rights to claim.
I am not a historian but the earliest image of this element I could find belongs to the Book on magic and divination including fragments of the “Testament of Solomon” (Ancient Greek, 15th century). You can find this symbol on page f.31r.
So it seems like the elements of this symbol are based on the Clavicula Salomonis (The Key
of Solomon), a grimoire dated back to the period of the Italian Renaissance.
The point here is that the symbol is not composed of Runes Algiz or any other Runes but is based on Jewish and/or Greek elements and sigils.
How did it even become connected to Norse Magic?
Well, like many other symbols it came from the Huld Manuscript written in 1847 which is a collection of Runic alphabets, symbols and staves. It was used as a part of magic rituals across Christendom.
Vegvísir, The "Viking" Compass Tattoo Meaning
Lastly, I am going to talk about Vegvisir tattoos and hopefully, it will be the last time I talk about this symbol. Vegvisir, the Viking Compass or "That Which Shows the Way" is an extremely popular stave in Viking-style tattoos.
I talked about Helm of Awe first on purpose because now it will be easier for you to follow. Vegvisir also first showed up in Huld Manuscript. It's important to understand that Galdrastafir are not divination cards and do not change their meaning based on a person's interpretation.
The meaning of Vegvisir is related to help during storms or bad weather, bringing a sea traveller to their destination ("even if the destination is unknown" as per the manuscript). This stave is not meant to be used to help you find your spiritual or career path, life purpose or pursuit.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's think together if this symbol really came from the Viking Era.
I personally don't think so. But I do think it has the same origin as the Helm of Awe because if you look at the manuscript with that symbol, you can see they look awfully similar.
Regardless, it is a beautiful symbol and frankly, its meaning has changed drastically. I don't find this to be a "stupid" tattoo at all but what you need to understand is that these staves have powerful magical purposes and unless you create your own ritual to breathe your own meaning in it, your Vegvisir tattoo will just be that: a beautiful symbol to help you not to get lost in waters.
Valknut - the True Symbol of the Viking Era
So are there no actual symbols from the Viking Age? Yes, there absolutely are but not many.
One of them is Valknut and it appears on quite a number of archaeological artefacts. One of them is the Stone of Tängelgårda found on the Sweden island. It depicts a procession, warriors on horses and people that follow. They carry something looking like large bracelets or rings.
Another piece is Stora Hammars stones and it depicts the process of sacrifice and death of the warrior.
Valknut, the Knot of the Dead or Hrungnir's heart is a mysterious treasure of the Pagan past.
There are a few variations of the knot and it can often be combined with Runes for a tattoo.
The most commonly agreed upon meaning of Valknut comes from the breakdown of the word, where "Valr" describes warriors that fell in a battle and "Knut" the knot. The symbol seems to be connected to the Norse God Odin.
Valknut unites the Worlds of Men, Gods and the Dead. It seems like some have used it to travel between those worlds in pursuit of hidden knowledge.
The meaning of this symbol is of course much deeper than that but in this article, I wanted to cover various elements of Norse tattoos without going too much into details.
Conclusion
Every subject that has deep historical roots will be filled with false information, misconceptions, myths and legends. If your goal is to use a symbol from a particular Era, you need to do deep research or consult a knowledgeable person.
All of the symbols we discussed are very interesting and still have important historical significance. It is up to you to decide the importance of precision with regard to the time period and meaning of your tattoo.
Don't hesitate to drop a comment and let me know if you want me to cover any other elements of Norse tattoos.