Tattoos in the style of the Norse

Introduction

Baldur from God of War

Odds are that when you picture a really bad ass viking person, they’re covered in runic and knotwork tattoos. This image has become ingrained in our heads as clearly as it was thought a couple of decades back that they had horned helmets. You can find tattooed vikings in almost every form of media, from video games to movies and tv shows. It’s an intrinsic part of how we view this culture, and how many people try and create a connection to the culture modernly. This means that they have become quite common on people trying to appear tough. They’re starting to become the new barbed wire tattoo. This is just my opinion, mind you, and I say this as a person with a Valknut tattoo and a few more planned.


My opinion on tattoos, regardless of inspiration or stye, is that they should mean something to the
wearer. I have never been a fan of picking something off the wall. That isn't to say that I don't understand the idea of just wanting to have a cool design on your body, just that it isn't my way of doing things.

In this article I am going to talk about two somewhat separate topics within the broader umbrella of tattoos: what do we know about tattoos historically? And what are some good sources for inspiration for Norse tattoos?

What we know, what we don't know, and what we don't know we don't know

Tattoo from Ukok Princess

Tattoos are drawn onto skin, not a medium designed to stand the test of time. When we have proof of tattoos in any culture it comes from two sources: being lucky that a body was preserved in such a way that the skin remained intact such as bog mummies or Otzi the Iceman, or secondary sources like writings and art. In both cases it is difficult to determine the reason for the tattoos, and sometimes even the image itself is lost to time. However, there are exceptions: the Ukok Princess and other bodies found in the same area all have their tattoos amazingly well preserved. They show us examples of the art used by those cultures, and placement of tattoos. I find it interesting that throughout all the intervening years, we still put tattoos more or less in the same places. Certain things don't change, even after 2500 years.

Now with the idea that proof of tattoos is difficult to find, what proof do we have that the ancient Norse used them? Hard proof: none, I have not managed to find a single reference to a Nordic Viking-age body with tattoos. While discouraging, it isn't the end of the search. We have to then move onto other source: artistic depictions and writings. In both these sources, it is difficult to know if the images on the body were tattoos or body paint. We know there is some evidence that the Norse used body paint, check out my blog post about that (https://ulfhedinnjourney.blogspot.com/2014/04/warpaint.html). This makes it quite a sticky wicket. The main source of writings about the Nordic peoples having tattoos is our old friend Ahmad Ibn Fadlan; his writings in regards to the interactions he had with the people of the North are a great source because so few written accounts exist. Ahmad had this to say about the Northmen when he met them:

Each man has an axe, a sword, and a knife and keeps each by him at all times. The swords are broad and grooved, of Frankish sort. Every man is tattooed from fingernails to neck with dark green (or green or blue-black) trees, figures, etc.

It could be warpaint, it could be tattoos. The Viking Answer Lady made a good point that what he was describing as trees could simply have been art in the Nordic style, the lines and knots are often difficult to identify. This is the best secondary source we have. I am willing to use this as evidence that it happened in the cultures that I study.

Skarby Runestone

Next, I’d like to look at cultures that the Norse had contact with that also had tattoos, which would allow us to have a pretty solid idea that they were exposed to it even if not directly. We have direct evidence of Celts with tattoos; so much so, that Britannia comes from the Latin for Land of the Painted People, and the Picts were the Painted People. We also have evidence of Bronze Age tattoo needles throughout Europe including Byzantium, where we know the Norsemen spent a lot of time. Essentially, it’s very unlikely that the people of the Viking Age didn’t have exposure on many fronts to this process.

As an interesting aside, traditional tattooing methods remained more or less unchanged for millenia. It wasn't until the tattoo machine came about that the process was revolutionized. Even still in many places with long standing traditions, tattoos are done the old way: with patience and needles.

Designs

Now that we have determined the feasibility of tattoos for the Norse, let's discuss what we all want, which is getting tattoos modernly that show off the culture we are trying to emulate. I have said it many times on this blog when looking for designs for anything: the best source for Norse art styles are the Runestones. There are hundreds of them: look at them for inspiration, take them to the shop
you are getting your tattoo done, work with your artist to see what they can do.

Dwarf Ancestor Face

Another option that is very popular are bindrunes, both ancient ones and new ones that people create for themselves. I imagine that these would have been popular since the runes contain magic, and a bindrune is almost a prayer or ward for a certain affect. It is up to you how you combine runes to get the look and meaning that you want. I may do a future blog post on constructing bindrunes.

The next idea is one that is at least partially fantasy inspired even though it did exist in Norse art: ancestor faces. Similar to the Sutton Hoo mask or any of the idols we have seen of the gods, these ancestor faces can be images of the gods themselves or ancestors whose guidance you would find particularly helpful. You can find inspiration for the art style, and create your own with the help of an artist. In addition to ancestors, you can also use the tattoo to bring you closer to animal spirits that you want to get closer to.

Sutton Hoo Helmet

The last thing I am going to get into as far as design work is a touchy subject: religious symbols. These are things like the Valknut, Thor’s Hammer, Tyr's Rune, etc. These are likely good examples of things that the Norse would have gotten tattooed on themselves, but in many cases modernly they have been taken over by white supremacist groups. I am not saying don't get them, I have a Valknut tattoo. I am saying be prepared to clear up any misunderstandings that might happen. For inspiration in these designs, I again suggest looking at runestones and extant pendants. There are lots of good silver examples.

Conclusion

That about covers everything I have for tattoos. As always, these things are just my opinions based on what I have read and studied. If you want a tattoo off the wall, go for it! Your body is a temple, decorate it however you like! If you have any questions or comments please let me know down below! Also if you have any suggestions for future topics I could use them!

Sources

Smithisonian- Tattoos History- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattoos-144038580/
Siberian Times- Siberian Princess Reveals her 2500 year old tatoos- https://siberiantimes.com/culture/others/features/siberian-princess-reveals-her-2500-year-old-tattoos/
Viking Answer Lady- Tattoos-http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/viktatoo.shtml
Hurstwic- Health and Medicine- http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/health_and_medicine.htm