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Celtic Design Tattoos:
What are Celtic Design Tattoos…
And What Do They Mean?

"Discover the History and Symbolism behind Celtic Art
To Help You Choose a Celtic Design Tattoo That
You Like and that Means Something to You"

"Céad Míle Fáilte - A Hundred Thousand Welcomes" as we say in Ireland!

First of all, let's list the questions that you need answered on this topic regarding Celtic Design Tattoos:

Q.1. When did Celtic Design Tattoos first become popular in the tattooing industry?

Q.2. Who are the current artists in the tattooing industry that specialise in Celtic Tattoos?

Q.3. Why do Celtic Design Tattoos remain so popular in modern tattooing?

Q.4. What do we really know about the Celts - where did they begin & where were they from?

Q.5. What influence does old Celtic art have on the Celtic Design Tattoos that we see today?

Q.6. Are what we call Celtic art and design really synonymous with the Celts?

Q.7. What are some good resources to find out more about Celtic Design and their use in Celtic Tattoos?

 

 

Q.1. When did Celtic Design Tattoos first become popular in the tattooing industry?

A. The fact is that celtic design tattoos have always been a popular form, ever since the inception of the modern tattooing industry. Over the last 30 or 40 years the tattooing industry has developed considerably with new equipment, new pigments, new techniques which have all resulted in improved tattoo quality - these improvements have helped celtic tattoos more than most design styles, as celtic design tattoos are some of the most intricate designs that you can apply to skin (for example, the interlaced knotwork designs that we associate with celtic tattoos).

I would suggest that although celtic tattoos have always been popular they have become more popular over time due to the improvements in tattooing techniques. Of course, the improvement in techniques have developed a massive growth in tattooing in general with many more middle class or mainstream folk now opting to get inked - it's no longer an artform that's seen as a seedy backstreet venture but something that everyone can enjoy.

Over time, Celtic design tattoos have become more popular as more and more artists put their hand to this artform and now you can easily see that Celtic tattoos form a whole section of their own within the tattooing industry, and one of the largest sections at that.

Tattooing, of course, is not just a modern thing - it has its origins in ancient times. For example, the ancient Celts tattooed themselves with blue woad before going into battle. The Picts of Scotland and parts of Ireland got their name from the words Pictavi or Pictones, meaning "the tattooed men", or those who engraved figures on their bodies, as the Picts did.

Tattooing was also practised by Irish Goidels known as Scotti (believed to mean "the scarred and painted men"), and there were markings on the faces of Gaulish coins that could be interpreted as tattoo markings. Tattooing, painting, and scarifying the body are varieties of one general custom, and little stress can be laid on Pictish/Celtic tattooing as indicating a racial difference. Its purpose may have been ornamental, or possibly to impart an aspect of fierceness, or the figures may have been totem marks, as they are in other societies.

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Q.2. Who are the current artists in the tattooing industry that specialise in Celtic Design Tattoos?

A. Firstly, there's the ultimate knowledge base that is Courtney Davis - I've read some of his books on Celtic design and they give you a good grounding into the origins and symbolism of celtic design and, thus, celtic design tattoos. He also designs celtic tattoos himself as well as a variety of other celtic artwork. I definitely recommend you get his book called The Art of Celtia - it discusses the origins and symbolism of celtic design as well as providing some great examples of Celtic art.

If you've ever trawled the internet looking for information on Celtic Design tattoos then you will probably have come accross Californian tattooist Pat Fish, who has her own studio in Santa Barbara. Although I haven't spoken to her myself (not yet anyway) I've seen some of her designs on other people and I have to say that she does do some exceptionally good celtic tattoos and it's the area that she specialises in.

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Q.3. Why do Celtic Design Tattoos remain so popular in modern tattooing?

A. Well, as mentioned above in question one, they've always been a popular art form but they've become even more so over time with improved tattooing technology. But the biggest reason they've remained so popular is because of the large population of people all around the world who claim to be of Celtic origin.

The countries or places we associate most with Celtic culture are Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man. And there are many people who are descendants of Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Celtic peoples who live all over the world. In the USA alone, recent statistics indicate that over 40 million persons in the United States claim some Irish ancestry, and that 25% of this figure claim solely Irish ancestry. And it's also estimated that approximately 10% of the world's population claim some kind of Irish ancestry (although some of these you would have to say are very tenuous indeed - being Irish myself, I sometimes have to cringe at people who call themselves Irish even though they have no idea of their Irish roots). The point, though, is that there is a large Celtic population all over the world, especially in western societies where the tattooing industry is most developed.

However, it also needs to be said that the Celts themselves came from all over Europe, spreading from east to west - they were forced more and more west throughout history until they ended up mainly in the British & Emerald Isles.

Another reason for the popularity of Celtic tattoos are the many intricate designs and variety of designs and symbols you get to choose from with celtic design tattoos. You get to choose from many beautiful symbols like the triskele, triquetra, triskelion, as well as many modern interpretations of celtic spirals and knotwork, not to mention the many totem or zoomorphic style designs. And combining all these celtic styles and symbols gives you massive potential for designing brand new celtic design tattoos of your own like the ones available here at Celtic Tattoos Online.

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Q.4. What do we really know about the Celts - where did they begin & where were they from?

A. This question leads nicely on from the previous one which began discussing where the Celts originally came from. So who were they then? Well, the Celts occupied lands that spread from Ireland & Britain to Gallatia. The Celts encountered quite a few cultures that bordered their lands and some of these cultures kept records of their encounters with the Celts, and even though the Celts never kept any written records themselves, we can piece together a fair picture of them from archeological evidence as well as these historical accounts from other cultures.

The first historical recorded encounter of a people displaying the cultural traits associated with the Celts comes from northern Italy around 400 BC, when a previously unknown group of barbarians came down from the Alps and displaced the Etruscans from the fertile Po valley, a displacement that helped to push the Etruscans from history's limelight. The next encounter with the Celts came with the still young Roman Empire, directly to the south of the Po. The Romans in fact had sent three envoys to the beseiged Etruscans to study this new force.

The Roman envoys then preceded to break their good faith and helped the Etruscans in their fight; in fact, one of the envoys, Quintas Fabius killed one of the Celtic tribal leaders. The Celts then sent their own envoys to Rome in protest and demanded the Romans hand over all members of the Fabian family, to which all three of the original Roman envoys belonged, be given over to the Celts, a move completely in line with current Roman protocol. This, of course, presented problems for the Roman senate, since the Fabian family was quite powerful in Rome.

The Celts saw this as a mortal insult and a host marched south to Rome. The Celts tore through the countryside and several battalions of Roman soilders to lay seige to the Capital of the Roman Empire. Seven months of seige led to negotiations whereby the Celts promised to leave their seige for a tribute of one thousand pounds of gold, which the historian Pliny tells was very difficult for the entire city to muster. When the gold was being weighed, the Romans claimed the Celts were cheating with faulty weights. It was then that the Celts' leader, Brennus, threw his sword into the balance and uttered the words vae victis "woe to the Defeated". Rome never withstood another more humiliating defeat and the Celts made an initial step of magnificent proportions into history.

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Q.5. What influence does old Celtic art have on the Celtic Design Tattoos that we see today?

A. The simple answer is everything. Most of the Celtic Design tattoos that we see today call upon one or more of the artistic styles used by the ancient celts, whether it's celtic key patterns, spirals, interlace, knotwork, zoomorphic, or even people. The Celtic design tattoos that we see today usually use a mixture of these styles, the most popular form being interlaced knotwork - but quite often you will see animal or zoomorphic symbols within this knotwork as well.

Then there's the ancient Celtic manuscripts - or to be more precise the Christian Celtic manuscripts like the Book of Kells, the Book of Durrow, and the Lindisfarne gospels. The imagery and intricate designs and borders in these manuscripts have probably influenced the vast majority of the celtic design tattoos or celtic art in general that we see today. I doubt there are many ancient manuscripts that can compare to the three above, especially the Book of Kells. Every single page of this book is like a work of art and I highly recommend you visit Trinity College Dublin to see the original if you're ever in Ireland - the Book of Durrow is also held at Trinity College Dublin.

Although artists are always coming up with their own modern interpretations of Celtic designs they will always retain these ancient celtic styles, whether in their entirety or blended together with more modern designs or other cultural designs.

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Q.6. Are what we call Celtic art or design really synonymous with the Celts?

A. The art styles we associate with Celtic design can also be seen in other cultures - however, they're usually different versions of the same style. For example, other cultures from the east to Turkey and elsewhere have knotwork & spirals in their designs but their not quite the same as a Celtic knotwork.

Also, the Picts who inhabited Scotland before the Celts came had knotwork designs of their own as well. The Vikings too had similar designs to the Celts, one example being the Norse Tree of Life designs. The Maze & Step patterns you find in ancient Celtic designs, very common in the Hallstatt & La Tène periods, were used in many other cultures.

As the Celts originally came from possibly as far east as India right across Europe they took a lot of design styles from other cultures they came into contact with so there will always be a cross over of art & design to a certain extent with other cultures. But, nonetheless, each culture did have their own variations and had their own meanings (although sometimes the meanings behind designs can be universal too).

Vive la difference!

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Q.7. What are some good resources to find out more about Celtic Design and their use in Celtic Design Tattoos?

A. Resources or books I recommend are below:

THE LINDISFARNE GOSPEL, introduction by Janet Backhouse ISBN 0-7148-2461-5, Department of Manuscripts, British Library illuminated pages reproduced in color, paperbound The second most influential of the ancient manuscripts from the 9th century .Beautiful inspiration, not possible to trace patterns because they are so tiny, but colors are vivid.

THE BOOK OF KELLS : SELECTED PLATES IN FULL COLOR, Blanche Cirker, editor New York : Dover Publications, c1982. 32 p. : col. ill. ; 31 cm. ISBN: 0486243451 (pbk.) Review: An inspirational source, provides a reality check on the scale and intricacy of the original 9th century masterpiece. Much too miniscule in scale to be of use for tracing out patterns, but awe inspiring to study. Of particular use for coloring ideas.

THE BOOK OF KELLS, described by Sir Edward Sullivan Studio Editions Ltd, Facsimile reprint of 1920 edition, ISBN 1851700358 A guide to knowing what you are seeing in the intricate pages of the Book of Kells.

THE ART OF CELTIA, by Courtney Davis London : Blandford, 1993. 128 p. :ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. ISBN: 0713723092 Evocative use of traditional Celtic artforms in superb artwork. Discussions of symbolism and the historic signifigance of the designs. Very inspiring.

A HANDBOOK OF CELTIC ORNAMENT, by John G Merne Mercier, 1992. 103 p., 11 cm., ISBN 0853424039, (pbk). Presents a systemized method of construction for most forms of Celtic decoration. Examines the various motifs and expands on them, guiding the reader to develop their own variations. Highly reccomended resource.

AN INTRODUCTION TO IRISH HIGH CROSSES, by Hilary Richardson & John Scarry Mercier, 1990, 152 p. ; 28 cm., ISBN 0853429413 Very thorough photographic record of Irish high crosses with many examples of stone carving and guides to interpretation of the symbolism.

CELTIC CROSSES OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND, by Malcom Seaborne Shire, 1989. ISBN 0747800030 Good quality photographs of many major surviving high crosses, examples of Celtic designs in stonecarving.

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