Saturday, July 19, 2014

Great Celtic Tattoos With Traditional Designs

For people of Celtic heritage (Irish, Scots or Welsh), getting a Celtic design is often a way of expressing pride in ones heritage.  Celtic tattooing is a reaffirming of affinity to the indigenous artistic style of our ancestors.

One of the most intriguing tattoos is the Celtic tattoo designs. While the history of Celtic tattoo can be traced back to thousand years, these patterns originated from the people of Irish, Scots or Welsh descent who take pride in the designs that involve the knots. Often these designs were used to take pride in their heritage and exhibit the creative talents of their ancestors.


Ancient Celts passed knowledge down orally by telling stories. They did not keep many written records. Because of this, there is little evidence of their Celtic tattooing remaining, even though cross tattoos are very popular Celtic tattoo design.
The reference of Celtic designs can be found in The Book of Kells. While there are various tattoo designs available, what makes Celtic tattoo designs such a hot favorite is the fact that they are more mysterious in nature. Inspired by the Celtic knots that were woven in an interlacing Celtic Tattoo1 Celtic Tattoopattern to create various shapes, it gives the wearer an oomph.


Modern Celtic people have evolved symbol meanings for themselves (e.g. Awen symbol, Irish Claddagh or a Celtic motherhood symbol).  The North American people who of Celtic origin wear these symbols as Celtic tattoos to show that they are of Celtic descent.  Others may wear them to show their support for our culture, or just because they like them.


Breaking the boundaries of the specific cult or sect of people who used to show Celtic tattoos to show their ancestral origin, these designs are now popular across the globe for their intriguing and enticing designs. While you can still consider Celtic tattoo designs to be tribal arts, these are more sophisticated and represent the inner self of the wearer. As these tattoos actually look like a loop interlaced in such a fashion that there appears to be no beginning or end, they symbolize the never-ending cycle of rebirth and death.

Celtic art is one of the fastest growing art forms ever.  It has been inspired by great designs from ancient Celtic manuscripts like The Book of Kells.  Heritage tattoos offer a body design that can be enjoyed and treasured for life.
The shamrock is another common design to represent Ireland.  A shamrock is a type of clover that has three heart-shaped lobes.  Oftentimes, people confuse the shamrock, a symbol of Ireland, with the four-leafed clover, a symbol of luck.  The four-leafed clover is not associated with Irish culture.  Irish folklore suggests that true shamrocks, generally agreed to be a variety of white clover, can only be grown in Irish soil.  St. Patrick, a notable Irish saint, once used the shamrock to illustrate the idea of the trinity to druids and pagans.  In the 17th century, the shamrock became a symbol of rebellion against control of the British, and wearing a shamrock was grounds for execution.  Today, the shamrock is an unofficial symbol of Ireland (the harp is the official symbol), just like the thistle is associated with Scotland and the rose represents England.  Shamrock tattoos are obvious designs to display Irish pride.

Though there is a variant of Celtic tattoo designs which usually leave a lose end to emphasize an un-pure knot work. The Zoomorphic tattoo designs use the animal figures to create a simpler knot work that has the heads, legs, tails, body and even the feet. You can find the lose ends not connecting back to the original head in the spiral designs. There is also the maze designs that are created with parallel lines.

There are various types of Celtic tattoos that are pretty popular. These include the Celtic Cross tattoos, Celtic Animal tattoos, Celtic floral tattoos and Celtic Pattern tattoos. While you can get any of these type of Celtic tattoo designs done on your body, you must think about the significance of the image that you chose for you tattoo. And it would always help to do some research about the various symbols and their meanings in the Celtic tradition before you get the tattoo done. The most popular among the Celtic designs are however the religious symbols which are adorned by those who want to exhibit their devotion to the almighty. the next most important design from this specific variety is the pentacle is added into the knot tattoo. It represents the air, water, earth, fire and the spirit.