Celtic Tattoos and Their Meaning

The Celts, inhabitants of Northern Britain which is called Caledonia, glorified the power of live and it’s creators in which the male and the female principles were both equal and in harmony. For the Celts, live itself was the driving power in the universe. The power that reveals the highest wisdom and everything divine in it’s varieties. Death just played a subordinated role. It was just a short interruption in the forever ongoing and always changing cycle of life.

Therefore typical celtic tattoos are devoured ornaments, complicated and twisted knots and spiral motives mostly done in black. Those symbols demanded a very high understanding of mathematics and geometry and were used by the irish monks in the early middle ages, from the 4th until about the 10th century after christ, for drawings in books and they were also found on monuments. Monuments made out of stone like the so called celtic crosses.

Faithful to the celtic believe the celtic cross symbolizes the unity of the opposite spheres. Up and down for heaven and earth and left and right for male and female. And the circle, the perfectly closed form and the divine symbol for the forever ongoing cycle, underlining this union.

Tribal Tattoos and Their Meaning

The tribal designs widely used and applied nowadays go back to the black, silhouette like and geometric tatau ornaments of the polynesians. It was also tribal tattoos the sailors brought home to Europe, from their first journeys to Tahiti, before the influences of the sailors with maritime designs, the today called traditional tattoos, replaced the native motives.

The release of Tattoo Time, a tattoo magazine founded in 1982 by the american innovator Don Ed Hardy and Leo Zulueta started an amazing tribal tattoo boom. The title of the first issue was “New Tribalism” and it features native tattoos from Samoa and Borneo. From there on the tattoo scene re-discovered tribal designs as a tattoo style. Not only that, the black and gently swinging style of tribal weakened the negative associations made with tattoos in the years before. Only after half a year the black designs were among the most popular motive choices and tribal is still one of the most popular tattoo styles today.

There are a lot of tattoo artists who refuse to tattoo simple tribal because of the widely spread believe a tribal is not very challenging for the artist. This is not true. Tribal patterns should always be applied correctly, along the musculature and single muscle parts of the body and should come across as a grown part of the body. The colouring should also be very even and this is not the easiest to do.

source: tattoojoy.com

Tongue Tattoos

From the bottom of the feet, to the palms of the hands. From the more private areas of the anatomy, to the inside of the lip. So, what part of the human body is left for the newest fashion statement? Why, the tongue, of course.

Although the process of getting a tongue tat is much the same as getting any tattoo, you should still consider that you will not be able to get a very intricate design done there. The working area is very limited and the surface of the tongue is not quite the same as the surface of your skin. Designs with bold, simplistic outlines, or no outline at all, will be your best choice.

Another thing to consider is not every tattoo artist is going to know exactly how to tattoo a tongue. The tongue is a big, slippery muscle and as such is prone to a lot of movement. This can make it difficult for the artist to get a grip on things, as it were. Artists who are versed in tongue tattooing will usually use the same type of forceps used to pierce the tongue as a method of holding it still.

According to many collectors who have had the procedure done, the pain factor isn’t as much of a worry as one would think. In fact, most of them consider it less painful than many of the outside areas of the body, and report a mild tingling, or numbness of the mouth during the tattooing. However, be aware that some do say it hurts like Hell and speech is very difficult immediately after.

Needless to say, proper oral hygiene is an absolute must after getting a tongue tattoo, even more so than a piercing. The effected area is much larger than a piercing and there will be a form of scab that initially covers the tattoo to consider. It is said to be very crusty and usually sloughs off after a couple of weeks. So the danger of infection and other disease considerations is very real. The tattoo will appear a bit lighter, and waxier than a skin version after the crust has fallen off, but will soon settle down to it’s normal appearance.

Many have actually used the tongue tattoo to enhance their piercing. In combination the effect is rather unique. It certainly can make the now common tongue piercing a bit more exotic and personal, depending on what your sick little mind can come up with. Some of the more popular designs have been stars, hearts, and tribal styles, but I’m sure that as the trend grows many more will be added when collectors begin to stretch their imaginations.

Do remember, though, that not all artists are skilled in this style of tattooing, and it’s not something you want to be a guinea pig for. Ask your prospective artist to see some photos of tongues he has done before you commit. You should also be aware that a few have reported some loss of taste, as heavy handedness here can permanently damage taste buds. I’m pretty sure no one wants their Big Mac to taste like the cardboard box it came in.