

In fact, Iban Fadlan gave a descriptive account of the appearance of Vikings with bodily art around the 10th century, noting that they had tattoos that continued from their fingertips, up their arms to their necks. You can say that these resemble modern-day tattoos. In many representations of Viking history in books and television, they continuously show this tribe with distinctive permanent markings. Most of this history is lost in translation, and nowadays, you rely on inconclusive information. But, Nordic tribes lack written records because they believed history passed down from generation to generation through storytelling. Since Viking tattoos are only a considered fact, research proposes that these markings have significant meaning when present. If present, these markings symbolized various meanings that depend on various factors. Some historical sources state that Vikings were known for their prominent bodily markings. The evidence is inconclusive about whether Vikings had tattoos on their bodies or not due to the lack of concrete archeological preservation of Viking remains. You’ll find that the Viking tattoo meanings and designs tend to largely be the same for both male and female Vikings. In certain instances, females added face paint and henna hand drawings to enhance their aesthetic appeal, and Viking make up was also a thing at the time. Females explored intricate runic symbols and Norse mythological animals for body art ideas. This is why you find detailed female Viking tattoo designs.
Cool valknut tattoos tv#
This means that it’s considered accurate for TV shows and other forms of media to depict Viking female warriors with tattoos. It’s common to find sources that refer to Viking women with tattoos. Viking women lived a life similar to Viking men, so they had similar things done, such as body art. In fact, they date back to centuries prior to the Viking era. Over the years, tattoos have remained a big part of European and other heritages. These markings have significant meaning to different Viking tribes even though they weren’t recognizable to outsiders. These tattoos showed unfamiliar patterns, trees, and other historical symbols used for expression. In every tribal group, artists and craftsmen are present to play a crucial role in history.Īccording to some sources on what Vikings looked like from an Arabic scholar at the time, Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, visible ink markings on Vikings gave them their impressive appearance. It makes sense for them to have tattoos when you look at the historical accuracy of warriors from different tribes at the time. Nevertheless, various historical sources indicate that they had clear markings that are equivalent to modern day tattoo markings. However, archeological findings struggle to determine the presence of tattoos on Viking remains because most of what’s left is skeletal remains. The consensus is that Vikings were heavily tattooed. Is it disrespectful to get a Norse tattoo?.

How did Vikings give themselves tattoos?.


In particular, while Vikings did have tattoos, there are things to know and avoid. For instance, Vikings tattoos and their meanings are widely popular due to pop culture more than anything else – but are all those TV shows accurate? After all, there are a lot of things that are inconclusive about this Norse tribe, including when it comes to their body art. That is, even though most Viking tattoo designs are impressive, there’s a lot of historical information to learn. But did Vikings have tattoos in reality? And what were their meanings? Please read our disclosure for more information.ĭo you want to get a new tattoo? First things first, it’s natural to want to consider the kind of design that you want to get and you wouldn’t be the first to turn towards one of the Viking tattoos that are so popular at the moment. This article may contain affiliate links.
