Celtic Tattoos – Still Popular and Going Strong
The design of Celtic tattoos is an amalgamation of various cultures that have evolved over several years. Each culture has had an influence on the other and that is the reason some of the designs that are over thousand years old are still popular and going strong.
History reveals that the Celts always preferred visual imagery to communicate and their intrinsic love for nature gets reflected in the very complex patterns of their tattoos that depicts animals in a very interesting maze of knots. Christian priests used this to great advantage in their attempt to convert Celts into Christianity by decorating their Bible texts with such designs in an attempt to find favor with the Celts. The fact that this ploy worked is a testimony to the popularity of those designs. They also seem to have been influenced by Irish and Welsh civilization.
Inter-weaved lines and spirals along with other geometric shapes form the basis of Celtic tattoos. Depiction of different kinds of knots crosses and shields either individually or as part of a larger design that depicts a flying horse or a griffin along with some gothic elements is yet another way of showing power and hierarchy. A popular Celtic tattoo is the portrayal of a dragon and through it projecting personal power by using the classic Celtic shield knot. This design is a typical representation of how the force of nature has been combined with human power and energy.
These tattoo designs are amongst the toughest to complete with each session taking many hours of back breaking endeavor. Besides skill and patience, you also require money power to get tattoos applied by original Celtic descendants as you may have to travel to Scotland or Wales. Even then, you may get turned down on grounds of not belonging to Celtic ancestry or lineage.
It is usually the biceps and the calf area where these tattoos are drawn. In addition to display value, these tattoos help divert attention of people towards those areas and are preferred by athletes, weightlifters and body builders. Women on the other hand prefer drawing them around the sensual areas of their body like the waist, upper arms and near the navel and the designs often serve to accentuate these curves to make them appear sexier. It is thus a wonderful way to draw attention without compromising on the basic Celtic pattern. Some tattoo enthusiasts go a step further and have them either on the forehead or across the area of the neck.
Celtic tattoos remain by far the most popular to this day. It is the combination of ethnicity and intricacy that have been the hallmark of these tattoos and is going to help it remain at the top for many more years to come.
=== Article published by Free Tattoo Flash ===