Celtic Art: Tattoos

Celtic Art: Tattoos

                    Celtic tattoos were a likely sight among Celtic warriors.Much like the Picts (In Latin: Picti meaning "painted ones"), who tattooed their warriors as a form of intimidation against their enemies; the Celts likely adopted the same war tactic of that time.

               Battle among the Celts was considered as a very high honor. The Celts often went to battle bare-chested or even naked. They believe it reinforced a stance of intimidation against their foes. Additionally, Celtic warriors would fashion their hair with bright dies from pastes made from flowers, and typically manipulate their hair in a tall spikey fashion around the head (think Celtic punk rock).

          The Woad plant was used to perform the tattooing, as it is a hardy biennial plant native to northern Europe and the British Isles. Woad is the source of a blue dye chemical, indigotin, that is also produced by the much more potent indigo plant.

              To make Celtic tattoos, the leaves of the Woad plant are harvested and dried, then the  dried leaves are then boiled and strained, and boiled again creating a sticky end product. This Woad paste is then detailed into the skin with needle like implements to force the indigo stain under the skin layers, creating a fixed design.

Celtic Tattoos - History and Meaning. 2013. Celtic Tattoos - History and Meaning. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/celtic-tattoos.html. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

Maui Celtic - Celtic Art, Celtic Art History, Celtic Tattoo History, Maui Celtic Art resource on Maui, Hawaii. 2013. Maui Celtic - Celtic Art, Celtic Art History, Celtic Tattoo History, Maui Celtic Art resource on Maui, Hawaii. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mauiceltic.com/celtic-art.htm. [Accessed 20 May 2013].