The history of Viking tattoos
What is a Viking tattoo and where do I get one?
Maybe you have found out you have Scandinavian DNA in your ancestry or you have developed a genuine interest in the Viking Age. We at VikInk can only support that! But we want to guide you in the right direction.
Here we will list the history behind Viking tattoos and some common misconceptions to guide you in the right direction.
Did the Vikings have tattoos?
The short answer is, we don’t know. The idea that Vikings had tattoos is heavily debated and it is definitely closer to ‘we’re not sure’ than it is to ‘they likely had tattoos’. There is one historical account though, that possibly points to tattoos.
Below we read the relevant excerpt about tattoos. This is found in the Mashhad Manuscript, MS 5229. The translation of the encounter of the Rus by Fadlan reads:
“I saw the Rusiyyah when they came to their trading station and settled by the Itil River. I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy; they wear neither tunics nor caftans, but a garment which covers one side of the body and leaves a hand free. Each of them carries an axe, a sword, and a knife, and they never part with these weapons. Their swords are Frankish in design, broad-bladed and ridged. From the tips of their toes to their necks, each man is tattooed in dark green, with designs of trees and figures and the like.” (James E. Montgomery, 2000)
"رأيت الروس حين قدموا في تجارتهم، فنزلوا على نهر آتل. فلم أرَ أجسم منهم كأنهم النخل، شُقر حُمر. لا يلبسون القراطق ولا الخفّاف، ولكن يلبس أحدهم كساءً يُلقيه على أحد شقَّي بدنه، ويخرج إحدى يديهمنه. ومع كل واحد منهم فأس وسيف وسكين، لا يفارقها طرفه. وسيوفهم فَرنْجِيّة، مشطّبة، ذات سيوَر. كل واحد منهم موشوم من أطراف أظفاره إلى عنقه، رُقُوم، صور، وغير ذلك..."
Because the word tattoo is a relatively modern word in the western tongue, we need to take into account that this could be a mistranslation or misinterpretation as a whole. The source material points to words like ‘dyed’ or ‘decorated' (on the skin) and scholars interpreted this as tattooing.
So, that’s it...
That is all the evidence we have from the Viking Age. Is it conclusive? Not by a long shot. Until we find a frozen on well preserved bog find from the Viking Age, we will likely not know what Ibn Fadlan referred to. The archaeological record also does not provided conclusive evidence of tattooing, however fine needles and pigments do point to possible tattooing equipment.
What about all the Viking tattoos I see online?
Now that we listed what we DO know about Viking tattoos, it is time to look at the many misconceptions and fantasy that you find around the internet. When you enter anything Viking tattoo related on google or other search engines, you will be served with many designs that are not remotely close to the symbols and drawings we find on Viking Age objects. Here we will list some popular search results.
Vegvisir
The Vegvisir is sometimes presented as being a Viking Age symbol, a compass. This Icelandic symbol is found in the 19th century Huld manuscript. There is no evidence this symbol goes back as far as the Viking Age, despite it’s pagan look and the strong tradition of magical staves in Iceland.
The Aegishjalmur
Much like the Vegvisir, the Aegishjalmulr or “Helm of Awe’ also comes from a book called the Galdrabók from the 17th century. This magical stave is often presented as a Viking symbol in the same breath as the previously mentioned Vegvisir.
