Bona na coroin

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This fabulous tattoo comes from reader William of InsanityChyld; he is number 28, yay! This tattoo was inked by Roger when he was at Ink Link Tattoos of Florida, USA. William had this to say about his tattoo:

Attached is my tattoo of the traditional Irish fox with broken collar and sword through the mouth. The words translate into "Neither collar nor crown" meaning you're not a slave, but you're not a king, you're free.

Thanks to William for sharing his art!

Wheat for Ambarvalia

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This wheat tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of my_new_wintercoat and was created by Rocky at Sideshow Tattoos in Boise, Idaho.

What is Ambarvalia, you ask? It is the ancient Roman festival in honor of Ceres, goddess of all things agricultural. On this day our ancient pagan forefathers and foremothers would ritually walk around fields asking for divine blessings for their crops.

Moon Phases Tattoo Link

If you've never visited ModBlog now is the time! They've got a great image of a woman with the phases of the moon tattooed on her arms. FYI it's not safe for work as the woman is topless. Anyway, go see it, it's a super cool idea for a tattoo!

The Doors of Moria

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The tattoo comes from moyerva34's Flickrstream and is listed under Creative Commons. The drawing? Unknown. (I couldn't find a free to use image of this!)

From The Lord of the Rings: A Journey in the Dark

The Moon now shone upon the grey face of the rock; but they could see nothing else for a while. Then slowly on the surface, where the wizard's hands had passed, faint lines appeared, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. At first they were no more than pale gossamer-threads, so fine that they only twinkled fitfully where the Moon caught them, but steadily they grew broader and clearer, until their design could be guessed.

At the top, as high as Gandalf could reach, was an arch of interlacing letters in an Elvish character. Below, though the threads were in places blurred or broken, the outline could be seen of an anvil and a hammer surmounted by a crown with seven stars. Beneath these again were two trees, each bearing crescent moons. More clearly than all else there shone forth in the middle of the door a single star with many rays.

Gandalf: "They are wrought in uhildin that mirrors only starlight and moonlight, and sleeps until is is touched by one who speaks words long forgotten in Middle-earth."

Purple Pagan Fairy

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This gorgeous fairy, inspired by the fantasy art of Amy Brown is from Rate My Ink and was created by Mike at Blue Horseshoe Tattoo of Hampton, Virginia.

I really like this tattoo. The work is well done and incorporates several different symbols and ideas without being cluttered. There's the triple goddess (maiden, mother, crone) moons hanging from her leg. The caduceus, which has taken on a medical meaning today, has a long, rich pagan history. It was first held by Iris, the messenger of Hera, the topmost goddess of the Greek pantheon. Later it was shone in the hand of Hermes, Greek messenger to all of the pantheon, psychopompos and protector of many people including shepherds, merchants as well as thieves. As Hermes was the rough equivalent of the Roman Mercury the caduceus also became astrologically linked with the planet of the same name. (It should be noted that the caduceus is not the same as the rod of Asclepius, another common medicine-related symbol, which has only one snake and no wings.) And the tattoos on her legs are the icing on the double chocolate pagan cake.

Updates and Tweaks

I've been making a few small, and some not so small, changes around the ol' pagan tattoo blog. Let's get the little things out of the way first. I've added a visible counter, centered the title and added a submission banner as opposed to the old wordy "submission details" section. I've also added a five star ratings system, courtesy of Outbrain, which should better help me figure out just what you folks like (especially since you don't say much).

This is usually the part where I talk about implementing a new template or background. I think I'll give that a miss this time. I like this template; it's clean, simple and doesn't outshine the tattoos themselves. I've also removed the followers section from the page. I liked it but, through direct and indirect comments, I learned that it was preventing some people from submitting their tattoos as they thought they had to join or sign up for something. So, it had to go. Also, NeoPagan Ink is now on MySpace!

I'm also considering a rethink on the few spotlighted tattoo artists. There are so many great artists out there it's hard to know who to choose. And as I'm usually looking for pagan-specific content I often feel a tug-of-war between great artists who have only done a couple pagan tattoos and the very few out-of-the-broom-closet pagan tattoo artists I manage to find. Sometimes I think I'll just scrap the whole thing but something always changes my mind. I think I might, maybe make the spotlighted artists section a rotating project. I dunno, I've still got to think about that. Stay tuned.

Now, for the bigger stuff. I'm making a change in the way I view my visitors. I had previously thought of all of my visitors as very well versed in all things mythology. However, tracking and statistics have shown me that this is not always the case. So, instead of only providing little snippets of myths here and there, I'm gonna make a concerted effort to include myths in nearly every post with the view that my readers might not be familiar with the stories behind the images. I know I've said something like this before but I'm looking at the situation a little differently now.

Instead of thinking of this blog as a tattoo blog with the occasional accompanying stories I'm thinking of it more as a mythology blog with illustrative tattoos. Or something like that; it's late and I'm fuzzy on the details. Don't get me wrong, this is still a tattoo blog first and foremost. But the mythological link is stronger than it was when I first started out last July. So, look forward to richer posts!

As always, I welcome, welcome, welcome comments of any and all kinds. However, if you don't feel like speaking up I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the new ratings system. I want this to be an informative and inspirational resource for pagan tattoo enthusiasts as well as non-pagans interested in pagan, pagan-esque or related images. Feedback, positive or negative, is essential in making this blog the best it can be. Again, I welcome your opinions and encourage you to comment or rate, thanks!

P.S. From now on I'm going to try to stick with images listed under Creative Commons so as to avoid copyright infringement. Commenter Lili brought this issue back to my attention, thanks Lili!

P.P.S. Another great suggestion from Lili prompts me to ask: how many RSS readers do I have out there? Just a quick "Me!" in the comments would be great. This isn't required of course but I do wonder how many there are as, I've just learned, counters don't count you folks.

Odin and the World Tree

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Here's another tattoo from Rate My Ink. Artist unknown.

This is Odin, the big boss of the Norse pantheon, hanging from Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Odin is one of those fascinating deities who rule over war and violence as well as poetry, prophecy and magic. By hanging from the tree Odin gained power over the nine worlds, gained the knowledge of the eighteen runes as well as nine magical songs.

Starry Wizard

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This wizard tattoo comes to us from Rate My Ink and was created by the good folks at Lucky Draw Tattoo out of Georgia, USA.

Cute Little Goddess

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This lovely tattoo is also ripped from Rate My Ink. Artist unknown.

A Rose for Rosalia

Here's a rose for Rosalia, the Roman festival of roses in honor of the goddess Flora. This tattoo is another from Rate My Ink and was created by Ben at Faith Tattoo in Santa Rosa, CA.

Amazing Bastet; Updated 4/6/10

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Another one ripped from Rate My Ink with no artist info provided. Gorgeous ain't it? Can't imagine how much it hurt on the ribs there but it looks like it was totally worth it.

Originally, Bastet was a strictly solar deity. After the Greeks arrived their influence, and their linking Bastest with Artemis, transformed her into a lunar deity. She was also only associated with desert cats or other wild big cats and only became linked with domestic cats much later.

Update: In the comments the owner of this glorious Bast, kittythestray, says that the this inked by Zam at Visionary Tattoo out of Ronkonkom, NY.  You can also see the original, now covered up, tattoos here.http://www.flickr.com/photos/21222006@N06/2938710833/in/photostream/.

Thanks to Kitty for the update!

Aphrodite Back Piece

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Another tattoo from Rate My Ink. No information listed regarding the artist though.

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, sexuality and sensuality. When Cronus castrated his father Uranus, the father of the gods, in a bid for power he threw what he had cut off into the sea. Aphrodite was born from the foam surrounding the mutilated genitals thus her receiving her name as "aphros" translates as "sea foam".

Dragon

Aces Tattoo & Body Piercing, Detroit, MI
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The dragon is a nearly universal figure with slightly varying versions occurring the world over. In Western cultures they are often revered but also usually considered evil or dangerous. In the west most dragons have wings that allow for flight while Eastern dragons have no wings but take flight by more magical means. Eastern dragons also tend to be more snakelike with longer bodies. Most dragons breathe fire but others can breathe or spit out gas or even ice. All incarnations of dragons are worthy of respect whether they are negative figures like Tiamat, the evil dragon goddess of the Babylonians or symbols of good luck as in many Eastern cultures.

Runestone

Bob at Yankee Shamrock Custom Tattoo's in California City, CA.
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The Nordic runes are an ancient written language used for communication as well as for divination. The runes are most closely associated with Odin, the all father of the Norse gods, who hung from the World Tree for nine days to learn the eighteen runes as well as nine powerful, magical songs.

Tiny Egyptian Goddess

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Here's another tattoo ripped from Rate My Ink by Aaron Laidig. (And please check out his reverse image tattoos; they're amazing!!) I'm not too sure which particular goddess this is. I don't think it's supposed to be Ma'at because she doesn't have her feather of truth on her head. So this could be Nut or Isis or one of the many unnamed deities that judge the dead in the underworld. Anyway, pretty nice.

Black/Gray Goddess

This very nice goddess comes from Rate My Ink and was inked at Tattoos by Wayne in Derry, N.H.

This goddess exemplifies the idea of the triple goddess, with the waxing crescent representing the growing maiden, the full moon representing the grown woman possibly full with child and the waning crescent linked with the diminishing but still powerful crone. The spiral in her belly is an age old symbol found all over the world throughout all of history representing the never ending continuity of life and the creative forces of the universe.

Fresh Green Man

Here's a sparkly new Green Man from Wyz Wmn. She is the 27th person to submit art to NeoPagan Ink! Yay!

Thanks so much for sharing your ink Wyz Wmn!

Original Om Design

Here's some neat stuff from Kerikiss; she's the 26th person to submit art to NeoPaganInk! Yay! The design is her own original art and the tattoo was inked by Phil Blast of A New Dimension Tattoo of Lake Worth, Florida. Very cool! I asked her about the significance of the letters and she said they are the initials of dear family members. She had this to say:

They were very dear to me, and the last four true Italians in my family. The Ohm represents the element of music in my life, and how big of a role it played in the creation of who I am.

Thanks Keri for sharing your tattoo!

Unfinished Lakshmi

This beautiful, though unfinished, Lakshmi comes from Rate My Ink. You can see a finished Lakshmi back piece, of a different style, here.

Lakshmi is a Hindu goddess of beauty and good luck. She is the mother of the young god of love Kami. Similar to Aphrodite of the Greek myth she arose from the ocean foam. As the wife of Vishnu she is his consort during his earthly incarnations.

Coyolxauhqui

Here's a nice tattoo from Rate My Ink. Not the brightest picture but still, pretty awesome, eh? By clicking on the image you will see the larger version and be able to take in the details. FYI, Coyolxauhqui is the Aztec moon and earth goddess. When her mother became pregnant, by stuffing a sky fallen ball of feathers in her chest, Coyolxauhqui and her brothers, outraged by the scandal, attempted to end her life. But before they could their brother Huitzilopochtli emerged fully grown and armed from his mother. He then killed all of his siblings and threw Coyolxauhqui's head high into the air in the hope that his mother might be comforted by her face in the heavens.

Added Goddess

This lovely tattoo comes from Cetta and was created by Sarah Fish of Gen X Tattoo out of Willoughby, Ohio. If you think something about this tattoo is familiar you are absolutely right. Back in July I posted the original tattoo and now Cetta has graciously given us the update. She's number 25!

Thank you Cetta!

The Punisher

Another artist submission by Geri of Pandora's Ink. She did this tattoo on herself folks, yep, her own hand. She's such a badass. She had this to say about it:

I just did this on myself today. I'm still all super giddy from it haha. I love love LOVE the Punisher, so I figured I'd add a girlie touch. I love it!

Very cool. Thanks Geri for sharing your new ink!

Mjollnir

Another tattoo ripped from Rate My Ink.

Mjollnir is the name for Thor's hammer which the Nordic god uses to crush his enemies. Every time Thor throws his hammer lightning flashes and then the hammer magically returns to his iron gloved hand. The enemies of the Norse gods, the frost giants, had suffered many losses to this Mjollnir and were thus justified in fearing Thor's hammer. Mjollnir has become a popular symbol, especially as a necklace charm, among Norse neopagans.

Witch Pin Up

The tattoo is from Rate My Ink and was created by Stephanie. The original pin up art is by pin up master Gil Elvgren.

I know the tattoo is incomplete but it's just so amazing I couldn't resist posting it. Be sure to click the images to compare the exquisite details.