Nile River Goddess

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This tattoo image comes from the Flickrstream of Thomas Hawk and is licensed under Creative Commons.

The goddess on Jessica's forehead is commonly known as the Nile River Goddess. The original figurine dates from about 4000 BCE which makes this goddess older than the Pharaohs. It is thought that her arms are raised in prayer to the star Sirius as the annual flood, which brought life, prosperity and power to Egypt, occurred for thousands of years on the day Sirius appeared in the heavens.

Lovely Lily

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This gorgeous lily tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Cellardoore and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo seems particularly fitting for this time of year because, around here, the Surprise Lilies are blooming. Everywhere I go I see beautiful bunches of delicate pink blooms; they are a very welcome sign of summertime.

Pegasus

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This gorgeous Pegasus comes from the Flickrstream of UKDaveW and is licensed by Creative Commons.

The Pegasus is most closely associated with Medusa, dark goddess of Greek mythology. She was once a beautiful maiden who was, through no fault of her own, transformed into a hideous Gorgon, with snakes growing from her head, whose gaze turned her victims to stone. When the hero Perseus used his shield to reflect her killing stare back at her she was herself turned to stone. Pegasus, the magical winged horse, sprang from her pregnant body.

As you can probably tell, Medusa is one of my favorite mythological figures. To see a gorgeous Medusa tattoo visit this post from March.

Dragon Back Piece

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This groovy dragon tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Mcwont and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This is another Eastern type of dragon as it has no wings but still magically flies through the air. Notice the Earth clutched in one hand and the Yin Yang in the other. Yin Yang is a concept of Chinese philosophy that states that apparently opposing forces, qualities, characteristics, etc., are connected and give rise to each other and are both contained within all things. They seem to work against each other but cannot exist without the other. This philosophy carries over a lot into neopaganism-especially the idea that a male deity alone is a nonsensical idea thus giving rise to goddess worship alongside a male god.

Pazyryk Ice Maiden Ink

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The tattoo image comes from the Flickrstream of JJ and Special K and is licensed by Creative Commons.

The original tattoo comes from the body of the so-called Ice Maiden, a woman from the 5th century BCE buried in the Pazyryk region of what is now Siberian Russia. Hers is a unique burial as she is a lone woman buried with great honor and grave goods; her headress alone takes up a third of her coffin which was made of the sacred larch tree. She was also adorned with gold and wore a silk blouse, a rare and highly prized fabric for the time. As she was obviously wealthy and also buried with horses and many other goods it has been suggested that she may have been a priestess. Whatever the case, her tattoos feature real and mythical animals, some of which are twisted into strange shapes. The animal above looks to be a deer whose antlers end in flowers. What this meant to the ancient Siberians isn't clear but it seems apparent that they felt a reverence for nature that was important enough to be expressed permanently on skin.

You can see my previous and more detailed post about the Pazyryk tattoos here.

Earth Tree

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This gorgeous tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Reeding and is licensed by Creative Commons.

I'm just lovin' this tattoo. So beautiful and unlike any I've seen before. I find it interesting that the top of the tree, the branches and leaves, is very compact and uniform while the roots are much wilder and asymmetrical. Very cool.

Update: Tattoo owner Dan chimed in with the artist link: www.heathrave.com.

Cernunnos

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Mateoutah and is licensed by Creative Commons.

The original image comes from the famous Gundestrup cauldron dating from approximately the 1st century BCE. It was found in 1891 in a peat bog in Denmark and features what is probably the most popular image of Cernunnus, the Celtic god of fertility and the wild.

You can find more Cernunnos tattoos that have been featured on NeoPagan Ink here and here.

Compass and Sun

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These images come to us from Scarlet who was kind enough to share two of her tattoos. Here's what Scarlet had to say about the top tattoo:

If I remember, it was called "Black Horse Tattoo" in Ironwood, MI and the guy (the owner, I believe) was incredible... unfortunately, I couldn't get back up there to get my new one...

The tiny mark is a compass/medicine-wheel located above and behind my right hip. It was my reward for putting myself through a series of coming-of-age and dedication rituals to mark my passage onto my new path and took me three years to get the courage to do. It was the perfect way to mark my journey and meant so much to me, even though it is very small. I like to say that it's so I always have a compass with me and so I can never get lost! lol! Wherever I go, there I am!

The second tattoo of the sun was inked by the fine folks at Body Ritual of Milwaukee. Here's what Scarlet had to say about it:

The Sun is the closest I have yet come to finding a "patron"... while many witches feel called by the moon, I've always been fascinated by the sun, the power it holds, the gifts it brings us and how our Earth interacts with it. The four major rays with four additional minor rays, echos the pattern of my earlier tattoo and its same symbolism (directions, elements, seasons of the year, the crossroads, etc), but now the mid-directions and the wheel of the year play a part. I searched for some time to find an appropriate image for the center, considering yin-yang, a pentacle or even a tree of life, but realised if I had to pick a "matron" that it would be the element of water, embodied most powerfully in my life by my spiritual and physical closeness to the Great Lake Michigan. I chose a rolling wave of Her holy waters to honor Her role in my spiritual life in partnership with the all-powerful Sun. I got this tattoo to honor those entities and the knowledge that they will forever impact my life. This one, also, being longer then the first, taught me the value of meditating during application and how discomfort can be a valuable magickal tool...

Thanks so much to Scarlet for sharing her tattoos and the hands down best tattoo explanations ever offered up to NeoPagan Ink!

Taniwha

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of claytonjayscott.com and is licensed by Creative Commons.

This tattoo features a Maori being called a Taniwha. They are associated with specific locales and are protectors of their local tribes. They live in deep water, either in rivers, caves or in the ocean. They are particularly closely associated with any deep body of water than can be dangerous. While they can be violent toward those that would hurt their tribe they are benevolent toward those they guard often warning them of impending danger. To learn more about these fascinating beings, visit Wikipedia.

P.S. Be sure to check out the comments to read what the owner has to say about the significance of this tattoo.

Hecate and Fae Ink

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These very cool tattoos come from Aelwyn and were created by artist Robin Farnham.

Aelwyn had this to say about her ink:

The first is a Wheel of Hekate. This is on my left inner wrist. Hekate is my Matron, and I honour Her with Her own shrine daily.

The second is the Elven (or Faery) Star on my inner right wrist. I work with the Fae (and Otherkin of other sorts), and felt this was a nice balance to the Wheel.

Thanks so much to Aelwyn for sharing her tattoos! She's the first submitter since the first birthday of NeoPagan Ink!

Happy Birthday NeoPagan Ink!

I started this blog 1 year ago as of July 20!

A few posts have been like this one: blog updates/questions/summaries as well as a handful or so of historical posts with accompanying images. The much greater majority, however, have been tattoo photos with about 30 people submitting their art, sometimes in multiples, but well over 200 being found by yours truly in my many hours of internet surfing.

Roughly 60% of all my visitors are from the United States, with the United Kingdom and Canada surprisingly making up only about 6% each. Germany, Ireland and Saudi Arabia (!) stay pretty much within the 2 or 3% range. Mexico, Norway, Australia, the Netherlands, Thailand, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, Poland and Italy all stay within the 1 to 2% range. Another two dozen or so countries each send me two or three visitors a quarter with European countries factoring more heavily than others. All told, NeoPagan Ink has had about 43,000 hits since I started counting, which I didn't do for the first few months.

What bothers me about that nice round figure is that the majority of my visitors are first time visitors who only stay for a few minutes and then never return. But, as I keep telling my ego, that's to be expected with a blog populated mostly by pictures and nothing else. It also stands to reason that folks visiting a tattoo blog are usually only looking for tattoo ideas for themselves and are not necessarily interested in looking at other tattoos once they find what they're looking for. But it still irks me that so many visitors to NeoPagan Ink stay no longer than five minutes. Which leads me to the changes I've made in content and vision...

I've read before that it takes a good 6 months to a year for a blogger to really find their voice as far as the format, style and content of their blog is concerned. And, in the case of this blog, it's been absolutely true. Up until just a couple months ago I was ripping tattoo images from wherever I found them and only occasionally providing some context for said images. That's all past now as I've become a strictly Creative Commons girl who tries to provide at least some background information about nearly every image. This change reflects the greater shift in my view of this blog from a journal of tattoo photos to an illustrated myth, magic and folklore blog with tattoos serving as the visual interpretation. There are several reasons for this.

One reason is the aforementioned disparity in my visitors who visit once for just a few minutes as opposed to my much smaller group of returning readers. By including more of the background information about the tattoos I hope to give all of my readers a reason to spend some time learning about the important history of deities, symbols, etc., and perhaps keep them coming back for more. The larger reason for this change is that I'm a writer at heart with a long love affair with mythology and folklore who wants to spread some magic through the blogosphere. To that end I've recently begun slowly going back and revisiting older posts and adding more myth and folklore to them. I'm also in the process up updating my labels as I've created categories since I began that I didn't take into account when I started. Basically, I'm revisiting every single post to perhaps add some mythological information and update the labels if necessary. It's kind of a pain and is an ass-backwards way of doing things but it will go a long way toward making my blog more cohesive.

I've also tinkered a lot with the look of NeoPagan Ink over the last year going from all black with skulls and crossbones to this much simpler, cleaner and more universally appealing template. I think I'll probably stick with this template for a good long time, perhaps permanently. I also added a post by post rating system some time ago which I've since removed as so very, very few people ever used it. I try to average about 20 posts per month which I think is reasonable considering that I now include at least a paragraph or two of text with each post and only use free to use images.

So, there you have it. A year of tattoo images and a slowly growing collection of mythological references and many links to tattoo photo sources, tattoo artist sites and galleries as well more than a few links to tattoo shops. I've said it before and I think I'll keep saying it until I can't say it anymore: this blog is a resource for all interested in tattoos of a pagan or mythological bent. I'd like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to all of my loyal returning readers and commenters. There's not many of you, especially compared to the one-timers, but all of your visits and comments are GREATLY appreciated. I hope to continue providing this service for many years to come.

So, that's the year one summary. There's been a lot of changes but this blog has finally grown up and is really starting to flourish. Here's to the future!

Colorful Eastern Dragon

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This colorful dragon image comes from the Flickrstream of tattoo artist Shannon Archuleta, who works out of San Francisco, California, and is licensed by Creative Commons.

The dragon, whether Eastern or Western style, is one of the most popular of all tattoo images and for good reason. They typically represent fire, air and, above all, strength. The dragon above is one of the Eastern style which usually have no wings but still fly through the air by magical means. We can also tell this is an Eastern dragon because of its long, lithe, sinewy body that curves and bends much like a snake. In the Asian traditions dragons are benevolent creatures often serving as good luck symbols and much used in art throughout history. This is in direct contrast to the European type of dragon which is usually a beast of evil, destruction and fear. In China the dragon is also associated with the weather and is a bringer of rain.

The Dragonfly

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This nifty dragonfly tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Fabi Dorighello and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo was created by the fine folks at Dark Side Tattoo out of Sao Paulo. (At least I think that's where they're located; I don't understand Spanish so I could be wrong. UPDATE: In the comments section Clare has informed me that the language in question is Portuguese, not Spanish, and the shop is indeed in Sao Paulo. You'll have to forgive me folks, I'm a moron when it comes to geography and languages. Thanks Clare!)

The dragonfly has, in recent years, become a very popular critter to be found on everything from wind chimes, flower pots, clothing and yes, even skin. The dragonfly is a creature of the air as well as the water as they're larvae, called nymphs, are aquatic critters usually found around wetlands, streams and lakes. The dragonfly has plenty of rich folklore surrounding it, mostly expressed through its many names. A fascinating sampling of these names can be found at Crystalinks:

Some of these are Teufelsnadel ("Devil's needle"), Wasserhexe ("Water witch"), Hollenross ("Goddess' horse"), Teufelspferd ("Devil's horse") and Schlangentöter ("Snake killer"). Also the name Snake Doctor has been used in Germany. In England the name Devil's darning needle and Horse stinger have been used. In Denmark the dragonfly have got such different names as Fandens ridehest ("Devil's riding horse") and Guldsmed ("Goldsmith"). Different names of dragonflies referring to them as the devils tools have also occurred in many other European cultures, some examples are the Spanish Caballito del Diablo ("Devil's horse") and the French l'aiguille du diable ("Devil's needle").

As far as specific mythic figures are concerned the dragonfly is historically identified with Daldal, a hero of the Takelma who were American Indians of Oregon, mostly living along the Rogue River. Daldal does great deeds and slays monsters that would threaten his people.

Aside from all of that, the dragonfly can represent change and adaptability. Similar to the butterfly they transform from one flightless state of being to magnificent creatures of the air. And dragonflies, moving forward, backward and side to side in quick succession are masters of the air and a source of inspiration for those of us seeking to roll with the changes of our lives.

Kukulcan

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This gorgeous tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Carolina Velis and is licensed by Creative Commons.

This tattoo was inked by artist Michelle Tarantelli of NY Adorned.

This tattoo features the Mayan god Kukulcan who reigns supreme over the Mayan pantheon. He is master of all the four elements and is also a deity of resurrection and reincarnation. His name translates as "the feathered serpent" and the tattoo above features just that.

Valknut and Runes

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This stunning tattoo comes to us from the Flickrstream of rv3 || cls and is licensed by Creative Commons.

This tattoo was inked by artist Tim Kern out of Last Rites in New York City.


The use of the Valknut symbol goes back at least as far as Viking Age that spanned the eight and eleventh centuries. Unfortunately its historical meaning is unclear and even its original names is lost to us. The term "Valknut" is a modern name roughly translated as "the knot of the dead" or "the knot of the slain". The symbol has been rightfully claimed by modern Norse and Astru pagans with quite a few different meanings attached to it usually focusing on death but with others as well. There are even some who dispute which symbols are true Valknuts and which are not, depending on their historical age. The image on the left is from the Stora Hammar Stone which is a Viking Age standing stone in Sweden. It includes a scene of a ritual sacrifice with the Valknut appearing over the altar.

Serene Buddha

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This very nice Buddha comes from the Flickrstream of Sebastian6 and is licensed by Creative Commons.

This tattoo was created by Thomas Pendleton of the new A&E show Tattoo Highway. And while the photo quality isn't that great I decided to feature it here anyway because not only is the tattoo very well done but because of the perfectly captured sense of peace. If anyone ever needed a reason to try and practice meditation this tattoo looks like a very good one.

Gautauma Siddhartha is thought to be an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu and, by urging his followers to give up worldly possessions and pleasures, founded the religion of Buddhism. He taught that by destroying and hopefully removing the ego one could achieve Nirvana which is the highest level of bliss and the ultimate goal of the earthly study and practice of Buddhism.

Anubis Ink

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This very cool tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of ThisParticularGreg and is licensed by Creative Commons.

This tattoo features Anubis the jackal-headed Egyptian god of embalming and all things mummification. Being as he is so closely connected to death he is often linked with Osiris, ruler of the Underworld. This is largely because he was the original lord of the dead, a role later transposed to Osiris leaving Anubis in a slightly lesser role. Anubis is one of the oldest of all the Egyptian gods. We know this because many mastabas, ancient Egyptian tombs that predated pyramids by many, many years, feature his names (and there are many) carved into their stone walls. He is so old that his parentage is largely uncertain and varies greatly depending on the date of source material. He is not only in charge of mummification but he is also the protector of the dead who presents righteous souls to Osiris. Note the Ankh in his hand. When held by the loop, which originally represented the womb, this symbol of eternal life is meant to represent the key to the gates of death that would lead to immortality.

Lady Liberty Pinup

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Bitchcakesny and is licensed under Creative Commons.

The Statue of Liberty, on which this pinup is obviously based, is itself based on ancient images of the Roman goddess Libertas and the god Apollo. Libertas is a goddess of freedom from slavery, tyranny and oppression. From Wikipedia:

This symbol of Liberty and Freedom is not standing still or at attention in the harbor, it is moving forward, as her left foot tramples broken shackles at her feet, in symbolism of the United States' wish to be free from oppression and tyranny.

The seven rays on her head are said to represent either the seven continents or the seven seas. However, her entire head is very heavily inspired by images of the god Apollo who also often had seven rays of the sun coming from his head and who is closely linked to the sun as well as reason and learning. The torch represents enlightenment.

Happy Fourth of July to my fellow American neopagans!

Cancer Symbol

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This simple but effective tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Jessica N. Diamond and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Just a simple Cancer symbol to welcome us all into July. Those born under the sign of Cancer, a powerfully watery sign, tend to be emotional, sensitive, compassionate and extremely intuitive people, sometimes even harboring genuine psychic abilities. We are a wishy washy lot who sometimes suffer from indecision and an exaggerated tendency to daydream. Because we tend to feel more deeply than some forgiveness does not come easy for us. But because we are such caring people many of us have a strong desire and natural ability to nurture making us great doctors, nurses, healers, vets or other caregivers. Happy birthday to all of my fellow Cancers. I'm 5 today! (32=3+2=5)