Pagan Tattoo Ideas Featuring Norse and Celtic Imagery

Pagan tattoo ideas cut a wide swath across belief systems different from the most popular worldwide (and organized) religions.

Animal and nature worship, the sun and moon, theories of the zodiac, and religions such as Wicca are all Popular pagan themes.

Tattoos may also incorporate ancient duality symbolism such as the Triple Goddess and Horned God, along with totems such as pentacles, moon symbols, and runes.

While Pagan tattoo themes can be linked to practices such as satanism, witchcraft, and the occult, they also incorporate theming and ideas from before the establishment of mainstream religion.

The following 27 best pagan tattoo ideas showcase the wide-ranging options available to provide inspiration for your next tattoo.

1. Tattoo Ideas for the Hand and Fingers

Close-up of a hand with "hope" and symbols tattooed on the fingers, a skull on the hand — Source: @chynnarosetattoos via Instagram

Hand adorned with a colorful frog tattoo on the back, against a psychedelic background — Source: @missletotattoo via Instagram

Tattoos of small Pagan black symbols on fingers — Source: @sugarplanett via Instagram

Tattooed hand featuring a demonic woman's face with horns and sharp teeth — Source: @victoryorvalhallaaa via Instagram

2. Horned God Tattoo Ideas

Horned God Pagan Tattoo — Source: @chalicetattooco via Instagram

Black and gray tattoo of a winged goat with a pentagram on its forehead — Source: @estherrmaetattoo via Instagram

Colorful tattoo of a goat head with horns in a melting circular background on a shoulder — Source: @bailie_waters_tattoos via Instagram

3. Pentacle Tattoo Ideas

A tattoo of a pentagram inside a circle on a forearm — Source: @beatroce_tat2 via Instagram

Tattoo of a ram skull with ornate horns on an arm — Source: @glazz.ink_.tattoo via Instagram

Tattoo of a six-pointed star with a crescent moon and floral designs on an upper arm — Source: @elisa_thirteen via Instagram

Tattoo of a ram's skull with a pentagram on the forehead, located on an arm — Source: @when.the_.shit_.hits_.the_.fan_ via Instagram

4. Pagan Symbolic Tattoo Designs

Tattoo of intricate geometric design with intersecting lines and curved ends on arm — Source: @abel_pujol_art via Instagram

Geometric tattoo with symbols and crescent moons on a back — Source: @macrocosmicastronaut via Instagram

A triskelion tattoo on the back of an ankle — Source: @mizicko_ via Instagram

Tattoo of space-themed symbols on an upper arm — Source: @grzechkusto via Instagram

5. Triple Goddess Tattoo Art

Forearm tattoo featuring an eye, moon phases, and a sun with rays — Source: @carla_tatsncats via Instagram

Tattoo of lunar phases with geometric designs on a forearm — Source: @jessicaturnertattoo via Instagram

Hand with moon phase and stars tattoo on the wrist; pentagram tattoo on the finger — Source: @lxx__ink via Instagram

Forearm tattoo with crescent moons, starburst, and dots design — Source: @mohanbhata via Instagram

Tattoo of three moon phases on lower back, featuring splashes of black and red ink — Source: @ta_terka_ via Instagram

6. Occult Style Tattoo Ideas

Leg tattoo of a Wicca Pagan woman with long hair and horns — Source: @lipsis.tattoo via Instagram

Forearm tattoo with a winged creature, spear-like tail, and surrounding specks — Source: @phoenixpictures.art via Instagram

Tattoo of a horned woman surrounded by flowers, leaves, and a butterfly on the thigh — Source: @aminkfin via Instagram

Tattoo of a demonic face with horns and long hair

Source: @lherberougetattoo via Instagram

7. Wiccan Tattoo Art

Colorful crystal tattoo with leaves and a red ribbon, alongside another tattoo — Source: @kathrynelizondotattoo via Instagram

Tattoo of a broomstick with moons, stars, and sparkles on an arm — Source: @lepus_tattoos via Instagram

Upper arm tattoo of a hand holding crystals, with flowers and a sun in the background — Source: @carla_raffael_tattoos via Instagram

What does a Horned God tattoo symbolize?

In traditional Wicca, The Horned God represents duality: light and dark, night and day, summer and winter, and the idea of good and evil.

This symbol of man’s dual nature makes the Horned God a great symbolic tattoo choice for those with a connection to Pagan religion, and/or the occult.

Other pagan themes linked to duality mix symbols of life and health such as flowers, with more ‘negative’ imagery of ram skulls, serpents, and pentagrams.

Why is the moon a popular pagan tattoo symbol?

A moon tattoo idea is most often linked to motherhood, femininity, and fertility as a predominantly female symbolic tattoo contrasting the masculine sun.

Sailors, hunters, and seekers have been guided by the light of a new, crescent, or full moon, while the sea and women’s fertility cycles alike move with the waxing and waning moon phases.

A moon design can also emphasize the cyclical, the passage of time, or be utilized in geometric designs.

What does a triple Goddess tattoo mean?

The triple goddess is a feminine Wiccan symbol representing three phases of the moon aligned with the three phases that women go through in their lifespan.

Each life phase is represented by a Greek goddess:

The Maiden is linked to Persephone, the goddess of purity and new beginnings.
The Mother is linked with Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, bringing life and giving.
The Crone is representative of the goddess Hecate, symbolizing wisdom, fulfillment, and power.

Parallels can be drawn between the triple goddess and pop culture going as far back (or further) as William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to modern appearances in video games and interpretations of modern Wiccan theology.

What do pentacle and pentagram tattoos symbolize?

The pentagram is a profoundly arcane piece of tattoo art that links the star symbol to occult power (in both the positive and negative), yet carries vast scholarly interest from more secular tattoo culture as well.

The pentagram is a geometrically perfect shape featuring a five-pointed star, when encased within a circle it is called a pentacle.

In Wiccan tradition, a downward-facing pentagram signifies the second degree of learning, yet also carries the connotation of evil brought forward from the Spanish Inquisition in the satanic pentacle.

What are the most popular pagan tattoo ideas?

Popular pagan tattoo themes include:

The two-horned God
The Triple Goddess symbol
The Moon
Wiccan spells (often cast as crystals and flowers)
Occult symbols (such as runes, demons, and the macabre)
Pentagrams
Celtic and Norse symbolism

It must be noted that while there is a perceived association with devilry, witchcraft, and the occult, this makes up just a small component of pagan religions (and tattoo imagery).