The ancient Egyptians created a vast alphabet and vocabulary to interpret their world and the next, with some of the great wonders of the world bearing their scripture. Today many of those symbols have found their way into the world of tattoo art, from the more recognizable Ankh and Eye of Horus to seated gods, sacred animals, and magical instruments....
"Go big or go home" needn't apply in the tattoo world, and some of the most memorable designs are no bigger than the size of a quarter coin. The beauty of true tattoo talent is that it can convey the most expansive messages in the most subtle, and often restricted, of spaces. Many who work in professional environments, or likewise...
The face of the skull is hard to forget, as it is a reflection of our own mortality and ultimate demise. Adorning the catacombs of Paris and gazed upon by Hamlet, painted and worn with gleeful pride on the Day of The Dead and likewise lurking in our deepest and most disconcerting dreams, the skull is everywhere, standing out in...
The ancient Norsemen did not shy away from equally formidable women, but feared and revered them on the battlefield of both life and death. Among the mythological Norse superstars, nothing stands out so boldly as the valkyrie, whose names means "chooser of the slain." The Valkyrie is with the warrior throughout his life, accompanying him to war and, once fallen,...
Humans have long associated the naked skull with the inevitability of death: the gaping black eye sockets and twisted eternal grin strike both fear and fascination into most mortal hearts. But what if death really was smiling on all of us, reminding us to have a hell of a good time on the way to the grave? The top hat...
Many cultures the world over have carried the lucky rabbit's foot, and the origins of this practice are as fascinating as they are obscure. The early Celts believed that the rabbit in question must be killed a certain way by a person of unusual talents and attributes, while certain African hoodoo beliefs held that the rabbit foot in question was...
Fearsome and protective, wise and preeminent-- Fudo Myoo is an intense god who has had his image preserved in some of the most impressive traditional Japanese artworks. Consider this imposing and formidable subject for your next tattoo for an awe-inspiring visual. Fudo Myoo is considered to be the ultimate protector in the Shingon Japanese tradition, which is why he is...
A world-renowned physicist, the father of the theory of relativity, and a philosopher -- in layman's terms, Albert Einstein was an absolute badass. Consider paying your respects to this admirable man with an Albert Einstein tattoo. Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. He is, however,...
Ammonites are a natural wonder that connect us to the Earth of the past. Their simplicity and elegance are valued not just by the geologists who discovered them, but also by artists, mathematicians, and the average joe. Ammonites have all the key ingredients to make perfect, tribalesque body art. The name "ammonite" comes Pliny the Elder nearly two thousand years...
Fish, including the arowana, hold a sacred meaning in many cultures. This means that there are many stunning artworks to inspire your own body art. Arowana are not as well-known as koi and carp, but this is what makes them even more exciting. These fish are ancient, dating all the way back to the Late Cretaceous. The reason they have...
