Throughout the rise and during the reign of the ancient Celts they established their culture and traditions through symbols. Having no written word they used instead symbols which they turned into a high form of artwork. Yet their symbols went deeper than that. Celtic warriors in particular were famous for displaying their history, their heritage, their beliefs and their personal qualities in battle through a form of body tattoo.

The highly complex and beautiful tattoos we see adorning modern Celts and others today are made up of spirals, knot work, geometric shapes, crosses and other Celtic artworks. Yet these designs have little in common with ancient tattoos. Tattoos in the ancient Celtic world were mostly restricted to warriors going to battle. Warriors chose their designs carefully and were very personal. Tribal tattoo art takes the form of animals and other symbolic designs. There were perhaps not many swirls, spirals and knot work involved. These designs which are so well known and loved today were derived from the Christian Celts, long after the time of Celtic warriors.

Did Celtic warriors tattoo or paint?

Ancient tribal tattoos are the domain of the Picts who were a group of tribes living in areas of Britain. After about the 11th century they became subsumed under a new term, “The Scots”.

Pictish history began being recorded as far back as the Dark Ages at a time when they were not as yet the dominant power in Northern Britain which was at that time controlled by the Gaels. The Picts were farmers who lived in small communities. Their source of wealth was derived from their livestock as well as crops such as wheat, barely, oats and rye.

However the Picts were a fierce and brave nation who loved to fight and they are in fact known for their piracy and raiding expeditions. They were also a religious nation who worshipped nature and other objects around them. They attributed many meanings and accolades to these things and believed that by bearing their images on their bodies during battle they would be able to take on their meaning as well as provide the protection they needed from their gods and goddesses.

Warriors would also have ensured that by their body decoration they would be ale to be identified during battle and in the event of death.

It is not clear whether the Picts actually cut themselves or whether they only painted themselves during battle. Whatever they did do is today known as tattoo. What is clear however is that Celtic warriors engaged their enemies painted bright blue-green and adorned with a host of symbolic images.

There is no definite answer to the question regarding whether they tattooed or painted, the name Britannia certainly points to the latter as it is derived from an ancient Celtic word meaning “land of the painted people”.

Yet it was written in 240BCE by a Greek historian in reference to Roman history. He says that the Picts drew figures on their skins after which they would press a hot iron onto themselves. Thereafter they would rub the sap of the Woad plant onto the burnt areas. There was no other mention made of Celtic tattooing until 200 years later when the Roman Emperor Honorius put down these words in a poem:

The legions guarding Britannia’s farthest reaches.
Reigning-in the barbaric Scots,
Saw on their bodies of the dying Picts
Crude images cut with iron.

A further 200 years was to pass before another mention was made regarding tattooing. The Spanish Bishop of Seville noted in his version of the Dark Ages that the Picts would prick their designs into their skin before rubbing sap onto them.

The Elite

Tattooing was perhaps at first kept for those who were elite as a way to distinguish themselves from the rest of their community and as a way to depict their social status, their religious beliefs and their passions. From the scant recordings passed down from Roman invasions mention is made of the fact that at times glimpses of body decoration were seen.

In fact Julius Caesar calls the color produced by the Woad plant as vitrum which roughly translates into the word glass. It is possible that he was referring to an iron based pigment as he would not have been aware of the existence of plant at the time.

About the Author:
Tim Lazaro is a Celtic Symbols enthusiast. Visit All About Celtic Symbols for tips on Celtic Tattoos and other tips you can use right now to gain a deep understanding of Celtic Design and Symbols.

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