Tattoo: Vikings, help me!

[Noomz]

I perfectly understand it.

I want to see waht peopel with Viking origins read on it

How in the world would me being Swedish qualify as a judge of your tattoo in the slightest? How does my heritage impact this AT ALL? I can't read old norse just because I might have ancestors a thousand years ago that could've been ones that spoke the language. Viking isn't the correct word either. Viking doesn't encompass the entire culture or the regions involved in that time period, it's just a word not ever used by the so-called vikings themselves.

Did you know that? If not, then you should sincerely reconsider having a tattoo of a dead language whos culture and history you don't understand.

[OmniSkribe]

I would just use some Nordic ornaments. Not only it looks great (at least better), there won't be a problem with having "chicken soup" written on your body.



Just imagine this as a sleeve tattoo.

[Deleted]

Praise Slaanesh!

Simply scandalous. Outrageously so.

How delicious.

[shise]

Well...as an Englishman with a long lineage of living in the Midlands, a prime location of the Danelaw when the the Vikings invaded England, pretty much means that I have a bit of Viking blood in me.

I can say with utmost certainty, that when I look at that there selection of runes, I read...

N Hourglass H P R I

Which when translated into a scottish accent means....

An Hourglass has been in your eye.

On the subject of tattoos in a different langauge...or shirts with other languages on them...I can say with utmost certainty, that half of 'that stuff you think looks cool' actually means 'Crapface' and other such insults, in the native language.

That's why people that speak that language laugh at you when they see it.

I am not the kind of person who will tattoo a "good looking language" because of that, regardess of it's meaning.

It is a group of variables which happen to converge wih this specific runes. There are more reasons related to personal stuff which I won't state, it is irrelevant.

Thanks for your help.

[Noomz]

That is what I hope each rune represents.

I thought you said you "perfectly understand it"?

[shise]

How in the world would me being Swedish qualify as a judge of your tattoo in the slightest? How does my heritage impact this AT ALL? I can't read old norse just because I might have ancestors a thousand years ago that could've been ones that spoke the language. Viking isn't the correct word either. Viking doesn't encompass the entire culture or the regions involved in that time period, it's just a word not ever used by the so-called vikings themselves.

Did you know that? If not, then you should sincerely reconsider having a tattoo of a dead language whos culture and history you don't understand.

Why did you even reply to this thread on the first place?

I'm sick of this toxic people on the internet. I like black humor and I can take trolls, but peopel who simply reply without anything to say at all, jsut for the sake of spending their boring time trying to attack others without a point... Grow up dude.

I perfectly know the Viking "culture". It also becomes irrelevant on this topic, completely. Callnig out ofr "vikings" is obviously not literal, for that sake I would also be expecting peopel with horns in their helms replying here right?... get real.

If you can not recognize the meaning of the runes, just silently go away. Some others might feel like helping out and those are pretty welcome.


For your information, each of those runes represent something, and I simply want to see what people who might be familiar with them can see. As simple as that.

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I thought you said you "perfectly understand it"?

Yes, as long as all the books I've checked are correct, which I guess since they are in libraries... But I want more than 110% about it.
I think that's natural when you are about to ink yourself too.

[Deleted]

I fear something like this is about to happen.

[shise]

I would just use some Nordic ornaments. Not only it looks great (at least better), there won't be a problem with having "chicken soup" written on your body.



Just imagine this as a sleeve tattoo.

Thanks for the idea, but that's a bit too much for me

I pretty much want something symbolic, small and minimal! But it looks pretty indeed!

[medvedev]

If one is so desperate to carve secret codes into their body why not show some Tolkien-esque creativity and create your own turbonerd runes or something? At least that way they'll mean exactly what you mean them to. As someone said, it really is the 2005 version of a barbed-wire tattoo.

[shise]

I fear something like this is about to happen.

Haha, I've seen some hillarious ones really... Those are fun.

Not gonna happen to me tho. That's why I will give it more research time! I jsut need to find the proper runes, but it looks like I'm quite close.

[Noomz]

Well, for that matter most of people shouldn't have their tattoos, because most of peopel I ask about their tattoos they don't even know what they mean, they simply like how they look.


I want to represent certain values or things with runes; This runes happen to belong to a culture I like too and a culture I always wanted to get close to ever since I was a child and I am slowly getting there. So it is definitely a good idea for me to do so.

Therefore not only it makes full sense for me, but I also happen to like how it looks.

As you said, I need to find some "expert". and that's why I am doing my research. I don't expect to find it here, but if you don't look for something you definitely won't find it

I agree, most people shouldn't have tattoos, because most people you ask about tattoo's are shallow and get them only for attention, rather than getting them for a deeper meaning or a representation of a purpose or emotion.

I can safely say you've got no clue about said culture, because it's a dead one. You can't live it, and any attempt at doing so is merely a romanticized one.
Been watching a lot of television shows and shit like that and started to think you like the romantic image of the norse warrior? Or do you actually have an invested interest in their history, having studied it deeply and kept to purely factual reality?

As others have said, the runes require context to have meaning.

[Deleted]

I am not the kind of person who will tattoo a "good looking language" because of that, regardess of it's meaning.

It is a group of variables which happen to converge wih this specific runes. There are more reasons related to personal stuff which I won't state, it is irrelevant.

Thanks for your help.

Honestly speaking now, seriously. I'm part of a Viking reenactment group who take things ridiculously seriously, even going OCD about the kind of weave your 100% wool leg wraps have to be before they let you anywhere near a live performance, and on the subject of runes, they basically said this.

Runes weren't strung together to make non existing words. Even when read as their 'values'

They were made up into words similar to how I'm typing with English now, then the word had the meaning. You'd find one or two runes by themselves on necklaces or carvings that then would have a meaning attached to them, but by having a bunch of runes together to form a word that most likely never existed would just have no meaning at all.

To think of it in a different respect, let me add meanings to the following letters.

D - Strength
S - Power
O - Wealth
W - Valor

No matter what combination you place these letters in it doesn't make a word, because that word doesn't exist, therefore it has no meaning. You can read the letters seperately, but it won't have the effect of just seeing the lone letter by itself.

Seeing the lone letter of D, people would immediately say 'Ahh, that means strength!' But when they see Dsow, they just think dafuq?

It doesn't have the effect you're intending and it's a very similar story with these runes. If you want to have a tattoo of runes, use existing words in Runic, as they have their attached meanings, or just make your name using runes.

[zealo]

I perfectly know the Viking "culture". It also becomes irrelevant on this topic, completely. Callnig out ofr "vikings" is obviously not literal, for that sake I would also be expecting peopel with horns in their helms replying here right?... get real.

Vikings didn't actually have horns on their helmets. That is a myth believed to have been coined by literature originating near the Mediterranean. In reality there have been no evidence found for that actually being true.

[shise]

If one is so desperate to carve secret codes into their body why not show some Tolkien-esque creativity and create your own turbonerd runes or something? At least that way they'll mean exactly what you mean them to. As someone said, it really is the 2005 version of a barbed-wire tattoo.

That is my plan B, I already have a design with them. But if I can use real runes I will go for it. My own design is not real, therefore it doens't represent anything at all, just aesthetics :/

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Vikings didn't actually have horns on their helmets. That is a myth believed to have been coined by literature originating near the Mediterranean. In reality there have been no evidence found for that actually being true.

Really, people... Do you take EVERYTHING literal in life ? :P

[Noomz]

Haha, I've seen some hillarious ones really... Those are fun.

Not gonna happen to me tho. That's why I will give it more research time! I jsut need to find the proper runes, but it looks like I'm quite close.

Why not have a motto written with runes instead of trying to single out individual runes for some meaning that they don't carry alone?
If you want imagery to represent thoughts and values, then why not go straight for getting an ACTUAL image to represent what you want?

[shise]

Honestly speaking now, seriously. I'm part of a Viking reenactment group who take things ridiculously seriously, even going OCD about the kind of weave your 100% wool leg wraps have to be before they let you anywhere near a live performance, and on the subject of runes, they basically said this.

Runes weren't strung together to make non existing words. Even when read as their 'values'

They were made up into words similar to how I'm typing with English now, then the word had the meaning. You'd find one or two runes by themselves on necklaces or carvings that then would have a meaning attached to them, but by having a bunch of runes together to form a word that most likely never existed would just have no meaning at all.

To think of it in a different respect, let me add meanings to the following letters.

D - Strength
S - Power
O - Wealth
W - Valor

No matter what combination you place these letters in it doesn't make a word, because that word doesn't exist, therefore it has no meaning. You can read the letters seperately, but it won't have the effect of just seeing the lone letter by itself.

Seeing the lone letter of D, people would immediately say 'Ahh, that means strength!' But when they see Dsow, they just think dafuq?

It doesn't have the effect you're intending and it's a very similar story with these runes. If you want to have a tattoo of runes, use existing words in Runic, as they have their attached meanings, or just make your name using runes.

EXACTLY, that is my point!

As I already said, I don't want to create a word with a meaning, I want to use different symbols which mean different things and not one when put all together!

They will obviously be put together becuase my arm isn't 5 meters long... But they will reming to their individual meaning.

Now, my point is to verify such meaning, because I don't want them to be random, I want specific meaning runes. Why this runes? because I freaking like them plus they are conected to a culture I like. But some people here have a hard time understanding that, I invite them to go waste their time somewhere else!

Thanks for your reply.

[Lethey Alexandros]

Well one thing to consider when getting any sort of Kanji, hieroglyphic, or rune text tattooed on your body is the mean of the runes. You may want them because they look cool but I would strongly advise against anything that you specifically do not know the meaning to.

Especially in the case of rune script, there are several known rune scripts some of which use the same rune for different meanings as well as some runes that have a double meaning depending on if they are flipped upside down or missing just one connecting mark.

as pointed out your original concept was ultimately gibberish in rune text, however if you are set on using Nordic runes then I would point you towards binding runes and other elemental runes.

They have a meaning, a purpose, and a similar design but they also help keep you from looking like you have no clue what you just permanently inked into your flesh.

[zealo]

Really, people... Do you take EVERYTHING literal in life ? :P

No I do not, but simply informing you on what is a modern myth when you are describing what you'd expect if literally asking for real vikings.

[FeedsOnDevTears]

Thanks, it still looks like a bunch of letters put together to look cool.

"aurochs day hail joy riding ice"

Looks like either way, you enjoy riding ice or riding near ice and you greet everyone during the day with the utmost joy.

1. Taurus - strength
2. Day - symbolises transformation from night to day.
3. hail ( as in ice falling from the sky ) - Stands for events that can be unforeseen and bothersome yet needed. Indicates change.
4. Happiness - Will to live, happiness etc.
5. journey/ride - its indicating order and structure as well.
6. ice - symbolises stagnation, something not moving.

That is what they mean individually. Ancient runestones often also have illustrations providing context, meaning can change drastically but that its the basic meaning.

I think these guys have it right. Do you know which set of runes you're using?

[Bakis]

Meh I was hoping for a Minnesota Vikings tattoo!