Celtic Cross Tattoos

Celtic Cross tattoos are often chosen because of their deep religious and historical symbolism. Celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams have a small Celtic cross tattoo inked on their bodies, but not all of who have this tattoo design chose it to represent their faith. Irish, Scottish, or Welsh bearers of this tattoo design would have a Celtic Cross to symbolize their ethnic heritage and perhaps nothing else. The same thing is true for Celts and natives of Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia and the Isle of Mann. Scandinavians may also be attracted to the Celtic Cross because Norse art has bearings of heavy Celtic influence through trade and territory conquests. The intricacy of the Celtic cross tattoo design is believed to mirror and imitate the complexity of nature. It is also uses Celtic knots in spirals and mazes, which have no beginning and no end and reflective of the seasons and of life.

The cross as a Christian symbol began in the 4th century, and was also just about the time when the missionaries were preaching the Gospel to Celts, a sun and moon worshipping people in what is now known as the Britain Isles. The legend of St. Patrick insinuates how the two - the cross and Celtic art - merged in his attempt to bring the Druids to Christianity. Illustrated as a sacred stone marked with a circle, Patrick blessed the object by making the mark of a Latin cross through the circle. It is believed to be the first known Celtic Cross. The Celtic Cross is well accounted for in the Book of Kells and other manuscript illustrations - many of them religious texts - and etched as stone crosses with the trademark intertwined lines and zoomorphic figures of Celtic art, many of which can still be found in good condition all over Britain, particularly in Scotland.

Celtic Cross tattoos are also known as "tribal" tattoo designs. Basically, these designs were taken from the Celts who were tribal people in second century B.C. who roamed Eastern Europe. These designs are timeless and graceful, which is why it's not so hard to understand why most people love this unique and artistic design. Although Celtic designs in tattoos are preferred by both genders, the Celtic butterfly tattoo is one that most females go for. It is small and feminine and can be placed in one's ankle or shoulder. For a more distinct design, it could also be placed at the lower back with Celtic swirls adorning it.

Another famous celtic Cross tattoos is the Celtic trinity knot. Popularized by the TV show Charmed, this design has been made popular through the influence of the media and in turn, is considered to be quite popular with females, next to the butterfly tattoo. For males, the Celtic cross and other abstract designs are appealing and thus have become popular skin art in the recent years. Especially the Celtic cross, its distinctiveness is something that most males like. Legend even has it that this cross was designed by St. Patrick himself when he was trying to convert pagan Irish people. Since the druids worshipped the sun, he designed the cross with a circle.