A while ago, we had a. photoshoot at a reconstructed longhouse from the viking age, located on Sjælland, Danmark.

All tattoos you see are handmade and have a spiritual connection to the bearer.

The pictures are taken by a good friend of mine, publishing among others as @thursarn on Instagram

Mjølner

Warrior

Rune inscription loosely translates to:

 Your existence is due to the victories and worries of those before you

Fresh works

The tree of life,another personal  interpretation with the cosmic couple as trunk

The Hammer of Thor, crusher of giants and the ultimate weapon of the gods. When Thor dies, his sons inherit the hammer and its powers in the new world.

Here the client is of wiccan background and an artist herself, so this is just my tattoo, but her very own design, representing spirit animals and was done in a ceremonial context.

The bear- also for the native europeans a centrally important animal, that was hunted and worshipped before Christianity stroke with great respect and awe.

Here we see fresh interpretations of two styles from the viking age: The Borre-style (around 900 A.D.) and the Urnes-style (after 1000 A.D.)

Ormkvinna

Designs are directly transcribed from a picture stone in Gotland, Sweden 7th century and shows the so called Ormkvinna (snake woman)

Iduna- goddess of eternal youth

Iduna takes care for the golden apples, that give the gods eternal life in nordic mythology.

Yggdrasil Tattoo

The tree...

Your personal tree of life doesn´t have to be an ash, it can be any tree you favour...

Rose

Another hybrid piece: lines are machine made, dots by hand, it contains classic slavic and nordic elements and contemporary sacred geometry

The deer

The deer, an everpresent design, probably one of the oldest mankind knows.

But what makes the fascination of the beasts ?

You will not be able to grasp it through the computer screen, but being out in the forest, visiting his majesty in the morning might give you an idea...

Bottom picture shows a tool with disposable tip in regular use in Kunsten på Kroppen.

Nordic icons X

A collection of nordic symbols from the viking age and bronze age, Clockwise: Tree of life, Vegvisir, Rock shaman, Fenriz and the dancing Völva.
Background recreation of mediaeval icelandic altar cloth.
Clingon Tats not by me :)

Are you experienced :)?

This is how you look after endless hours of getting ink tapped under your skin. Two big, bearded guys hold you down and beat continiously the tattoo in your chest. The final is the runic chant while inking the central rune.
People ask me often: How is it to get a traditinal nordic tattoo?
Look at the picture and tell me...

Continuity

A bronze age rock carving design dancing in a mediaeval knotwork weaving.

Fusion

If we believe, what some scholars say, the connection between Sami and Indoeuropean people was much closer in the early mediaeval period, than we use to think.
Here Indoeuropean and Sami art melt together, showing among others sun, moon, a shaman and a wolf.

Nornir tattoo

A free interpretation, covering icons of nordic mythology.
birth, life and death, virgin, mother and  grandmother, my expression of the properties of the three Nornir, the goddesses of destiny.
They stand for the roots of the world tree, while leafes and Gullinborsti- the immortal boar, that feeds the Einherjer in Valhöll every day with fresh meat- symbolizes the crown.

Urnes-style forearm tattoo

The design follows very closely the style, that got named after the oldest norvegian stave church.
But there is also the swedish rune stone Urnes-Style and the british version of it, all items produced with this style are dated around the 11th century, strictly seen post viking ;)

Svadilfari

Detail of nordic tigh tattoo.

Svadilfari is the father of Sleipner, a giant stallion, so strong and beautiful, that Loki shapeshifted into a mare and so received little Sleipnir...

Everyday life in the Viking age

In the ancient patterns we find a lot of Saga scenes and mythology depicted, but also sometimes quite normal scenes.

Here we see the family of the bearer, the mother butchering, father and brother smithing (still work in progress)

Wotan

Wotan he was called by the more southern tribes, later and more towards Scandinavia they called the one eyed wanderer Odhinn, here depicted as such. Those who know, can see, that he is in the Stadhagaldr position Raidho.

Here we see him as the warrior god, the lord of the fallen, his empty eye shown and his spirit animals, the wolves and ravens appear in the weaving