Tattoo Symbol Index - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Tattoo designs - S >> Scottish

Scottish Tattoo Designs - Scotland has a long and rich history of tattooing, body art and body adornment. The word picture actually comes from the Latin root 'pict', as the Romans described the Pict people they encountered in the northern reaches of their lands in Britain as covered in 'pictures of animals and other figures'. The Picts were so fierce and so difficult to conquer that the Roman Emperor Hadrian followed the expedient path of simply building a stone wall across the English countryside to keep them out of the lands to the south! In effect he ceded northern Britain to the Picts. Examples of the kinds of figures depicted in Pictish tattoos can be found in stone carvings in Scotland today.

Celtic knotwork is still a prominent element of both Irish and Scottish modern art and crafts today. In addition to the influence of Celtic art, modern Scottish tattoos often draw on the symbols that predominate what many have come to think of as Scottish culture and that represent Scotland. First and foremost is the image of the Scottish Highlanders, resplendent in their Clan and family Kilts, the sound of bagpipes swelling in the background. Robbie Burns, the Saltire - or flag of Scotland - and the Thistle are also potent symbols.

Both the Irish and the Scots are fond of the Claddagh.

Tattoo designs - S >> Scottish

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