This story isn't going to my usual type of story it's not going be about my life or creatures I have met but it's going to be about the different tattoos I have and what they mean to me. I got my first is my oldest as I got it when I was still human, I got this on my shoulder and although the scar that was there has since faded I still remember the fight to this day.
My first tattoo wasn't done in the same way that tattoos are done today, i didn't have anything to help with the pain and I was held down by my father so that I didn't kick the man doing it. I have since had to have it re done but I still prefer the process used when I was younger. Firstly the ink was made for our tattoos from the Woad plants well it's leaves, theses were boiled twice to make a paste like substance which was forcibly applied into the skin using needle like implements. This ink was more of an indigo than black. The tattoo that I was left with at this time was a Triskele it is the one that I have made the cover picture for this story. it was It represents the three worlds, the physical, the celestial and the spirit world,although it wasn't first used by the Celts we do feel a strong connection to it. It is also said to represent strength, progress and the ability to move forward so for this reason I asked for it even though at the time it was more used in artwork and metal work. I got this on my chest cos tattoos were done to make warriors look intimidating.
I have a few more symbols and marking like this that mean a lot to me, they were used when I was younger were for intimidation including the one on the left side of my head and around my eye, I will get more into those later. My most impressive and I suppose most intimidating even though that wasn't my intention is my full back piece and it is also my most recent as ~I got it only a few years back, I know what your thinking that not possible with being a vampire but when a special ink is used it is and I have aged but very slowly so my skins appearance of a middle aged woman, sometime I look older but I won't really look elderly yet. Part of this tattoo was used to cover up some of my older tattoos, It is a ghostly figure with a hood riping through the skin on my back with massive claws, it represents how close to death I came, it also includes silhouetted figures of my parents trying to hold it back, this is my way of remembering that they are always there looking out for me and protecting me in everything I do. To go along with this I have a grey wolf with shining eyes on my right on for Luna as I know she will always continue to protect me.
The one I have on my head and face I got to to match my father's tattoo his was on his arm and because of this his looks different and is bigger but I wanted people to know I was his daughter, I was proud to fight by his side and protect our village the same as he did. I was treated the same as a man was, I might not have been as strong as them and had to cover some of my chest but other than that I was treated as equal to the other men on the battlefield. My father gave no meaning to these other than to make him look tougher and more intimidating. It consists of two dark spiked lines going from above my eyebrow and down the side of my face towards my top jaw. These lines link into the lines at the side of my head that go from the side of my face into my hair line going to the back of my skull. From a distance some people may mistake them for barbed wire but I think they look like thorns.
The Ailm is one of the symbols I have on my chest, Ailm is part of the Ogham alphabet, it is a simple cross it represents the pine trees, these trees are very important to part of our spiritually, their resilience is and ability to regenerate can indicate rebirth. Beside this I have the Tree of life known as Crann Bethadth. Trees bring strength and life and can also help with healing, trees have a connection to the earth and can also help us connect to our ancestors as some hold their spirits.
I have a few more tattoo all of which represent strength, one of my tattoos links to goddess Brigid but I will talk more about my feeling about that one at a later stage.