Amazing as it may seem, this totally pagan image of a fertility goddess spreading her labia was frequently found in the stone entrances of Irish Medieval churches. Hundreds of them lie hidden in the National Museum of Ireland, victims of puritanical present attitudes. But this one lives again, encircled by the Newgrange triple spirals.
Speyside Cross Celtic Tattoo Design
The Speyside region of Scotland is known for production of superb whiskeys, and the graveyards are filled with noble high crosses that mark family graves and are silent sentinels to faith.
Book of Kells Celtic Band Tattoo Design
A MOST unusual tiny detail, found on the Book of Kells Folio 8R page, that caught the eye of this man who requested it as a band on his thigh above the knee. From the scribe monks of 8th century Ireland to the 21st century as a tattoo, Celtic art LIVES !
Book of Kells Folio 8R
Pictish Seamonster Tattoo Design
The most charming of all the Pictish animals is the Pictish Beast, also known as the Pictish Dragon, or Swimming Elephant. Some people even say that it might be the Loch Ness Monster!
This version is from the Strathmartine Castle stone, now on display in Dundee, Scotland. I chose to render him in pointillist dots, to mimic the hand-pecking tapping technique that would have been used to create his image in sandstone so many centuries ago.
The Pictish Beast