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Celtic Knot Tattoo Designs and Sybolism

Celtic knot tattoos are extremely popular for many reasons. The knot designs, which have no beginning and no end, date back to artwork, jewelry and armor that the Celts (a group of Europeans that ultimately became the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh) used to symbolize a variety of things and create an extremely unique and beautiful art design. Today, Celtic knot tattoos, just like the Celtic knots themselves, can symbolize many different things to many different people. One of the reasons that Celtic knot tattoo designs are so popular is that they are extremely customizable. Just about any tattoo design can be turned into a Celtic knot tattoo design, thereby keeping the personal symbolism of the tattoo design while also incorporating some of the more traditional symbolic elements of Celtic tattoo designs. 

One of the most common reasons that people get Celtic knot tattoos is to celebrate their heritage. There are certain flower tattoos and plant tattoos that indicate various lineages in Celtic knot tattoo design. For example, a daffodil tattoo or a leek tattoo that incorporates a Celtic knot tattoo design indicates Welsh heritage. Also commonly used to indicate Welsh heritage is a Celtic knot tattoo design armband overlaid with the profile of a red dragon. This tattoo design is particularly striking and very striking on the bicep or calf. If you are Irish, then a shamrock tattoo that has been altered to also be a Celtic knot tattoo is a great option to celebrate your Irish heritage. Many historians believe that the Irish ultimately created the commonly known Celtic knot work that most people use in Celtic knot tattoos today, so this may be the most authentic way to express your heritage of all. Finally, Scottish heritage can be indicated by a thistle tattoo. Usually, thistle tattoos that incorporate Celtic knot tattoos do not actually make the thistle tattoo design out of a Celtic knot, as you might do with the shamrock tattoo, but instead create a Celtic knot tattoo design in another shape, such as an armband tattoo, a circle tattoo or a cross tattoo, then interweave the botanical elements in this case, the thistle tattoos among the Celtic knot tattoo.

Even if you are not of Celtic descent, you can enjoy your own personal interpretation of a Celtic knot tattoo. Celtic knots are highly symbolic of a variety of common values that inspire people to get tattoos, such as love, spirituality, strength and brotherhood. Unlike many culturally inspired tattoos, there is no Celtic knot tattoo for a given trait. For example, you cannot get the Celtic knot tattoo that means strength the same way that you can get a Chinese symbol tattoo that means strength. Celtic knot tattoos are far more individualize than this, which makes them ideal for a custom tattoo story. However, any Celtic knot is symbolic of eternal love, because the knots have no beginning and no end, strength and brotherhood, because when woven together, the individual strands have great strength and resilience, and life and nature, because as the Celtic knot increases in size and complexity, it becomes clear that all of the strands are interwoven in a beautiful and predetermined pattern that makes a wonderful whole. By incorporating Celtic knot tattoos into your tattoo design, you can incorporate your personal take on Celtic knot symbolism while keeping your tattoo entirely unique and personal to you. 


While Celtic knot tattoos are largely symbolic on a deeply personal level, there are some Celtic knot tattoo designs that are well known in popular culture and that do have some fairly traditional symbolic indications. One of these designs is the triquetra tattoo, or the trinity knot tattoo. This knot, which, like all Celtic knot tattoos, has no beginning and no end, is structured to have three distinct parts that all stem from a central point. This Celtic knot tattoo is used by Christians to indicate the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, it has existed since the time before Christianity, and was used by the ancients to indicate harmony between mind, body and spirit. Another popular Celtic knot tattoo is the eternity knot tattoo or the lovers knot tattoo. This tattoo design of two constant, interlocking loops that cannot be separated or even shown to have separate starting points symbolizes, appropriately, the joining of two lives. As a result, the eternity knot is often used in Celtic wedding rings, and is a perfect complement to any romantic or love inspired tattoo design. People often get eternity knot tattoos with rose tattoos interwoven in the design to symbolize their love for a significant other.

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