Greek tattoos are great options for quite a few people. They are perfect for those who want to get a large, detailed image on their skin, and they can even be great for people looking for a small yet meaningful symbol.
On this page, we are going to take a look at why Greek tattoos have been so popular for so long and some of the ways that you can have one designed should you choose to get one.
Greek tattoo designs encapsulate a wide array of images and icons from Ancient Greece millennia ago to the flag, landscapes, and ruins that exist in modern Greece. Any of these ideas can work in a Greek tattoo design, but it really comes down to what you want to have on your skin and what means the most to you. You can get a single image to represent who you are, or you might even opt to go all out with your design by having multiple Greek elements in the tattoo.
Architecture and sculpture are often emulated in Greek designs as well, capturing the timeless beauty of the incredible artistry of the Greeks. These are some of the very best detailed and complex tattoos around because they are meant to look realistic and they often have that striking shadowwork that makes them stand out even more. Sculpture tattoos are especially popular these days because you can make them fit anywhere and they are often head-turners because they look great and they have the ability to generate responses.
Words and letters from the Greek alphabet are sometimes used in Greek tattoos, allowing the beauty of the ancient lettering to take focus. These letters are great ideas if you want to get a unique text tattoo or if you want to add that cool finishing touch to a larger Greek tattoo design. Greek alphabet tattoos work equally well as tiny tattoos and long text tattoos, though you will want a good artist to do the work for you regardless because you want the letters to be accurate and you want them to line up well on your body.
Various famous phrases are often used in Greek tattoos, rendered in the original Greek lettering. Any word or phrase, celebrated or not, can be written in Greek, although words of Greek origin are most often used, such as Utopia and Agape which is defined as a divine, universal love. We suggest looking up some of these phrases to see if any of them make sense to you.
Individual letters can be used, invoking the history that has been linked to the character. Alpha (A, a) is a symbol of the beginning as well as leadership and authority. The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, Delta (Δ, ), is a symbol used to denote change in scientific and mathematical equations, as opposed to the tenth letter Kappa (K, k) which denotes a constant.
Omega (Ω, ω), the last letter of the alphabet, is also commonly used as it symbolizes authority, just below Alpha. The characters Alpha and Omega together serve as a symbol of Christianity, representing the word of God when He states “I am the Alpha and Omega”.
The Greek flag is a common tattoo design that perfectly symbolizes national pride. The soft blue and white stripes lay next to a white cross on a blue field, which represents Greek Orthodox Christianity. As with all other flag tattoos, a Greek flag design can work as a flat image across your forearm, your chest, your back, or just about anywhere else on your body. You can also get a Greek flag as a sleeve that wraps around your arm or leg.
The flag may be accompanied by an ancient Greek or Spartan warrior or a deity from Greek mythology, such as Zeus or the more ancient Ouranos or Uranus. Actually, you can very easily combine the flag with just about any other Greek image. The trick is to make the images work together in a way that makes it look like a single design rather than two or more designs that just so happen to be near each other on your body.
The pantheon of Greek mythology is a rich source of imagery for explicitly Greek designs. When people see these designs, they generally know right away that it is of Greek origins. What’s great about these Greek tattoos is that you not only get a very Greek design, but you also get some cool ink that holds its own meaning. Of course, you should pick a mythological creature that has meanings that actually work for you rather than just picking it for its looks alone.
Famous legends are often used in Greek tattoos such as Medusa, the gorgon with the head of snakes, Atlas, the god who holds the earth on his shoulders, or any of the twelve labors of Hercules or Heracles. Greek mythology, most often rendered realistically in larger pieces, in general, is a representation of the fantastic, a world where the gods and goddesses played a hugely significant role.
If you do decide to get a Greek god in your design, you will need to plan out how it will look on your body before you have it drawn up. It can be tough making certain gods fit in certain areas of the body simply because of their natural shape.
For example, if you are getting a centaur tattoo, you will need to think of a creative way to design it so the human and horse parts of the body fit naturally along the natural lines of your body. You might end up deciding to shrink the design down to make it fit or you might even end up deciding on a new place to put it after you decide on a design.
Many people like to get their Greek tattoos as part of larger heritage tattoo designs. For example, you might want to get a unique family tattoo and decide to include Greek images in the design to show your pride in your family’s roots. This is a very good idea if you know that you are only going to be getting one tattoo and you want to include everything that is meaningful to you in the design.
No matter what type of Greek tattoo you decide to get, it’s important that each element of the design means something to you. For example, if you get a Greek god in your tattoo, you should know everything that the god represents. You might even find that there are multiple Greek symbols and/or images that hold special meanings to you, in which case you might want to find a way to make them work in a single design.
In most cases Greek tattoos have quite a bit of detail in them and take a special set of skills to pull off, so you will definitely want to hire a top artist to do the work for you should you decide to get one of these tattoos.
Luckily we live in an age where we can quickly look up most artists’ past tattoo designs, which can definitely help make this decision easier. Wait until you find an artist whose style you like so you have a better chance of ending up with a tattoo you’ll always love having on your skin.
As you can see, there are a lot of great options to choose from out there if you decide that you want to get a Greek tattoo. You can go with a traditional Greek image such as a flag or a tattoo of Greece itself, or you can go all out with the design by getting a large, detailed Greek god that you like.
Regardless of your choice, Greek tattoos are the types of designs that people very rarely end up regretting because they look great and hold meanings that are significant to their owners.
If you do end up deciding to get a Greek tattoo, be sure to take your time when coming up with a design and the placement of that design, and then find a great tattoo artist in your neck of the woods that can make that design look spectacular on your skin.