Vegvisir Tattoo Meaning, Design & Ideas

When getting a tattoo, many of us aren’t sure of the direction we want to head in. There are so many options in the world. You can get text or images and then you are looking at many different styles and patterns.

The choices almost seem endless. However, when you come across something unique and you find out it has meaning that you connect with, it can be a game changer. I’ve seen many images in my life that look cool and would seem to make a great tattoo, but the meaning might not be there. For many, the Vegvisir tattoo is one that fits the bill of being a bad ass looking tattoo with a great history and meaning.

This ancient symbol is very mysterious, and people still haven’t come to a consensus on what everything means. However, we know the basic meaning or what it was used for when having this symbol somewhere on your person.

In this post, we are going to talk about the Vegvisir tattoo and talk about what it symbolizes to those that wear the tattoo on their body. This mysterious rune filled image gives you the sense of something magical going on and we want to talk about it, so you feel better when you go in and get that tattoo. We hope that by the end of this post you feel a lot more comfortable when going in to get your Vegvisir tattoo because you will know what It represents. We will also talk about the different variations of this tattoo and how people choose to make it their own.

But before we get into all that, take a look at some of the images below so you can get a feel for what we are talking about and maybe get a better idea of the version of the Vegvisir tattoo that you want to have inked.

What is the Vegvisir

At this point, you are probably asking yourself what the Vegvisir is. This is a good question. When looking at it, it seems like it’s a magical pattern put in caves thousands of years ago. You are pretty close to what it is.

This symbol called a Vegvisir and it is a Norse charm from the olden days. Originally, the symbol was found in the Huld Manuscript which was found in Iceland around 1860 (it contains much older information). The Vegvisir is a symbol that is supposed to give the person wearing the symbol (or having it tattooed) to have the ability to get through rough weather and survive even if you don’t necessarily know the way. You could call this a symbol of protection.

In modern times, this symbol is also referred to as the See the Way or the Runic Compass. Many will say the symbol is associated with the Vikings, but this isn’t true. It has more of a connection with German runic history. Vegvisir used to be drawn on people to help them avoid getting lost.

Vegvisir Tattoo Meaning

When people get the Vegvisir tattoo, they are doing it for some sort of protection. They might fly a lot for work and use the tattoo as a way to stay safe while traveling. They may also be hunters or spend a great deal of time in the wilderness. The word, ”Vegvisir” literally translates to “guidepost” so you can assume this symbol is to help you along the way during your travels.

Vegvisir Tattoo Variations

When getting your Vegvisir tattoo, we tend to see the same symbols. This doesn’t mean every Vegvisir tattoo looks the same. There are some variations of the Vegvisir tattoo, and we also see a few popular styles of tattooing when getting this image tattooed. Below are a few of the more common variations of the tattoo we see.

Vegvisir Tattoo with Outer Ring of Runes

The Vegvisir tattoo with outer rings of runes is one common way to have this tattoo. This is simply a design option and doesn’t change the meaning of the Vegvisir at all. In most cases, you see the ring around the symbol being the runic alphabet that happens to be written clockwise around the symbol. It would be the same thing as putting ABCDE… and so on, around the Vegvisir. To many that see this, it might seem like a child scribbling. However, the Germanic people that created the system of writing thought their way was divine. Keep this in mind when you see this variation.

Dot work Vegvisir Tattoo

The dot work Vegvisir tattoo is another interesting way to have this tattoo done. For some reason, many people tend to get this tattoo with dot work all around it or incorporated into the tattoo. It looks great when done this was as it adds the mysticism of the tattoo. It gives the tattoo a feel of being magical and in all reality, this is what the symbol is supposed to be.

3D Vegvisir Tattoo

Another way we tend to see the Vegvisir tattoo is in 3D. 3D tattoos make any image pop and to have the Vegvisir tattoo inked in that fashion makes it look like just sitting on your skin. This style of tattooing is used for the Vegvisir simply for aesthetics, but it sure does look good when it is done by the same artist.

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