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The symbols Celts Galicians are ideal to be inspired for a tattoo. They are as Costa Rican as this culture, and reminiscent of the old Celtic days of this region.
Therefore, in this article we have gathered all that we can think of together with their meanings and possibilities when it comes to making a tattoo. Keep reading!
1. The Celtic knot
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The particularity of the Celtic knot is that it is a figure that has no beginning or end. Traditionally it has been used as decoration, but the truth is that it also has a very deep meaning, related to eternity and how life is like a circle that neither begins nor ends.
Celtic knots look great in any style. Go for a plain black and white one if you want it to be smallish. On the other hand, you can mix it with other elements, either by mixing them or with the knot as a decoration.
2. The ecstasy of the awen
The awen is one of the most enigmatic symbols of Galicia and the Celtic world. It is made up of three almost vertical lines and three points in a circle. It has a very mystical meaning, since what it tries to convey is that the combination of life force with wisdom transcends consciousness and allows one to reach ecstasy.
The good thing about awen is that it is hardly seen in tattoo designs, which makes it a very original option. It can work especially in black and white, with a clean line and without great fuss.
3. Crosses for all tastes
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In places where several traditions and religions come together, as in Galicia, it is not uncommon to find the same element with slightly different designs and very different meanings. This is the case of crosses. In this place, the crosses are common, which were used to Christianize places or in memory of someone who had died in that place., although so are the solar crosses, which represent the four seasons, and the Celtic crosses, which represent the four cardinal points.
In a tattoo you have a thousand options, from a realistic cross, to an extremely small one to highlight the Celtic character of the motif with crisscross lines, Celtic knots, the color green ...
4. Spirals, the beginning without end
Before we talked about the Celtic knot, and the spiral has a similar meaning, although with a small variation: the spiral contains an idea of endless evolution. It is also similar, at times, to yin and yang, since when there are two spirals together they have that meaning of opposite forces in balance.
Spirals also look great in any design, even in a labyrinth of narrow lines and intricate design. Go for a black and white design.
5. The trisqueles, the three-legged ones
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Similar to spirals, trisqueles have three spirals linked together that represent three legs (in fact, their name comes from the Greek 'three-legged') or three rays of the sun. Although they are associated with the Celts, they are in fact present in many, many cultures, including the Greek and Indian. The trisqueles are related to the number three (sacred around the world) or to the rays of the sun, with the divine and inspiring force.
It is one of the most used Galician Celtic symbols. For a tattoo, you can take inspiration from their art and combine them alone or accompanied by other trisqueles to create more complex designs. As in many cases of Celtic symbols, they look especially good in black and white or with a touch of color.
6. The triquetra, again number three
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Trisqueles, triqueta ... are very similar names and their meaning is also, since they both represent the number three, although in the case of the triqueta in a much more general way, since represents a series of concepts that come in groups of three: life, death and reincarnation; the body, mind and spirit, and even the holy trinity for Catholics.
Triquettes look great in designs that are neither very large nor very small, although they are a fairly popular design. Find a twist to make your design original, for example, use it as part of a larger design, opt for a geometric style ...
7. The tree of life, an old acquaintance
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We have spoken on other occasions about the trees of life, so important to this culture and, of course, also about Galician Celtic symbols. The tree represents the link between the sky (the branches) and the world of the dead (the roots, which sink into the earth), as well as other dualities: life and death, the balance between opposing concepts ...
In a tattoo it can give a lot of itself, since it looks great with a Celtic style that imitates knots or even trisqueles, as well as with a more "disguised" design, more similar to an ordinary tree, but with some detail that shows its relationship with Celtic culture.
8. The tower of Hercules, Celtic ancestors
Although it is not a Celtic symbol in its own right, the truth is that the Tower of Hercules is very directly related to this culture. Legend has it that around 1300 BC King Breogan arrived in Galicia fleeing from distant lands and that he had a tower built, the precursor to that of Hercules, so that his ten sons could contemplate the horizon. Thus, they discovered a new land north of Galicia, Ireland ... Which places the origin of the Celtic culture in Galicia!
Whether or not it is true, the Tower of Hercules, like the other Galician Celtic symbols, is a great way to get inspired by a tattoo, right?
The symbols of the Celtic peoples. Study of its phonetics and philology
For its study a comparison of Galician Celtic symbols with those of the Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, mainly with the Celtic symbols of Portugal, the Canary Islands and Galicia. It has been carried out with the different Celtic symbols for comparison, as there are different Celtic symbols in each Celtic town.
Galician Celtic symbols They are a clear example of the cultural and linguistic richness of the Galician Celtic culture. These Galician Celtic symbols are associated with the megalithic stones, which are large monoliths carved by prehistoric man and dating from the time of the Galician Celts.
Galician Celtic symbols they mix the Celtic symbol of the relationship between man and heaven and of the relationship between man and earth.to. Galician Celtic symbols show a clarity of ideas and an artistic ability that should not be surprised, since they came from a culture with a great capacity for transmitting knowledge. The Galician Celtic symbols shown in the photo to the right are as follows:
- It is the Celtic symbol of the relationship between man and the sky, which is represented by an arch or a curve.
- It is the Celtic symbol of the relationship between man and the earth, which is represented by a cross.
- It is the Celtic symbol of the relationship between man and water, which is represented by an arrow.
- It is the Celtic symbol of the relationship between man and wood, which is represented by a branch.
- It is the symbol of life, which is represented by a wheel.
- It is the symbol of death, which is represented by a snake.
- It is the symbol of man, which is represented by a head.
- It is the symbol of the god, which is represented by a sign.
- It is the symbol of sacrifice, which is represented by a knife.
- It is the symbol of power, which is represented by a sphere.
- It is the symbol of birth, which is represented by an arrow.
- It is the symbol of war, which is represented by an arrow.
- It is the symbol of victory, which is represented by a spear.
- It is the symbol of knowledge, which is represented by a wheel.
- It is the symbol of redemption, which is represented by a sphere.
- It is the symbol of death, which is represented by an arrow.
- It is the symbol of sacrifice, which is represented by a spear
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