Greek tattoos, a whole civilization on your skin

Greek tattoos are inspired by one of the most mythical and wealthy civilizations in the West, the Greek. That may be why these tattoos are so popular and feature such a wide variety of designs and possibilities.

From the gods to the delicate Greek calligraphy, passing through his most exquisite works, these Greek tattoos will delight fans of the most classical languages. And, if you are interested in the subject, we recommend that you read this other article about Olympian gods tattoos: Zeus, Poseidon and Medusa.

Greek heroes, gods and monsters

As we said, This type of tattoos are distinguished by being inspired by one of the oldest civilizations in the West, with what their imaginary and meanings will be the richest and will be especially related to their mythology, in which we can find heroes, gods and monsters and other creatures. For example:

Greek warriors

The Greeks, although more “civilized” than the Romans (who were very fond of shows full of blood and adrenaline such as the fight to the death of gladiators), also had in their warriors a sample of the ideals of their civilization. A) Yes, tattooing a Greek warrior symbolizes physical strength, courage and success in battle. The Greeks also have some famous warrior heroes who are ideal for inspiration when it comes to getting a tattoo.

• Achilles, one of his most famous heroes, had superhuman strength and whose weak point was located in the heel.
• Everybody knows the hefty Hercules, who with his twelve jobs (which were not exactly fetching bread) put his strength and courage to the test.
• Atalanta She is a well-known Greek heroine, raised by bears after her parents abandoned her on the mountain. Her best known heroism is having killed two centaurs who tried to kill her.
• perseus he is best known for having killed poor Medusa with a shield in which he reflected the monster's face to turn it into stone.
• Odysseus (better known for his Latin version, Ulises) traveled for ten years until he returned home, where Penelope was waiting for him, and had a lot of adventures crossing the waters of the Mediterranean.
• Finally, although there are many more, the story of the heroine is also very interesting Ariadna, which helped Theseus out of the labyrinth thanks to a skein of thread that prevented him from getting lost.

The Greek gods and their meaning

In addition to heroes and warriors, the Greek gods are also a very interesting tattoo, in addition to being more clearly related to their meaning, making them an ideal subject for those who want a colorful tattoo and something more obvious. For example:

• Poseidon He is the god of the seas and of earthquakes. It is customary to represent him with a trident and shirtless. He is the brother of Zeus and one of the most important Greek deities.
• Atenea She is the goddess of wisdom, but she was also a fearsome warrior. Patron of Athens (from whom she adopted the name) is represented in many sculptures. It is usually accompanied by an owl, a shield and a spear.
• Afrodita she is the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. His most famous representation is the moment of his birth, when he arises from the union between the foam of the sea and the mutilated genitalia of his father, Uranus.
• Zeus He is the Greek god par excellence, the most powerful and possibly one of the most recognizable thanks to his weapon, the lightning bolts. In a tattoo, it looks wonderful in black and white to give it drama, something that this god knows thoroughly.

Monsters and other creatures

Finally, monsters and other creatures typical of Greek legends also look great in this tattooespecially if you opt for a realistic design. In the Greek imaginary there are a lot of different creatures, among which the following stand out:

• Undoubtedly, Medusa It is one of the best known and most tattooed Greek creatures (and also with a lot of styles: realistic, cartoon, traditional…) probably thanks to its iconic appearance, a woman with snakes instead of hair. In this tattoo, it is usually chosen to give a special treatment to the eyes of this creature, which is said to be able to turn you into stone.
• Besides the superhero, the Cyclops It is a gigantic one-eyed mythological creature, created from the Titans, making it a terrible monster and closely related to the forces of nature.
• The centaurs They are half person and half horse, fearsome warriors and a great tattoo, of course. They symbolize the strength, independence and thirst for adventure of those who wear it.
• Finally, the mermaids Greeks are not sweet and precious like the little mermaid, on the contrary, they are fearsome monsters that drove sailors crazy. Odysseus chained himself to the mast of his ship to hear them sing but not be carried away by their magical voices.

Many more ideas

Greek tattoos not only drink from the mythology of this civilizationThey can also be inspired by many other motifs from this rich culture. For example:

Calligraphy

A phrase or word in Greek will conjure up whatever you want in style. You can choose modern Greek, but also ancient Greek, and evoke, in words, all its wonderful culture. Remember, for these cases, look for a tattooist who specializes in calligraphy and make sure that they put what you want in the text.

The odyssey

And we do not go very far from calligraphy, since one of the great works in which you can be inspired is the epic poem of The odyssey, that narrates the ten years in the sea of ​​Odysseus, husband of Penelope. A piece of the text accompanied by one of its most famous scenes will look great in a tattoo.

Alpha and Omega

Although the protagonists are letters, the meaning of this greek tattoo is rather religiousas it relates to God. In the apocalypse it is said that this is the alpha and the omega, that is, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, a somewhat far-fetched way of saying that it is everything.

Borders

Finally, the borders are another of the inspirations that you can find for a Greek tattoo. They are one of the most classic motifs of this culture and, as a tattoo, they are especially cool as a bracelet on the arm or wrist.

We hope we have inspired you with this great selection of Greek tattoos, also, you can visit the photo gallery at the end of the article. Tell us, do you have a tattoo of this style? What inspires you the most? What style have you chosen?