The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R Tolkien is one of (if not the) most iconic fantasy stories ever written. The story was written as a sequel to another novel of his, The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings was written in stages between 1937 and 1949.

Magnificent realistic back piece featuring Gandalf, Gollum, the ring, and the eye of Sauron. Done by Jesse Rix in Keene, NH.

Hyper realistic portrait of Gimli done by Ben Kaye at Ship Shape Tattoo in New Zealand.

Solid neo traditional hobbit hole done by Heath Clifford at Fat Ink Tattoo.

Elrond portrait done by Kristian Kimonides at Leviathan Tattoo Gallery in Melbourne, Australia.

American traditional Witch King done by Onnie O’Leary.

Tolkien fought in WW1, and this was extremely influential in his shaping of Middle Earth. As an example, WW1 was fought not by heroes, but by civilians. This reflects the hobbits who are quite literally the “little people”, who then step up to fight a war that they had not asked to be a part of.

Black and grey portrait of Aragorn, featuring Gimli and Legolas. Done by Fong Vang at Inkarnate Tattoos in North Saint Paul, Mn.

Terrifying portrait of Gollum and his precious. Done by Carles Bonafe.

Terrifying and realistic portrait of a nazgul. Done by Iliya Astafiev Chelny city, Russia.

Broken shards of Narsil. Done by Lauren Gibler done in Canton OH.

Graphic black and grey sleeve featuring Gandalf fighting the balrog on the bridge of Kazan Dum. Done by Róbert A Borbás done at Rooklet Ink, Hungary.

The films were directed by Peter Jackson, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. They were filmed back to back on location in New Zealand, making for fantastic landscapes and scenery.

Hyper realistic colour portraits of Sam, Frodo, and the ring. Done by Alex Rattray at Empire Ink in Edinburgh.

A very green ent done by Cody Young at Emerald Tattoo.

Black and grey Gandalf amidst a geometric background done by Izhar Rott Owner of Manifacto Amsterdam Tattoos.

Blackwork Barad Dur (dark tower) done by Lauren Melina done in Perth, Australia.

There and back again, inspiration taken from The Hobbit book cover. Done by Samantha at I love Mom Tattoo Studio in Dovercourt Village, Toronto.

Some of the most popular characters include Gandalf, Frodo, Gimli, Legolas, Gollum (Smeagol), Sam, Aragorn, Elrond, Saruman, Witch king, and Sauron. Fantastic creatures include the ents, the balrog, and the nazgul. Popular items include the swords sting, and the shards of Narsil, as well as the Witch King’s flail, and quaint hobbit holes. Of course we also can’t forget the ring itself, which makes a stellar tattoo, especially when paired with a portrait.

Sting and flowers done by Alexandra Skarsgård in London.

Black and grey Gandalf portrait done by Dan Mawdsley at Pop Culture Tattoos in Melbourne, Australia.

Linework version of an ent. Done by Jerome Chapman.

Hyper realistic Gollum done by Maksims Zotovs.

Hyper realistic matching portraits of Saruman (and the eye of Sauron) and Gandalf. Done by Tony Sklepic done in Edmonton, Alberta.

Lord of the Rings tattoos are often done in a photo realistic or hyper realistic style, as well as black and grey, dotwork, linework, American traditional, and neo traditional.

Black and grey Legolas done by Khail Tattooer at Young bloods Tattoo in Perth, Australia.

Witch King hand and Morgul blade done by Dave Swambo at Stronghold Tattoo in Cardiff, Wales.

Bright and bold hobbit hole done by Jess White in Sacramento, CA.

Gorgeous portrait of Frodo and the ring done by Nick Imms at the Church Tattoo.

American traditional Witch King and flail. Done by Travis Stanley at Ink City Tattoo in Bonney Lake, WA Capitol City.

Which do you prefer, the books, or the films?