Did the Norsemen of Scandinavia have tattoos? Did runic script adorn their arms as they sailed their longships down fjords? While material remains offer few clues, one piece of historical evidence says 'yes' - at least for the Varangians who plied the Volga with their trade goods; traveling throughout the area of what is now Russia, Central Asia, and even down to the Middle East.

Stories of Tattooed Vikings from their Trading Partners

The Norsemen (or Vikings, from the Old Norse víkingar) issued few literary works themselves, so we are forced to rely on outside accounts. Many come from Arab statesmen and chroniclers, who carried out extensive trade and cultural exchange with Norsemen in the 9th and 10th centuries. Arabic-language accounts are among the most numerous of the 9th-12th centuries due to the intellectual and economic power of the Abbasid Caliphate .

The Invitation of the Varangians: Rurik and his brothers arrive in Staraya Ladoga, by Viktor Vasnetsov. ( Public Domain )

An Arab traveler named Ahmad Ibn Fadlan , a scholar of Baghdad, was sent by the caliph on a diplomatic mission to the Bulgars in the Middle Volga area of what is now Russia. He first met the Norse warriors as he traveled across Russia's vast steppes, encountering them as they sailed their longships down the Volga river and looking to trade with the Arab world.

They were by far the wealthiest civilization in Western Eurasia; particularly as Europe struggled to consolidate in the centuries following the collapse of the Roman Empire . While there in 921 AD, he met a people called the Rus - Swedish traders - who had brought slaves to sell at the local markets.

Nicholas Roerich "Guests from Overseas". From the series "Beginnings of Rus'. The Slavs." 1901. ( Public Domain )

Historical Descriptions of Norse Tattoos

Ibn Fadlan describes the Rus in his travel chronicler. He called them the “Rusiyyah,,” but they are now commonly known as Vikings. This is how he described them:

“I have never seen bodies as nearly perfect as theirs. As tall as palm trees, fair and reddish, they wear neither tunics nor kaftans. Every man wears a cloak with which he covers half of his body, so that one arm is uncovered. They carry axes, swords and daggers, and always have them to hand. They use Frankish swords with broad, ridged blades.”

At one point, he mentions that all the men were tattooed from the tips of their fingers to their necks. The tattoos were dark green figures of trees and symbols. It is likely, however, that the tattoos were probably dark blue, a color that comes from using wood ash to dye the skin.

Modern interpretation of a tattooed Viking. ( trionis /Adobe Stock)

While Ibn Fadlan describes the tattoos as trees, he could have seen the Rus trademark of a gripping beast or other knotwork patterns of which the Vikings were fond . To him they resembled the women's neck rings of gold and silver.

Real Ink or a Cultural Bias?

But we can't fully take Ibn Fadlan at his word. The description of tattoos may have been less an eye-witness description than a rhetorical device to depict the savagery of the Norsemen. The Arabs considered them with a combination of horror and fascination. Ibn Fadlan saved his harshest words for their hygiene: “They are the filthiest of God's creatures," he observed.

Although he acknowledged that they washed their hands, faces, and heads every day, he was appalled that they did so "in the dirtiest and filthiest fashion possible" in a communal basin of water. This was an ancient Germanic custom that caused understandable revulsion in a Muslim who typically performed ablutions only in poured or running water.

Ship burial of a Rus chieftain as described by the Arab traveler Ahmad ibn Fadlan who visited north-eastern Europe in the 10th century. Henryk Siemiradzki (1883). ( Public Domain )

This is rather slight evidence on which to state categorically that the Norse tattooed themselves. The Arabic word used in the original text for “tattoo” was more commonly used to describe mosque decorations rather than actual tattoos— a fitting description considering similarities between a mosque's geometric patterns and those of a runic Norse tattoo.

Also, tattoos are not mentioned in any of the contemporary sagas or poetry, although these literary works describe many other physical characteristics such as scars or hair color.

Exhumed Tattoos

While human skin does not survive centuries of burial, archaeology can offer perhaps better evidence than history to the question of Norse tattoos. For example, a Scythian chieftain was found in Siberia who had been buried circa 500 BC. He had been buried beneath the permafrost, so his skin and tattoos survived .

While this find predates Norse traders in the region of what is now Russia by 1300 years, it is possible that the Norse could have met the descendants of the Scythians while on trading missions in the area of modern day Russia and learned the tattooing art from them.

The Siberian Ice Maiden, a Scytho-Siberian woman who lived on the Eurasian Steppes in the 5th century BC. Note the tattoos on her arm. ( Public Domain )

Norse-Inspired Tattoos Today – Two Popular Designs

If Norse did have tattoos, it is likely they would have used Norse designs and symbols found in their other artwork on bone carvings or jewelry. The popularity of such designs has trickled down to today. Many tattoo artists have inked their clients with runes and other Norse-inspired tattoos.

One particularly popular motif is the symbolic compass tattoo called the Vegvisir. This symbol is not from the Viking Age , however; it dates to the 17th century from an Icelandic book on magic . Nonetheless the symbol is popularly associated with ancient Norsemen.

Vegvisir can be translated from Icelandic as “That Which Shows the Way.” The symbol was a magical device used to help in sea navigation. As a protective symbol, the Vegvisir was carved or inscribed on vessels going out to sea in order to ensure their safe return.

The Vegvisir symbolic compass, surrounded by runes. (bourbonbourbon /Adobe Stock)

Another popular Norse tattoo design is the Helm of Awe (or Helm of Terror), “Ægishjálmr.” This symbol is believed to allow the wearer to strike his enemies with fear and confusion. It is also thought to grant magical powers to its wearer and protect the person from any sort of disease . This Viking symbol shows eight spiked arms surrounding a circle as if they are protecting it from all sides.

Some sources say that a warrior wore the Helm of Awe was between the eyes in order to induce fear in the heart of enemies. In the ‘Poetic Edda’ , the shapeshifting dragon Fafnir suggests that he gets his invincibility from the Helm of Awe.

Ægishjálmur symbol tattoo. (Kenn Wilson/ CC BY NC 2.0 )

Top Image: Modern representation of a Viking with a tattoo. ( Fotokvadrat /Adobe Stock)

By Scott Rank

This article is a summary of the post ‘ Viking Tattoos: Historical or Not? ’ You can read this and thousands of other similar posts by visiting History on the Net .

Scott Rank is the editor of History on the Net , which features articles on everything from Ancient Near East civilizations to 20th century global warfare. He is also host of the History Unplugged Podcast and talks with book authors about Mongol invasions, Hitler's occult practices, and US presidents who gave their best speeches while drunk.

Resources

Rym Ghazal “When the Arabs met the Vikings: New discovery suggests ancient links” The National , May 6, 2015.

Judith Gabriel, “Among the Norse Tribes: The Remarkable Account of Ibn Fadlan,” Saudi Aramco World November/December 1999: 36-42.

James E. Montgomery, “Ibn Fadlan and the Rusiyyah,” Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 3 (2000): 1-25

“Siberian Princess Reveals Her 2,500-Year-Old Tattoos,” The Siberian Times , August 14, 2012