The bearer of this art, Lehrer, states that all of their tattoos are infused with woad.

Woad is a mineral extracted from flowers. An example of this would be in Brave Heart: the Celts had blue stuff on their face, which was woad mixed with lime. This was very important to the Celts.

Lehrer envisioned these tattoos in dreams before getting them engraved on their body. One tattoo involved going back in time and seeing an ancestor with the tattoo. Lehrer got the tattoo on the same spot.

Lehrer said their last will and testament states the tattoos will be preserved by a taxidermist.

This is a Celtic age iron sword with Celtic knot work wrapped. Lehrer was supposedly descended from Brain Bowery, who’s the king that defended Ireland from first Viking invasion.

The Valknut – Lehrer associates the meaning of this artwork with sacrifice. Lehrer got it even though they believed this symbol would screw them out of getting jobs.

Celtic Cross – This is a pre-Christian symbol. Its meaning is focusing male energy and fertility of female. Some people feel it’s a model of our galaxy. This symbol is found on Mayan ruins, and it’s very similar to the Norse Solar Cross.

This eye is tattoo magic. The eye used to have words in old Germanic script (piktick spelled wrong). The tattoo was done with blood, woad, mixed with ink. A previous girlfriend of many years has the same tattoo. When the relationship ended, the eye was filled in.

This tattoo is a big middle finger on heart. Here’s some history of the middle finger: In 1066 the Romans invaded the Saxons. When the Romans would capture the English bowmen, they would cut their middle fingers, ending their careers. When the Romans would approach, English would show them their bow finger. It’s a symbol of Lehrer’s wife’s hand.

Celtic Knot work tattoo

This is the first tattoo that Designer got. Designer has Irish ancestry. Designer wandered into the tattoo shop with sister, and this tattoo is an artistic composite of a couple of designs found in the shop.

Celtic Knot work tattoo

Designer designed this tattoo. It was created from a couple of different ring designs. This is the one Designer always wanted — it was like a placement.

Designer views tattoos more as a decoration than anything super meaningful. This tattoo allowed Designer ownership over their own skin.

Chains left the Jehovah’s Witnesses at age 22. Chains spent lots of time hiding in music. This tattoo was from the band Silverchair, which made an album called Frogstomp. Chains was hiding from problems, was unhappy, and did not agree with organized religion. The tattoo symbolized Chain’s attempt to stop running from problems and to confront them head on.

This tattoo is from the Judas Priest album, “Screaming for Vengeance.” It’s Chain’s all-time favorite album. It’s all about male bravado and machismo.

The 804 is the Virginia outline, which is where Chain was born. The 919 outline is where Chain became an adult after leaving the “cult” of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Chain had a girlfriend who was a tattoo artist that designed this tattoo. They had really good sex, which made Chain a stronger person. She took a picture of herself and made it into a tattoo.

This is described as a hand holding cards and a Polaroid. Reminders of past loves.

“Shut Up Legs.” Chain used to be rickshaw and bicycle messenger. Jens Voigt won the Tour de France. At the end of the race, he yelled “Shut Up Legs” in German. This was because his muscles were depleted.  This tattoo reminds Chains of that.

Slaughterhouse five, written by Kurt Vonnegut, ends every chapter with “so it goes.” Shit happens in the world, and there’s only so much you can do about it.

This is Northern’s only tattoo. The dragon is the Chinese symbol  of power and wisdom. Northern spent 5 years in the Navy and did not get any tattoos. Northern tries to think long term. At the time of getting the tattoo Northern had thought to have figured things out. It was years ago and has now decided it is not the case. The tattoo artiest said it was the largest first tattoo she had ever done. The tattoo was done in San Fernando CA.

This is the kanji (aka Japanese character) that represents “dreamer.” Returner got this tattoo over ten years ago. The Sandman comics were a big inspiration for this tattoo. When Returner got the Dreamer tattoo, an adopted sister got the tattoo for Death. They bought the tattoo’s for each other.

This raven comes from Returner’s necklaces. When Returner first got this tattoo, the meaning of the tattoo was “The Morrigan,” a character from Irish mythology. Later, a stronger connection was made between the tattoo and Odin’s Ravens, Hugin and Munin. Most recently, Returner made the deepest connection between this tattoo and a female descendant. The symbol powerfully represents this close relative.

This tattoo symbolizes, “friend.” This was Thoth’s first tattoo. Thoth’s best friend got the same tattoo at the same time. Sadly, they are no longer friends.

This tattoo symbolizes, “Raven.” As a child, Thoth found an abandoned baby raven and developed a deep connection to the animal. Shortly thereafter, Thoth planned to eventually get a tattoo of this raven.

This tattoo is the “Knight of Wands.” The Knight of Wands is the tarot symbol of destruction and creation. Life for Thoth has always been a combination of destruction and chaos. Thoth needed both good and bad intertwined in one powerful symbol. The devil tattoo was also obtained to balance this card.

The tattoo is “The Devil.” It represents all that is heathen and human that makes us complete. The symbol is there to balance the Knight of Wands.

This person has seven cousins and three aunts with the same tattoo. The known meaning of this particular tattoo is “eternal.” However, to them, this image symbolizes “family.” This person waited until they were 40-years-old to get this tattoo, and this is only tattoo they have.

I am starting a collection of tattoo stories. I want to immortalize the story connected to the art that the person liked enough to have permanently imprinted onto their body. I am not here to judge; I am merely sharing the story behind the art.

The Four leaf clover:

This person started finding four leaf clovers at a very young age: at age four they found a patch of them underneath the swing set. After that, they continually found four leaf clovers, often spotting them as far away as across the street. This particular tattoo was acquired in Houston after they lost a job. There’s a spiritual connection to four-leaf clovers: the common three-leaf-clovers are connected to Christianity and the holy trinity. This person is not Christian and finds that four-leaf-clovers represent a more all-encompassing kind of spirituality, symbolizing: faith, hope, love and luck.

Butterfly:

The butterfly is a life form that this person always had a connection to. The butterfly always seemed hopeful, and it’s a happy symbol. This person chose a permanent design that could only be seen as a symbol of hope and happiness, and not have any negative connotation. The shape much like a four leaf clover, and this person doodles them all the time. This tattoo was acquired in Salt Lake City.