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About Odin Tattoos
An Odin tattoo is a popular tattoo design among fans of Norse mythology.
Your tattoo design could feature a spear that Odin has often depicted carrying or feature one of his companions, his eight-legged horse, or two ravens. So, if you’re looking for a cool tattoo design, an Odin tattoo might be for you.
To give you some ideas and inspiration for your next Odin tattoo, in this post, we’ll take a closer look at different tattoo designs to help you choose the one that you’ll love getting inked.
What Do Odin Tattoos Mean And Symbolize?
In Norse mythology, the god Odin is considered to be the god of magic, poetry, and war.
Odin is also the chief of the kingdom of Asgard, where other Norse gods can be found as well. Odin’s name in the Norse language means ‘raging’ and ‘aggressive,’ but it also conveys the meaning of vulnerability and soulfulness.
So, due to his dualistic nature, Odin is a god that represents and symbolizes duality. As such, an Odin tattoo could stand for:
- Death
- War
- Battle
Other, more positive, traits that are most commonly linked to Odin are:
- Healing
- Knowledge
- Sorcery
It’s also helpful to know that an Odin tattoo can symbolize protection given that Odin protects the souls of those who died in battle. Plus, he has great knowledge of runes and magic, so this tattoo can symbolize wisdom as well.
The Odin tattoo meaning that speaks to you the most will ultimately inspire and shape your tattoo design. The meaning will also depend on whether you’re trying to describe your own personality or a particular chapter in your life that you’d like to remember in the form of a tattoo.
Where To Get An Odin Tattoo
An Odin tattoo will come out best if the artist has an opportunity to work with a larger surface area. With a larger canvas, they can carefully work out as many details as possible to create a design that’s well sketched out and shaded.
The best spots for the artists to achieve these goals and create a cool Odin tattoo design would be:
- Shoulder
- Ribcage
- Chest
- Shoulder
Shoulder tattoos are pretty cool because they can stretch from the deltoid to the trap on the left or right side. For your Odin shoulder tattoo, you can choose whether you want a back, front, or top side of your shoulder inked.
The shoulder area is particularly neat because there’s enough canvas for the artist to produce grand and intricate Odin tattoo designs.
When it comes to the amount of discomfort you might experience while getting tatted, this region is relatively painless. You might feel some pain when the needle is applied directly to the shoulder blades.
But overall, most tattoo artists say that the pain is tolerable. If you’d like, you can get it done in one session or schedule a couple.
- Ribcage
The ribcage is a great placement for a portrait tattoo like an Odin tattoo. It’s another spot where there’s more than enough room for the artist to bring your vision of Odin to life.
Your tattoo design can also have other things Odin is associated with like his animals, horse, and ravens. Your ribcage is the perfect spot for a more elaborate composition like that.
Something to be aware of is that tattoos on your ribs can be quite uncomfortable to get inked. One spot, in particular, that would hurt the most would be under the armpit because of how thin the skin is in that area.
Anywhere where there’s no flesh covering your bones will hurt as well. But you can get your Odin tattoo done in a few sessions which could help with pain tolerance.
- Chest
An Odin tattoo design on your upper chest area could trace your collar bone or your muscle definition. The chest area is a great spot for a larger tattoo design like an Odin tattoo. Here, the artist has enough canvas to work with to create a true masterpiece.
Keep in mind that the chest is one of the more painful body regions given how sensitive the skin is and how uncomfortable the needle can feel when applied over your collar bone in particular.
So you’ll probably want to talk to your tattoo artist about scheduling a couple of appointments rather than doing it all at once to make the pain bearable and the whole experience a lot more pleasant.
How Much Do Odin Tattoos Cost?
An Odin tattoo is usually inked as a large portrait, so your tattoo will most likely end up being a larger piece, especially since there are so many details and additional symbols you can choose to include in your design, like a spear and helmet.
For an Odin tattoo on your ribcage or chest, you might end up spending anywhere between $600 to $1,000.
You can also budget for an extra $500 depending on what you’d like to add or change once you see the final design. In case you’re looking to add some color, the overall cost will increase as well.
Shoulder Odin tattoos range from $250 to $1300—which is a quite big range—but the total cost is determined by a few different factors.
For example, it’s useful to know whether or not you’d like to add color before you make your first appointment because tattoos done in color will increase the cost, while black or gray images can be under $500.
The final price of your Odin tattoo will depend on the number of hours that your tattoo artist might spend on not only inking your tattoo but also preparing the drawing. Plus, your tattoo design might require several touch-ups, especially if you want to include a lot of shading.
Depending on its size as well as your pain tolerance, you might also need to get your tattoo completed in a few sessions. Here’s one good thing: the total cost of your tattoo will already be agreed upon before your appointments, so there will be no surprises!
32 Best Odin Tattoo Designs
A great Odin portrait tattoo is all about detail and precision. The artist uses the needle pressure and shadow work to create a realistic design.
However, to design a realistic Odin tattoo, many other elements come into play like proportions, symmetry, and various shading techniques.
Odin’s main weapon is a spear called Gungnir and many Odin tattoo ideas feature his spear as well as mythological creatures that are integral to Odin’s image. For example, Odin is often pictured with his two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, his protectors, and Geri and Freki, his two wolves. Some of the best designs feature these animals as well.
To create many of these great designs, your tattoo artist will combine fine lines and contrast and will work with a grayscale color palette to create a powerful image through shading. Color can be added as well if that’s what you prefer.
Below are some of the best designs we found to help you choose your next Odin tattoo design.
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History Of Odin Tattoos
Odin tattoos have always been popular among admirers of Norse mythology, but also Marvel comics readers and fans of Thor movies.
Tattoo artists and fans have come up with creative designs to convey what Odin means to them or which part of his image and identity they embody.
In writing, Odin is described as a war god, protector of heroes, as well as the god of poets. He is depicted as a tall, old man, with a super long beard.
He gives one of his eyes away in exchange for wisdom, so he’s also pictured with only one eye. Plus, he’s usually described as wearing a cloak and carrying a spear.
As we mentioned, there are a couple of animals attributed to Odin that fans have chosen to get inked as well over the years.
In Norse mythology, the ravens fly around Midgard to spy on people and gather information to bring back to Odin. Odin is also sometimes called the ‘Raven God’ because of this connection he had with ravens.
Another one of his pets, his magical eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, has the ability to gallop over the sea and is Odin’s loyal companion. So it has also often been included in many Odin tattoo designs.
Which Celebrities Have An Odin Tattoo?
Although we haven’t found any celebrities with Odin tattoos, many celebs have tattoos inspired by gods, goddesses, and godly energy.
For instance, Bethany Cosentino, composer, and actor, has a tattoo on her left ring finger that features a Triple Goddess symbol.
This symbol is meant to represent the three phases of the moon. In pagan mythology, the waning moon (‘Crone’) symbolizes wisdom and death, the waxing moon (‘Maiden’) represents new beginnings, and finally, the full moon (‘Mother’) means power and fertility.
Singer and songwriter, Maria Brink, also has the Triple Goddess symbol tattooed on her left upper arm. The triple moon is connected to feminine energy and represents both a stage in the female life cycle as well as a phase of the Moon.
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