Neptune for Neptunalia

Found this tattoo, free to use, on Flickr and just had to share it. 23 July is the date of the ancient festival of Neptunalia in which the god Neptune, and his wife Salacia, are celebrated. Not much is known about this two day festival or its ceremonial rites. We do know that celebrants built huts from wood and foliage probably for the purposes of holy partying and that certain citizens would gather for voting on civil or criminal issues. Whatever their ancient practices I encourage you to enjoy the day. Happy Neptunalia!

Ouroboros Back Tattoo

This stunning image comes from the Flickrstream of Amy Messere and is listed under Creative Commons.

History tells us the ouroboros first appeared in the ancient Egyptian book "Enigmatic Book of the Underworld" found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun which dates it to about the 14th century BCE (before the common era).  The story concerns Ra and his union with Osiris in the Underworld. From there the ouroboros is discussed by the Greek Plato as being the first being, complete unto itself: "For the Creator conceived that a being which was self-sufficient would be far more excellent than one which lacked anything..." In the Middle Ages it was sometimes found on playing cards including tarot cards and alchemists also employed the ouroboros as one of their many sigils.  Whoever was using it the symbol has always represented the never ending cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth, in many ways similar to the phoenix, and is a fairly popular tattoo image.

Botticelli Ink

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Okay, so it's still in progress but I don't care. This Birth of Venus, from the original Botticelli masterpiece, is too gorgeous to not post. This lovely tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of artist Shannon Archuleta and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Venus, or Aphrodite if you're more inclined to the Greek side of things, was born from the foam, we all know that. But what many people don't realize is that, according to Hesiod, she was born from the foam of the ocean because Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus. Said member was thrown into the sea which became pregnant and voila! Venus. Her older, Greek name, Aphrodite, comes from aphros "sea foam". How's that for a birth story?

Lady Justice

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of ibroodnow and is licensed under Creative Commons.

8 January is a day sacred to Justitia, Roman goddess of, you guessed, justice. I imagine the ancients didn't imagine their goddess with such an impressive chest but it's a nice tattoo nonetheless.

Kingfisher Ink

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These gorgeous Kingfishers come from the Flickrstream of Graeme Fraser and are licensed by Creative Commons.

In ancient Greece, the week before and the week after the winter solstice were peaceful days on the sea allowing the kingfisher to hatch her egg. As the Greek goddess Alcyone was represented by the kingfisher we now call these days the Halcyon Days. From Wikipedia:

The myth of Ceyx and Alcyone describes how Alcyone, as recorded by Ovid, pines all day by the shore where Ceyx was destined to return. Unfortunately Ceyx, who is referred to as the son of the morning star (a reference to the solstice, not anything satanic), has died in a shipwreck. Alcyone finds this out, and throws herself into the sea. The gods feel pity for Ceyx and Alcyone, transforming them into Halcyon Birds. The first Halcyon days were those days in winter, on which Alcyone first lay her eggs. Her father Aeolus, god of the wind, calms the seas each year since so she can lay them again.

These are considered days of peace and prosperity. I like to think of these days as a calming time before the insanity of the mainstream holidays kicks in.

Cornucopia Ink

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This gorgeous tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of my_new_wintercoat and is licensed under Creative Commons. (To see another cool tattoo from my_new_wintercoat, go here.)

This tattoo was inked by Mike at Black Cat Tattoo out of Boise, Idaho.

The word "cornucopia" means "the horn of plenty" and is most closely associated with the Greek goddess Copia, a goddess of prosperity and plenty, who carried it with her. She belongs in the posse of the goddess Fortune, goddess of fortune and luck. There are various versions of its origins. The most popular one states that the cornucopia was originally a goat's horn from which the god Zeus drank as a child. To protect him from his father Chronus, who was eating all of his children to prevent them from usurping him, Zeus was sent away to live in a cave. The story goes that either the goat herself tore off her horn to nourish the infant Zeus or that he, jerk that he could be, tore it from her head. Now, you might ask, how does a horn, from the head of animal, provide milk to feed a child? I don't know, I really don't, I just work here. To read more about the cornucopia visit The Flower Shop Network.

Athena: Watchmen Style

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This gorgeous Athena tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Ohnocriso and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo is based on original art by Dave Gibbons from the comic The Watchmen.

Pomegranate

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Ragz1138 and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo was inked by Ragz Rejected of Katalist Konsepts out of Fort Collins, Colorado. (Also home to the beloved Mez Love whose work has been and will be featured here many times!)

30 September marks the ancient Roman holiday in which Meditrina, goddess of medicines, is given fruit offerings.

The pomegranate, however, is also a key element of the myth of Prosperpine (Roman) or Persephone (Greek) and the ancient explanation of the seasons. Persephone was the daughter of Zeus, chief of the Greek pantheon, and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. The story goes that while she was out gathering flowers in a field Hades, god of the underworld and one of her many admirers, caused the Earth to open up so that he could rise up and grab her. Her mother Demeter was in such distress after she went missing that she neglected her duties. The crops began to fail and the people began to starve. Eventually the other gods interceded and Hades promised to release Persephone but only after giving her a pomegranate. When she ate of the fruit it caused her to be forever tied to the Underworld which meant she had to stay there at least one third of the year. During this time her mother Demeter refused to let any plants grow which created the season of winter.

SPQR

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Geekygirlnyc and is licensed under Creative Commons. This tattoo is really red cuz it's fresh, but still mighty fine.

SPQR stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus which, roughly translated means "The Senate and the People of Rome". This was a phrase that by most accounts became well known not too long after the founding of the Roman Republic but, of course, lost some of its luster under the monarchy when the Senate and public opinion were subjugated by the Caesars and their successors. It appeared on coins, military standards, monuments and countless speeches and documents.

Orion

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This tattoo interpretation of the constellation Orion comes from the Flickrstream of Xtrarant and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This gorgeous tattoo was inked by Conan Lea of Voluta Tattoo out of Indianapolos, Indiana.

The photo of the actual Orion constellation comes from here; my Google search tells me it's free to use.

Orion is a popular figure from Greek mythology slain either by the goddess Artemis or the Scorpion that would become the constellation Scorpio. History doesn't provide us much source material concerning Orion but we do know that he was a giant man who served as a hunter and was honored as a hero.

Beautiful Phoenix

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This gorgeous photo comes from the Flickrstream of Kurt Elster and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Depending on who you ask the phoenix is of ancient Phoenician or Egyptian origin only later being appropriated by the Greeks. According to lore the phoenix can be multi-colored and live for about 500-1000 years. When the phoenix reaches the end of its life cycle it builds a nest out of myrrh twigs and then burns up. The ashes, of course, are from what the newborn phoenix emerges. For this reason the phoenix has long been identified with eternal life, resurrection and the purifying characteristics of fire.

The myrrh is also significant as the sap, or resin of the myrrh tree, was used in embalming and burned as incense during funerals as well as other sacred rites of pagan as well as Judeo-Christian religions. Myrrh was so highly prized in the ancient world that is was often worth more than its weight in gold.

Grapes

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These grapes come from the Flickrstream of Rambleonsylvie and are licensed by Creative Commons.

Today is the festival of the Vinalia Rustica; it is a day to make offerings to the ripening vines. It is a day belonging to the goddess Venus (Greek Aphrodite) in her aspect as patroness and protector of gardens, olive groves and vineyards. This day also marks the founding of her oldest temple in 293 BCE.

Dog Days End

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Whitewolf Productions and is licensed by Creative Commons.

Today marks the official end of the Dog Days of Summer. The term was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to denote the hottest days of summer running for about forty days from roughly July through August. Why "dog"? Because of Sirius the Dog Star. These days were originally the days when Sirius became visible right around sunrise; this is no longer true due to the procession of the equinoxes. Romans were even known to sacrifice dogs to Sirius to appease its rage hoping for a break from the dangerous heat. Because this time was so hot and offered the least rainfall it was/is considered a somewhat evil time when life was precarious and all manner of bad things could take place.

Jaguar Ink

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This cool tattoo comes from Pietra and was inked by Wagner at Dabliw Tattoo Studio in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. Here's what Pietra had to say about her tattoo:

I would like to share a tattoo I have recently done. It is a jaguar skin inked on my shoulder. I have made it to honor the God Dionysos.

Thanks to Pietra for sharing her tattoo with us! And be sure to check out her Strega site and Podcast!

Pegasus

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This gorgeous Pegasus comes from the Flickrstream of UKDaveW and is licensed by Creative Commons.

The Pegasus is most closely associated with Medusa, dark goddess of Greek mythology. She was once a beautiful maiden who was, through no fault of her own, transformed into a hideous Gorgon, with snakes growing from her head, whose gaze turned her victims to stone. When the hero Perseus used his shield to reflect her killing stare back at her she was herself turned to stone. Pegasus, the magical winged horse, sprang from her pregnant body.

As you can probably tell, Medusa is one of my favorite mythological figures. To see a gorgeous Medusa tattoo visit this post from March.

Hecate and Fae Ink

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These very cool tattoos come from Aelwyn and were created by artist Robin Farnham.

Aelwyn had this to say about her ink:

The first is a Wheel of Hekate. This is on my left inner wrist. Hekate is my Matron, and I honour Her with Her own shrine daily.

The second is the Elven (or Faery) Star on my inner right wrist. I work with the Fae (and Otherkin of other sorts), and felt this was a nice balance to the Wheel.

Thanks so much to Aelwyn for sharing her tattoos! She's the first submitter since the first birthday of NeoPagan Ink!

Lady Liberty Pinup

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Bitchcakesny and is licensed under Creative Commons.

The Statue of Liberty, on which this pinup is obviously based, is itself based on ancient images of the Roman goddess Libertas and the god Apollo. Libertas is a goddess of freedom from slavery, tyranny and oppression. From Wikipedia:

This symbol of Liberty and Freedom is not standing still or at attention in the harbor, it is moving forward, as her left foot tramples broken shackles at her feet, in symbolism of the United States' wish to be free from oppression and tyranny.

The seven rays on her head are said to represent either the seven continents or the seven seas. However, her entire head is very heavily inspired by images of the god Apollo who also often had seven rays of the sun coming from his head and who is closely linked to the sun as well as reason and learning. The torch represents enlightenment.

Happy Fourth of July to my fellow American neopagans!

Fire Ambigram:Update

Edit: Hey folks, there was a really neat tattoo here (see the comments). If you want to see it go visit the Flickrstream of Piers.

This tattoo features that lovely, tricky little thing called an ambigram which is a word that looks the same upside down due to its creative font and style. Be sure to check out the above link as he has similar tattoos for each of the elements, not ambigrams but nifty nonetheless.

Today marks the ancient Roman celebration of Vesta, goddess of the home and hearth. I wanted a fireplace tattoo, couldn't find one, but found this instead! Not what I was looking for but pretty damn cool if I do say do myself!

Earth with Waves

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Augrust and is listed under a Creative Commons License.

Here's a gorgeous Earth to help celebrate the minor Roman holiday of Terra Mater, the Earth Mother.

Lock and Key

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These groovy tattoos come from the Flickrstream of Michiyoemi and are listed under Creative Commons.

Today marks the ancient Roman festival in honor of the goddess Carna who presides over, you guessed it, locks and keys. As such she is a protector goddess whose charges include the home and family.