Totally Reclaimed It

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Tattoos Inspired by the Writing of J.R.R. Tolkien

One of my favorite literary quotes is "Not all those who wander are lost." These words are from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, and they resonated enough with some people that they had them permanently inked on their flesh.

Image from http://www.flavorwire.com/356303/20-amazing-j-r-r-tolkien-inspired-tattoos/view-all

Whether it's excerpts from one of the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings, lines of Elvish, or maps of Middle Earth, hardcore fans of J.R.R. Tolkien are getting elaborate tattoos that pay tribute to their beloved author.

http://www.flavorwire.com/356303/20-amazing-j-r-r-tolkien-inspired-tattoos/view-all

The folks at Flavorwire selected "20 Amazing J.R.R. Tolkien-Inspired Tattoos" for a recent article. Some of these tattoos are really quite beautiful, like this rendering of the White Tree of Gondor. This symbol, which is featured in The Lord of the Rings, makes for an absolutely striking tattoo design.

http://www.flavorwire.com/356303/20-amazing-j-r-r-tolkien-inspired-tattoos/view-all

It's amazing that people are so passionate about an author or a work of literature that they will have sayings or symbols connected to that author or literature be forever made a part of their bodies. That's some serious book love! 

The next time I'm sitting near someone reading a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, I'm going to wonder if he (or she), underneath the layers of clothing, has a tattoo inspired by this author of high-fantasy classics.

To see all "20 Amazing J.R.R. Tolkien-Inspired Tattoos," go HERE. 

PS. I now want a White Tree of Gondor tattoo!

Dewey Decimal Tattoos and Other Librarian Ink

I appreciate a good tattoo. If that tattoo was carefully chosen to reflect one of the passions of its wearer, that makes it even better. Many who sport permanent ink happen to be librarians. And being that libraries are their passion, their tats show that. What follows are some choice tattoos on some truly hip librarians.

Photos via http://www.mentalfloss.com via http://www.flickr.com/photos/eskene/5629353497/

Remember the multi-drawered card catalog from the libraries of yesteryear? This librarian does. She has one beautifully inked on her upper right arm. Notice that around the catalog's legs is a scroll that reads: Peace & Knowledge. Love it!

Photo via http://www.mentalfloss.com via http://www.flickr.com/photos/twonickels/4699015688/

This children's librarian loves the profession so much that she had the Dewey Decimal number for books on operating libraries for children tattooed on her upper back. Despite the flashbacks it's giving me to last semester's challenging class on number building, I think it's a great tattoo.

Photo via http://www.mentalfloss.com via http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzmodeus/2723560261/

OK, skulls are badass. But a skill wearing geek glasses is just killer. And having a couple of books behind that skull with a scroll that says "Librarian" underneath? Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is one supremely awesome tattoo.

Photo via http://www.mentalfloss.com via http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatnot/4800400174/

Lastly, here's a librarian with an upper-arm tattoo of the tarot card for Librarian. I don't know if there actually is a tarot card for Librarian. (I know there's one for Magician, which the musician Beck signed for me at a bookstore appearance years ago, telling me, "YOU are the Magician." But that's a story for another time.) Whether there is or isn't, this is one cool design.

To see seven more photos of librarians sporting amazing ink, go to THIS LINK.

Published Authors and Their Permanent Ink

It shouldn't be surprising that many authors are tattooed (some more prominently than others!). Perhaps their inward drive for creative expression also manifests itself on their exterior selves. Or it could be their desire for permanence, whether it's on bookshelves (more preferably, I'm sure) or on the skin. Or maybe it's simply a love of ink, whether on the printed page or the printed flesh.

Kathy Acker (April 18, 1947 – November 30, 1997). 
Photo via http://kimstringfellow.photoshelter.com

Among the published authors who have permanent ink (or had, in the case of notable writers who are no longer with us, such as Kathy Acker) are Patti Smith, Rick Moody, John Irving, and Jonathan Lethem. These are just a few of the stars of the book world (and beyond, in the case of Smith) who Flavorwire chose to spotlight in its July 23 article "Literary Ink: Famous Authors and Their Tattoos." To take a look at all the authors and their tats, go HERE.

5 Books That Have Inspired the Most Tattoos

I'll admit to having more than a few books. And to having a few tattoos. But, bibliophile that I am, I don't have tattoos that were inspired by books. Many people do, however.

"Curiouser and curiouser": A Cheshire Cat tattoo inspired by the fiction classic Alice's

Adventures in Wonderland.

image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelisonfire

Whether they're characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or quotes from Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, literary tattoos are definitely a whole other level of book love. Publishers Weekly listed the five books that have inspired the most tattoos. See the article (with links to literary ink) below.

PublishersWeekly.com * January 24, 2012

Top 5 Books That Inspire the Most Tattoos

source: rate my ink

By Gabe Habash

What’s just as interesting as a tattoo is the story behind the tattoo, and that’s certainly true for the subcategory of tattoos that are inspired by famous literary works. We spent an untold number of hours combing the Internet’s two most extensive literary tattoo sites: Contrariwise: Literary Tattoos and The Word Made Flesh, then cross-checking the most frequently occurring tattoos with Google searches and Google image searches, all to get to the bottom of what books inspire the most tattoos and why. And though this isn’t a scientific ranking, it’s the closest anyone’s come to tabulating which books inspire the most tattoos, given the Internet’s evidence. What you’ll find below shows a fascinating effect: as you look past the superficial design, you’ll find a wholly specific reason, wholly specific to the individual. It’s why one person can have an “I am nobody” tattoo from Sylvia Plath and someone else can have an “I am I am I am” tattoo from Sylvia Plath–it shows how we all treat stories and writing differently.

5. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

King of the long mantra quote, with “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we are free to do anything,” cropping up the most. Fight Club also inspires a healthy mix of text tattoos and image tattoos, more so than any other book on this list. Certainly the film has helped its popularity as an ink subject (a lot of Brad Pitted flesh came up), but what seems to most elevate Fight Club as a tattoo choice is the story’s counterculture message and its promotion of the individual, two considerations always at the forefront of the tattoo-minded’s mind. Morgan, who has an “It’s only after…” tattoo, stated on Contrariwise: “This tattoo represents having strength and independence and losing all fear no matter what situations we are dealt in life.”

4. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The book’s most famous line, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye,” is well represented in ink, as is the elephant swallowed by the boa. But most of the Prince tattoos you’ll find are of the Prince himself, with variations of this design inked onto the back or flank being the most popular. Certainly Saint-Exupéry’s watercolor illustrations in the book naturally lend themselves to tattoos, but it’s the book’s themes of loneliness, being true to yourself, and the appreciation of the world’s wonder and beauty that make it so popular. Like a number of the books on this list, The Little Prince is a children’s book with an enduring message. Check out the book’s official website here to here the stories behind the tattoos, including Ange, who has the book’s famous rose “to remind me that we should learn to know people as they truly are, and not trust simply to appearances.”

3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Probably more than any other book on the list, Where the Wild Things Arecaptures the kid in those who have its characters tattooed on their bodies. A search of the archives turns up an equal number of Wild Things tattoos and Max tattoos, almost every one citing how they loved the book as a child. Along with The Little Prince, Wild Things seems to be the book of choice for those looking to capture the wonder of childhood storytelling. But some have more specific reasons: Deana got this tattoo of Max in commemoration of her son’s (also named Max) surviving a metabolic disease which caused him a severe form of epilepsy. “I could have never imagined how he would turn out to be such a fighter. Or all the Wild Things he would have to face in his short life. That’s how I see my Max. As the most wild thing of all. The one who told all the other wild things to BE STILL! And the rest of his life has been, and forever will be the wild rumpus.”

2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice has inspired the most varied collection of tattoos of any book. Its wide cast of characters, quotes and images are all represented: the Cheshire Cat, the Dodo, the White Rabbit, and the Caterpillar all have fans out there. Out of the quotes, “We’re all mad here” was the most commonly occurring. Credit Alice‘s popularity among the tattooed to the fully-realized world Carroll created, and for tone specific to its story. More than any other book on this list, you’d be likely to get an Alice tattoo because it simply looks great and is hyper-intricate. Tim, who has an image of the Cheshire Cat on his shoulder blade, said on Contrariwise: “The Cheshire Cat is the only creature in Wonderland who uses logic. Though his words often seem mocking and bizarre, his process is always logical. To me the Cheshire Cat symbolizes the fragility of the border between genius and insanity.”

1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Alice may have a higher volume of tattoos, but the single most popular book-inspired tattoo is, by far, “So it goes,” the mantra from Vonnegut’s most famous book. You’ll find the phrase on wrists (the most common location), forearms, upper backs, lower backs, shins, and feet. And that’s not all: the book’s other legendary phrase, “Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt,” cropped up almost as much as “So it goes,” giving Slaughterhouse-Five two of the most-tattooed book phrases, along with “To die would be an awfully big adventure” and “i carry your heart.” In the stories that owners of the “So it goes” tattoos have posted, the saying often represents the owner’s coping with worry or loss, including Aaron, who, in remembrance of her cat Jello Biafra, had some of its ashes mixed into the “So it goes” tattoo next to an image of a cat. Some have had the tattoo done after breakups, and others have gotten the tattoo to remind them of life’s cycles. But for whatever the reason, the phrase’s broad appeal makes it king of the literary tattoos.