tattoo

tattoo A pigmented marking etched into the skin which serves a variety of purposes: ornamental, religious, mystical, fertility, health, and magical protection against evil spirits and the Evil Eye. The term tattoo comes from the Tahitian tatau. Tattoos were introduced to the West by Captain James Cook, following his exploration of Tahiti. The custom of tattooing may be associated with the Arab proverb, “blood has flowed, the danger has passed.” A tattoo serves as an initiatory means of identification and represents a sacrifice to an ideal, group, or order on the part of the wearer. Tattooing was done in predynastic Egypt, circa 3500 B.C.E. The Egyptians of the New Kingdom (c. 1570–332 B.C.E.) tattooed their breasts and arms with names and symbols of deities. The priestess of the goddess Hathor tattooed three lines across her belly. Tattooing was known to the Greeks and Latins, who did not practice it, and to the Gauls, some of whom did. In Western culture, it died out during the Middle Ages. In modern times, it is done primarily for ornamentation, sometimes for luck and protection. In imitative magic a tattoo of a scorpion, for example, will ward off real scorpions. Tattooing also has spiritual meaning. Tattooes are tribal marks of rank, scorecards for warriors, and badges of the rites of Initiation. In Iraq, they are believed to enhance fertility for women. In Burma and elsewhere, they protect against evil spirits and DemonS. In Polynesian lore, the gods tattoo themselves. Tattooing traditionally is done by using a chisel or adzlike instrument to groove the skin, followed by rubbing in pigment, or by running a needle and soot-covered thread under the skin. Modern methods include the creation of scars by cutting, scratching, piercing, or burning the skin.

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright © 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.