You’ve seen them. The sprawling, jagged ink climbing up the side of Travis Fimmel’s head in Vikings. It’s iconic. It’s brutal. It’s basically the reason half the guys at your local gym suddenly have ravens on their skulls. But here’s the thing: most of what we think we know about the tattoos of Ragnar Lothbrok is a mix of Hollywood magic and 19th-century folk charms that would have looked like alien technology to an actual 9th-century Norseman.
Honestly, the show did a number on our collective imagination. We want the tattoos to be real. We want to believe that Ragnar sat in a longhouse while someone hammered soot into his skin with a bone needle. But if you actually look at the history, the line between "cool TV design" and "historical fact" is more of a massive canyon.
The Raven on the Head: More Than Just Cool Ink
In the first season, Ragnar’s head tattoo is pretty simple. It’s a single raven. As he gains power, the ink grows, eventually covering most of his scalp in a dense web of Norse-style knotwork. The show's creators weren't just guessing here—they were leaning hard into the idea that Ragnar was a descendant of Odin.
Odin had two ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory). They’d fly across the world and whisper secrets into his ears. By putting a raven on his temple, the show version of Ragnar is literally "wearing" his connection to the Allfather.
Why the ink grew
- Status symbol: As Ragnar went from farmer to Earl to King, the tattoos expanded. It was a visual shorthand for his ego and his legend.
- The Raven Banner: Real Vikings actually carried "Raven Banners." High-ranking chiefs used them to signal that Odin was on their side. Putting it on the skin was a clever way for the show to adapt that historical banner into a character trait.
- Psychological warfare: Imagine a guy with a tattooed face screaming at you in a shield wall. It’s intimidating.
But did the real Ragnar have them? Well, there's a huge "maybe" there. Most of our info on Viking tattoos comes from a 10th-century Arab traveler named Ahmad ibn Fadlan. He met some "Rus" Vikings (likely Swedish) and noted they were covered from fingernails to neck in dark green patterns of "trees and figures."
The Symbols That Weren't Actually Viking
This is where things get kinda messy. If you go to a tattoo shop and ask for tattoos of Ragnar Lothbrok, the artist will probably show you the Vegvisir (the Viking Compass) or the Aegishjalmur (the Helm of Awe).
Here is the cold, hard truth: neither of those symbols are from the Viking Age.
They show up in Icelandic "grimoires" (magic books) from the 1600s and 1800s. That’s hundreds of years after the last Viking ship stopped sailing. The Vegvisir is essentially an 1860s luck charm to help you not get lost in a snowstorm. It has nothing to do with Ragnar Lothbrok.
The show gets a pass because it’s entertainment, but for anyone looking for historical "purity," those symbols are a no-go. The Vikings costume and makeup department, led by Tom McInerney, actually did a lot of work to make the designs look "authentic" by using Hälsinge runes and Borre-style animal art, even if the specific symbols were anachronistic.
The Art of the Skin: How They Did It (Or Didn't)
If the real Ragnar—or the men who inspired the legend—did get inked, they weren't using electric machines. Obviously.
They would have used "hand-poking." Basically, you take a sharp piece of bone, wood, or even a copper needle, dip it in a mixture of wood ash and water (or fat), and tap it into the skin. It’s a slow, painful process.
✨ Don't miss: Movie Theater Fremont Nebraska: Why Small Town Screens Still Win
The color wouldn't be the deep, crisp black we see on TV. It would be a murky blue-green. Wood ash ink fades and spreads over time. By the time Ragnar was an old man in the snake pit, those head tattoos would have been a blurry, dark smudge.
Common Design Elements
- The World Tree (Yggdrasil): You see this on Ragnar’s sides. It represents the interconnectedness of the nine worlds.
- Knotwork: Interlocking lines that have no beginning or end. It’s a classic Germanic and Celtic style that symbolizes the complexity of fate (Wyrd).
- Runes: In the show, they use runes to spell out concepts. But real Vikings rarely used runes as "magic sigils" in the way we see today. Runes were an alphabet. Using them for tattoos would be like someone today tattooing "ABCDEFG" on their arm because it looks cool.
Why the Look Still Hits Hard Today
We’re obsessed with the tattoos of Ragnar Lothbrok because they represent a break from modern, "clean" society. They look primal.
Travis Fimmel once mentioned in an interview that the tattoos helped him get into character—they made him feel like a different person. That’s exactly why fans get them. It’s not just about the show; it’s about reclaiming a sense of warrior identity, even if it’s just a stylized version of it.
The irony is that "Viking" style is now a massive industry. You can buy temporary versions, stencils, and "Viking ink" sets. For a culture that left almost no physical evidence of their tattoos (skin doesn't survive 1,000 years in the ground), they’ve certainly left a mark on our skin today.
What to consider before getting one
If you’re thinking about getting a Ragnar-inspired piece, don't just copy the screen. Think about the style. Look into Urnes or Jelling style art. These are actual historical art periods from the Viking Age.
- Urnes style: Lots of thin, elegant, looping animals.
- Borre style: Chonky, "gripping beasts" that look a bit more aggressive.
Using these styles makes your tattoo look "Viking" without relying on symbols that didn't exist back then.
🔗 Read more: The Ones That Like Me: Why This Brantley Gilbert Anthem Hits Different
Moving Forward With Your Own Ink
If you want the Ragnar look, you have to commit to the placement. Head tattoos are "job-stoppers" for a reason—they are the first thing people see.
Instead of a direct copy, try this:
- Research the Younger Futhark: This was the actual runic alphabet used in the Viking Age.
- Find a specialist: Look for tattoo artists who specialize in "Nordic Blackwork" or "Hand-poked" designs. They understand how the lines need to flow with your muscles.
- Check the meaning: Make sure you aren't accidentally tattooing a 19th-century "Christianized" Icelandic stave if what you really want is a 9th-century pagan symbol.
The legend of Ragnar Lothbrok is just that—a legend. His tattoos are the modern version of that storytelling. Whether they are 100% accurate doesn't matter as much as what they represent: a desire for exploration, a connection to ancestry, and a bit of that old-world grit.