Why not a - Celtic Tree Of Life Tattoo?

Is the Celtic Tree of Life Tattoo really Celtic?

Here’s my question. When I think about Celtic tattoos, I think about knots and parallel lines that interweave. The original Celts were prevalent in Europe through the early Iron Age. They were eventually pushed back to the borders of the Irish Sea, leaving some mystery behind them. These are my background reference points for Celtic tattoos: a mysterious culture, and images that remind me of metalwork. Most of the Celtic tattoos that I am familiar with are also pretty darned close to monochrome, further reinforcing my metalworking image. People that get these tattoos, at least in my mind, are not the people who would also get tattoos of butterflies and roses.

So, were does the Celtic Tree of Life tattoo fit? Is it even really Celtic? Well, first of all instead of having very straight pieces with very acute angles, the Celtic Tree of Life tattoo has big, flowing, circular, spiral lines. It looks much more organic than wrought iron. So far, at least, the image lines fit with the name. The use of color is also clearly different than my prototypical image of a Celtic tattoo. The Celtic Tree of Life tattoo is not metallic gray. This is the second obvious divergence from my idea of the standard.

However, there are some overlaps between the Celtic Tree of Life tattoo and my ideal. First, there is gross symmetry, but differences in the details from side to side. I am ok with that. Second, the Celtic Tree of Life tattoo makes reference to Christianity. The Celts did convert, and incorporated Christian symbolism in their artwork. The Celtic Tree of Life makes reference to the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.

There are a lot of other Christian designs throughout the world that are incorporated into tattoos. Why is this tattoo specifically Celtic, and not associated with some other group of people that also converted to Christianity? The answer lies in the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is one of the best known examples of illustrated manuscripts produced in the monasteries of the British Isles. It is written in Latin, contains the four Gospels from the New Testament, and dates back to the 6^th century. The Celtic Tree of Life figures quite prominently in the Book of Kells. Without a doubt this validates the Celtic Tree of Life as a Celtic image. I therefore accept that the Celtic Tree of Life tattoo is indeed a Celtic tattoo.