TATTOOS and TALES

Anyone who remembers their earliest childhood days will remember the many stories that catapulted them into a completely alien world with all these strange motifs. They were journeys into the unconscious, full of deep feelings, thoughts and dreams. We had many encounters back then. The Town Musicians of Bremen, frogs with golden balls that eventually turn into princes, tricky tomcats and many more. But also that at the end, after many journeys and experiences, many lay in each other's arms again, e.g. father and son, or mother and daughter.

These feelings are often lost in adulthood. Everything seems so hectic and superficial. Fairytale tattoos often help to build a bridge between reality and the fantasy world. We wear fairytale characters on our bodies to be "reminded" of deep feelings and to escape the present. And even more: basically the ability to see the world from a different, unfamiliar perspective and thus to rethink it.

For fairytale tattoos, however, it is important to make free use of the pool of figures, i.e. people, animals and plants. The motifs only serve to express your own feelings. And everything should be possible and changeable.

There are countless characters in the stories of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and all the storytellers who can be motifs for any tattoo enthusiast. The range of fairy tale characters is constantly expanding and also proves their versatility. Recently, the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ movement has also been able to claim its fairytale-like recognition. LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, queer, intersex and asexual, and that everyone is allowed to love whoever they want. And everyone is allowed to have the tattoos they want. Unless they call for violence and discrimination, of course. What does that have to do with fairy tales?

It only recently came to light that it was not only Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm who collected the fairy tales. Their brother Ferdinand also collected legends and fairy tales, he was gay, and had a different way of telling them. Cool, because this expands the family of fairy tale characters considerably, offering us all the more inspiration and profound metaphors. For example, a wizard who makes his pursuers dance into delirium, or the many spirits, like the forest spirit Rübezahl. The talking magical birds. Or all the many dwarves who go about their business deep underground in the mountain worlds. Once, a girl gets lost in the dwarf world and finds "brittle pheasants", "mighty tulip plants" and "dainty caterpillars". Ferdinand was even more imaginative than his brothers and is well worth reading. Fairy tales don't always have to follow the cliché, and neither do the many tattoos dedicated to this theme. Follow your own imagination: how about the "evil" wolf in a pink tutu, or Little Red Riding Hood fighting with Snow White over the seven dwarfs' lust. Or Rapunzel, who cuts off her hair while the supposed prince climbs up because she just doesn't fancy the guy. Many things are conceivable, and the fairy tales can be adapted in many ways. Especially when it comes to tattoos. Wit is required here.

Another suggestion: Why not simply show the "bad" guys in fairy tales in a different light? In fairy tales, the good guys always win in the end. Morally, that's right. But bad characters are more interesting and can be wonderfully parodied. How about the gingerbread witch standing up for better working conditions together with Hansel and Gretel. Or the dark fairy Malefiz making a career as a catwalk model. Her antelope-like horns, high cheekbones and dark, deep eyes shine particularly beautifully in the spotlight.

Fairy tales as inspiration for tattoos can be daring and a little crazy. This gives each individual their own personal touch.

Text: Julian Bachmann / Picture: Jonas Bachmann

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