45+ Armor Tattoo Ideas

By Jason Hamilton / April 12, 2018
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Armors have existed for as long as wars and battles did. People go to war for resources, power, and influence. In these dark times, an armor has been a symbol of protection for not just the one who wears it but the society the wearer protects. In this day and age, visible armor is now almost non-existent because of the technological advances we made to make it more hidden, subtle, and strong. We now live in a time where a simple cloth could be an armor even stronger than iron plates. But just because armor became out of fashion, that does not mean its legacy died. The heritage and image of body armor still live on through armor tattoo designs inked on the skin of people.

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A Brief Background On Body Armors

The body armor we are familiar with from movies, tv shows, and museum exhibits date back from the Greek classical era. The Myceneans made the first recorded bronze plated full body armor. This armor became the archetype for future body armor until the dawn of the modern era and the advent of manpower battles.

There are a lot of kinds of body armor developed after the initial invention of the Myceneans. During the middle ages, body armors are aplenty due to the different kingdoms, principalities, and states that sprung up especially in the old world (Europe). There are leather, chainmail, bronze-plated, iron-plated, brigandine, splinted, and other kinds of armor that offers different kinds of protection. Most famous of these armors is the iron-plated armor which is often depicted in movies, television shows, and paintings.

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The body armor each knight or footmen wears bear the symbols of the society they protect. The body armor symbolizes the might of that specific society. The more complex and stronger the armor is, the more powerful and rich the society the wearer protects. Oftentimes, the knights who wore heavy iron-plated body armor not only symbolizes protection but moreover, it also exhibits the status of the individual who wears the armor. This can be seen if you compare the body armors of footmen, cavalrymen, knights, paladins, and royalty.

What Are Some Of The Famous Body Armor Pieces?

Do not know what kind of armor you want to be inked on your body? Here are a few armor pieces that are quite famous that is often featured in armor tattoo designs. (source: www.wikipedia.org)

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Gauntlets

  • is a name for several different styles of glove, particularly those with an extended cuff covering part of the forearm. Gauntlets exist in many forms, ranging from flexible fabric and leather gloves to mail and fully articulated plate armor. Most famous of these gauntlets is an articulated iron-plate armor as it provides the most protection from blunt and slice attacks. This type of gauntlet is often depicted on screen as the armor of choice by those who are using swords and maces.

Breastplate

  • breastplate or chest plate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing. Most famous of these breastplates are those worn by French Carabinier due to their complex design and protection it gives to the wearer. It is also usually made of Iron with bronze embellishments.

Greaves

  • The purpose of greaves is to protect the tibia from blunt and slice attacks. The tibia is a bone very close to the skin making it extremely vulnerable. Usual greaves during the middle ages are made of iron plates with a felt lining inside to absorb most of the shock from an attack to the leg.

Do Armor Tattoo Designs Have Any Meaning?

The meaning of the armor did not change even to this day when body armor can only be seen on the screen and in museums. Having a type of body armor be inked on your skin signifies strength, courage, and bravery. These meanings are a nod to the people who once wore these armor, risking their life and limb just to protect the people of the society they are serving.

The Advisable Places To Have Armor Tattoos

There are a lot of types of armor out there but the most famous of these are the gauntlets (armor that protects the hands and forearm), chest plate, shoulder plates, and greaves (armor that protects the leg). These type of armors are always inked on the original places the armor type was worn.

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Armor Tattoo Gallery

Since you now have a background in armor tattoo design, here are a few ideas we have seen on the web that might interest you to have one inked.

We have grouped each armor tattoo design to the original armor piece it was based on to not cause any confusion.

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Chestplate Armor Tattoo Designs

  1. An ornate chest plate armor tattoo with a heraldic lion face as its focus.

2. A battle chest plate armor tattoo.

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3. A Celtic-inspired chest plate armor tattoo with a Celtic dragon as its centerpiece.

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4. A chainmail breastplate armor tattoo with a simple coat-of-arms.

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5. A simple chest plate armor tattoo featuring the Celtic Cross.

6. An extremely detailed chest plate armor tattoo.

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7. A multi-plated chest plate armor tattoo design.

8. A Viking-inspired chest plate tattoo with the Valknut symbol.

Gauntlet Armor Tattoo Designs

(A Gauntlet is a piece of armor that is worn on the forearm)

  1. A celtic-inspired gauntlet armor tattoo.

gauntlet celtic tattoo

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2. An Avengers-themed gauntlet armor tattoo featuring the gauntlet of Thanos.

3. A Christian-themed gauntlet armor tattoo design.

gauntlet christian tattoo

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4. A fantasy-inspired red gauntlet armor tattoo.

Greaves Armor Tattoo Designs

(Greaves are armor pieces that are worn on the legs)

1. A Celtic-inspired greaves armor tattoo.

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2. A neo-futuristic greaves armor tattoo design.

greaves metal tattoo

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Shoulder Plate Armor Tattoo Designs

  1. A baroque shoulder plate armor tattoo with a star-shaped fort as its centerpiece while being surrounded by heraldic feathers.

2. A shoulder plate armor tattoo design with iron plates and chainmail in combination.

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3. An intricate cracked shoulder plate armor tattoo.

4. A detailed shoulder plate armor tattoo with a heraldic lion face as its centerpiece with a fleur-de-lys as a chest plate extension.

5. a royal-like shoulder plate armor tattoo of a golden lion.

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6. A multi-plated shoulder plate armor tattoo with a heraldic lion face as its centerpiece.

7. An intricate shoulder plate armor tattoo.

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8. A cracked intricate shoulder plate armor tattoo with a heraldic dragon as its focus.

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9. An intricate shoulder plate armor tattoo with the Star of David

10. An iron-plated shoulder plate armor tattoo with the Latin Cross.

11. A chainmail shoulder plate armor tattoo with a gold angel as its centerpiece.

 

 


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About the author

Jason Hamilton

Jason has been an avid fan of tattoos for over 13 years now. He is currently 35 years old, and he got his first tattoo at the age of 22. Since then, he has added over 20 tattoos to his collection. He is also into writing, which is why he decided to celebrate both of his passion and hobby through tats ‘n’ rings. Jason dreams of having his very own tattoo parlor soon. Jason would be very happy to answer any questions about tattoos that you may have! Leave a comment below and he’ll answer it for you right away!

1 comment
50+ Epic Looking Samurai Tattoo Designs You Will Most Definitely Love - Tats 'n' Rings - October 30, 2018

[…] which is very interesting to have as a tattoo on your body. In a way, this is very similar to armor tattoo designs from the west but samurai armor tattoo designs have this distinct Asian or Japanese touch to it […]

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