Is this a weird tattoo to have in Germany? I got this after playing God of war and really liking the Norse tattoos, but someone told me that they can be misinterpreted due to far right groups using them!

10 comments

  2. Runes (not just the Norse ones) are the preferred source of replacement-swastikas for various European neonazis from the UK to Turkey and from Norway to Bulgaria (so, all over).

    Usually only specific runes or specific stylised adaptations of those runes (e.g. the Futhark `s` and `o`) are selected for that purpose, but you can’t expect people not to make default associations of runes with neo-nazis, when they are the only contemporary groups that make heavy and public use of them.

  3. Runes are a little sus to many germans but I dont think you will get in a bar fight over it. Just explain that it’s from a videogame when asked. Being a foreigner will surely clear most misconceptions.

  4. I would worry that you were a neo-nazi if I saw this. Or at the very least one of those suspicious neo-pagan types that are at best adjacent to neo-nazis.

  5. You should do fine with this over here. As long as there isn’t a Wolfsangel/Crampon in it my guess would be that nobody will associate it with Nazism.

    What does it mean?

  6. Sure there are a few runes that are used by Nazis but in everyday life no one will care about your tattoos, especially in that style.

    Of course that would change if you acted like a Nazi, are surrounded by nazis, at a demo or something that’s affiliated to the scene.

    But most people will think that they are random Symbols… maybe associate them with black metal. It’s more likely that people think you are one of the medieval guys or “satanist”.

    And anecdotal: I had to pass a police check (thanks to a Querdenker Demo) wearing a black hoodie full with runes and a giant Yggdrasil. And even then the police didn’t care…
    And those Querdenker demos are definitely a place I wouldn’t wear something so bold, that’s definitely an occasion people would assume your runes are meant to be a nazi symbol.

  8. I would be somewhat suspect of you being some neo-nazi, but there are a lot of metalheads with Norse tattoos as well.

  9. Depends on the tattoo, the far right just like hooligans have specific tats. I got runes, valknuts and norse related tats by myself and never had issues here in germany.
    Btw that one looks neat!

  10. You’re good. I have a tattoo with older futhark runes on my back and never had a problem with it.

    If people ask me about them I explain them where they come from and what they mean for me.

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