If you are not finnish living in finland, then yes.
If you are not living in Finland noone will know the origin and to be fair even most finns would only have a faint recollection where this is from .
As a Finn, I’ve got no idea what this is. Go for it, I guess.
Why not just visit Finland and get a tattoo here? Doesn’t have to be a Finnish symbol but it would remind you of Finland that way. You could ask the artist to design something related to Finland, maybe nature or something?
In my perception it’s a harmless symbol and visually I agree it’s cool. However, I absolutely don’t know if white-supremacist types might use this (like they use many other symbols as ersatz swastikas).
Its a symbol to protect from misfortune but after 1960 it has been used as a symbol for historical landmarks. You can find them on the road here and there with another sign stating what the landmark is. Dont know if it is cringe or not. Go for it if you like the shape.
Reminds me of the logo to the Swedish ice cream van!
Looks good. Just don’t combine it with the Confederate flag and you’re good.
Very soon nearly all new tattoos are going to be considered white trash so it doesn’t matter a great deal.
Hannunvaakuna, also known as “käpälikkö”, is a solid choice. In the olden days people used to carve it on the walls of their house and sometimes on skis as well. People believed it protects from the evil. Nowadays it is associated with museums and sight seeing spots because it represents them on the traffic signs.
Original name is käpälikkö, hannunvaakuna is a newer word for it. The name hannunvaakuna comes from a christian saint, I would much rather use the word käpälikkö since the symbol is much, much older than christianity
I think its pretty neat.
First things that spring to mind are the command-button on apple keyboards and then the roadside sign for sights to see.
I’m a person who’s really into cultural history, and I’ve never in my life heard anyone associate Hannunvaakuna/käpälikkö with something cringy or negative. Like people have already said, most folks associate it with sightseeing locations (or maybe as the command key if they’re mac users) It’s a really nice symbol imo and if you wanna play it extra safe, have the tattoo done in an earthy color instead of black and/or add some nature motifs like leaves or branches. Cause you know, there’s bound to be some smooth-brain genius who thinks a black symbol with four corners has to be a swastika (probably not in Finland though)
nähtävyys
It’s not a neo-nazi symbol if that’s what you’re worried about
Im not a Finn, but I did an research/design project incorporating the hannunvaakuna when I was in 11th grade. Solid, cool pattern. Its not widely recognized, esp in the Amercias (surprise friend, thats where I’m from too! xD), so it would have meaning really only to you and the very few who you explain it to OR who has an appreciation of old Finnish culture. I only know one other non-Finn who is familiar with hannunvaakuna and who lives locally to me, and that’s because he loves Finnish history.
I think it’d be cool, but I defer to Finns to make the call on this, of course 🙂
It’s not cringy. With these symbols there’s always the risk that “your local neighbourhood nazis” try to reclaim the symbols for their f’d up ideologies, but Hannunvaakuna is still free from those attempts. So go ahead, it would be an honour.
If it’s part of your culture it’s not. To me it’s cringe to get a tattoo if you’re not part of or descendant of the given culture it represents. I see this in the vas5 majority of American Scandaboos.
It would not be considered cringe. Some might find it weird, as it is the sign of attractions in the road signs, but most Finns would not think anything about it.
If you would like to have a tattoo deeply integrated in the Finnish culture, i would suggest a picture of a “puukko”.
Apple keyboard has that symbol as the “command” key
I have this as a tattoo and I’m not even Finnish lol
No
No. I have one on my elbow. 🙂
It’s a symbol of good luck and fortunately not being bastardized by any group of monkey people. I’d take one too if I’d be into tattoos.
I’m a Finn who has lived in Australia since the age of one. I used to draw this symbol all the time when I was young whilst doodling. I wonder where I could have come across this symbol in order to draw it all the time? Just curious.
i was going to get a kantele tattoo but i don’t know if getting a musical instrument tattoo would look too hipster
Get a Simo Häyhä tattoo. Or spell “I felt recoil” in chinese characters. You will be a metalstar if you play electric guitar in the forest.
29 comments
If you are not finnish living in finland, then yes.
If you are not living in Finland noone will know the origin and to be fair even most finns would only have a faint recollection where this is from .
As a Finn, I’ve got no idea what this is. Go for it, I guess.
Why not just visit Finland and get a tattoo here? Doesn’t have to be a Finnish symbol but it would remind you of Finland that way. You could ask the artist to design something related to Finland, maybe nature or something?
Do it if you love finland
I mainly associate it with the road signs pointing to cultural heritage sites. [Example](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N%C3%A4ht%C3%A4vyys_liikennemerkki_20170523.jpg)
And also I’m old enough to remember its use in pre-Euro Finnish coins. [Example](https://www.eurokolikot.com/image/cache/data/product/main/suomi-1986-5-pennia-b-470×470.jpg)
In my perception it’s a harmless symbol and visually I agree it’s cool. However, I absolutely don’t know if white-supremacist types might use this (like they use many other symbols as ersatz swastikas).
Its a symbol to protect from misfortune but after 1960 it has been used as a symbol for historical landmarks. You can find them on the road here and there with another sign stating what the landmark is. Dont know if it is cringe or not. Go for it if you like the shape.
Reminds me of the logo to the Swedish ice cream van!
[https://imgur.com/a/XSvwpjc](https://imgur.com/a/XSvwpjc)
Looks good. Just don’t combine it with the Confederate flag and you’re good.
Very soon nearly all new tattoos are going to be considered white trash so it doesn’t matter a great deal.
Hannunvaakuna, also known as “käpälikkö”, is a solid choice. In the olden days people used to carve it on the walls of their house and sometimes on skis as well. People believed it protects from the evil. Nowadays it is associated with museums and sight seeing spots because it represents them on the traffic signs.
Original name is käpälikkö, hannunvaakuna is a newer word for it. The name hannunvaakuna comes from a christian saint, I would much rather use the word käpälikkö since the symbol is much, much older than christianity
I think its pretty neat.
First things that spring to mind are the command-button on apple keyboards and then the roadside sign for sights to see.
I’m a person who’s really into cultural history, and I’ve never in my life heard anyone associate Hannunvaakuna/käpälikkö with something cringy or negative. Like people have already said, most folks associate it with sightseeing locations (or maybe as the command key if they’re mac users) It’s a really nice symbol imo and if you wanna play it extra safe, have the tattoo done in an earthy color instead of black and/or add some nature motifs like leaves or branches. Cause you know, there’s bound to be some smooth-brain genius who thinks a black symbol with four corners has to be a swastika (probably not in Finland though)
nähtävyys
It’s not a neo-nazi symbol if that’s what you’re worried about
Im not a Finn, but I did an research/design project incorporating the hannunvaakuna when I was in 11th grade. Solid, cool pattern. Its not widely recognized, esp in the Amercias (surprise friend, thats where I’m from too! xD), so it would have meaning really only to you and the very few who you explain it to OR who has an appreciation of old Finnish culture. I only know one other non-Finn who is familiar with hannunvaakuna and who lives locally to me, and that’s because he loves Finnish history.
I think it’d be cool, but I defer to Finns to make the call on this, of course 🙂
It’s not cringy. With these symbols there’s always the risk that “your local neighbourhood nazis” try to reclaim the symbols for their f’d up ideologies, but Hannunvaakuna is still free from those attempts. So go ahead, it would be an honour.
If it’s part of your culture it’s not. To me it’s cringe to get a tattoo if you’re not part of or descendant of the given culture it represents. I see this in the vas5 majority of American Scandaboos.
It would not be considered cringe. Some might find it weird, as it is the sign of attractions in the road signs, but most Finns would not think anything about it.
If you would like to have a tattoo deeply integrated in the Finnish culture, i would suggest a picture of a “puukko”.
Apple keyboard has that symbol as the “command” key
I have this as a tattoo and I’m not even Finnish lol
No
No. I have one on my elbow. 🙂
It’s a symbol of good luck and fortunately not being bastardized by any group of monkey people. I’d take one too if I’d be into tattoos.
I’m a Finn who has lived in Australia since the age of one. I used to draw this symbol all the time when I was young whilst doodling. I wonder where I could have come across this symbol in order to draw it all the time? Just curious.
i was going to get a kantele tattoo but i don’t know if getting a musical instrument tattoo would look too hipster
Get a Simo Häyhä tattoo. Or spell “I felt recoil” in chinese characters. You will be a metalstar if you play electric guitar in the forest.