Sailor tattoos and the longing for home

“Sailor tattoos always relate to the sea or the yearning for home. And a wealth of superstition surrounds them,” Majbritt explains, “How will I get home if the ship sinks and longing for loved ones are recurring themes.”

The tradition of sailor tattoos dates back to at least the 16th century. American and European sailors would prick holes in their skin and rub gunpowder or ink into the wounds.

But the art of tattooing is much older. 8th century Vikings had tattoos and mummified remains have been found with tattoos dating back to ca. 3300 B.C.

Majbritt launched a book about sailor tattoos a few years back, “We must honour, acknowledge and value history, without getting stuck in it. You can’t run the oldest tattoo parlour in the world and not know the history.”

Broad Appeal

The parlour opened in 1884 and features in the Guinness Book of Records, it counts King Frederick IX of Denmark amongst its customers.

The First Woman To Work At Tattoo Ole

No woman was allowed to tattoo at Tattoo Ole until Majbritt Petersen was hired by then owner, Bimbo, in 2008. He was fascinated by her talent and asked if he could teach her the old-school techniques.

Bimbo sadly passed in 2010 of a heart attack. “It was a shock, but I felt I had to keep the parlour going,’ Majbritt recalls, so she took over as its 12th owner. The first years weren’t easy. She was given notice to leave the premises at Nyhavn 17, but won a protracted legal battle to stay on account of the parlour’s long history and the cultural legacy it represents.

Historic Sailor Tattoos

Majbritt began tattooing at age 18. Sailors under the needle would regale her with old seafarers’ tales and myths, which she collected in her passion for the history and symbolism of tattoos.

For Majbritt Petersen sailor tattoos symbolise something positive, “We’re a seafaring nation and the tattoos remind us of where we come from and not least how good we have it today.”

We are all familiar with some of the classic motifs: anchor, swallow, rose with the name of the wife, perhaps. It’s all about belonging or what you have achieved – a swallow on the shoulder means that you have sailed 5000 nautical miles, the number of times the rope coils around the anchor tells us how often you have crossed the equator, and so on.

Sailor tattoos are no longer the exclusive preserve of seafarers or men. Some have them inked in memory of a father or grandfather, others just like the designs, but in general tattoos are often a symbolic connection with someone or something you love.

And though the symbolism remains, tattoo artists constantly innovate the designs. Majbritt is certain that sailor tattoos will survive, “People still sail, and always will. We travel so much more today, searching for belonging and yearning for home will endure. Things change all the time, for the better. Still, the atmosphere surrounding tattoos and Nyhavn remains the same.”

SKRIVAÐ HEVUR HELGI JACOBSEN SAVNAÐ SAMAN TILFARIÐ HEVUR HERGEIR PETERSEN