Odin tattoos feel like little time machines. I love how they pull you into those ancient stories — the one-eyed Allfather, his ravens and wolves, the World Tree — all stitched together with symbols that feel heavy with meaning. If you’re into Norse lore or just love tattoos that carry stories, these designs are the sort of pieces that make you pause and listen. I pulled together a bunch of favorites, and honestly? I can’t stop looking at them.
When Odin and a raven become one
Credit: akuma.ronald
This piece blends a raven’s head with Odin’s like they were always meant to be together. The raven’s half-head slots into Odin’s face, creating this intense visual that feels like two minds sharing the same vision. Odin’s lone eye and the raven’s stare mirror each other, so the tattoo reads as a symbol of shared prophecy and deep, threaded wisdom — it’s like the myth itself got translated into ink.
The sacrifices that shaped him
Credit: thrudtattoo_rougebarbe
This dotwork piece is basically a tiny illuminated saga on skin: Odin hanging from Yggdrasil, pierced by his spear, runes scattered through the scene, and Mimir’s severed head whispering secrets from the Well of Urd. The dots give it this medieval-manuscript vibe, and the whole thing feels like a very intentional reminder that wisdom often comes through sacrifice.
Odin with lightning and his crow
Credit: sumok_tattoo
This upper-arm piece is so cinematic: Odin’s gaze, one eye throwing out lightning, while a raven soars beneath him. It reads like power and memory — the raven as Huginn or Muninn, carrying thought and memory — and the lightning adds a celestial vibe, like he’s reaching across realms. It’s dramatic in the best way.
A sleeve full of old-school Northern stories
Credit: isar.oakmund
This full sleeve is a proper ode to Odin: he’s surrounded by Mimir, ravens, wolf heads, even a Valkyrie. It pulls from Mammen-style art and Sigurd stone influences, so it feels like a bridge between archaeological motifs and modern tattoo craft. It’s fierce, thoughtful, and layered — like wearing a whole saga down your arm.
Odin, navigation, and the little ship
Credit: filipkosalectattoo
This one mixes Odin’s one-eyed stare with a Vegvisir above and a tiny ship below — such a pretty combo. The Vegvisir is all about safe journeys and finding your way, so paired with Odin it feels like guidance from the gods themselves. And the ship? That’s the Viking spirit: exploration, movement, a little bit of danger and a whole lot of heart.
Big leg sleeve energy
Credit: a.rodrigueztattoos
This leg piece gives Odin presence — his beard, his intense gaze, and a raven perched below like a faithful shadow. A ship rides above, cresting rough waters, reminding you of Odin’s ties to both war and poetry. It’s bold and narrative-driven, the kind of tattoo that reads like a story when you move.
A blend of styles that somehow works
Credit: thegoldenhindtattoo
This one’s a creative mash-up: black and gray, but mixing neotraditional linework, sketch elements, realism, geometry, and a little abstract flair. Odin’s face is fierce and wise, framed by geometric patterns that feel cosmic. It’s modern myth — respectful of the old stories but not afraid to play with new artistic languages.
Tiny but mighty calf tattoo
Credit: chinox.tattoo
This small calf piece is simple and effective: Odin with a horned helmet, channeling authority and that quiet, warrior wisdom. It’s a compact nod to the Allfather’s strength and leadership — no fuss, just presence.
Sleipnir and bold geometry
Credit: the.nordictattoo
Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse, gallops through a field of triangles and circles in this ornamental piece. The bold lines and geometric shapes give it a ritualistic rhythm, like a modern rune set. It feels adventurous — like the tattoo itself could cross realms.
A neck piece that’s all attitude
Credit: shogantattoo
This freehand neck tattoo keeps things simple but in-your-face: bold lines, horned shapes wrapping around the jaw, and a kind of mask-like Odin presence. It’s a statement that reads as strength and individuality — not subtle, but intentional.
The Tree of Odin, in red and black
Credit: kvltattooer
Here the Tree of Odin sprawls across an arm sleeve, with pops of red woven through the branches. The branches and runes feel alive, each leaf and knot shaded with care. It’s a piece that honors Odin’s relationship with nature and cosmic balance — strong, rooted, and a little mystical.
A hand tattoo built of knots
Credit: valhallvaror
This hand piece uses knotwork to form Odin’s face, wrapping the design around the hand’s natural lines. The twists and turns make the whole thing feel interconnected — a visual reminder that wisdom and fate are braided through life’s choices.
His sacrifice mapped on an arm
Credit: matanlalo_tattoo
This arm tattoo tells the classic story: Odin gives his eye to Mimir’s well, hangs from Yggdrasil for nine days, and seeks the runes. It’s a quiet, powerful meditation on sacrifice and enlightenment, drawn with clean lines that let the symbolism breathe.
When he becomes a skull and the tree grows from it
Credit: kwon_tattoos
This design leans into the darker, rebirth side of myth: Odin’s face shifts into a skull while Yggdrasil grows out from the helmet, roots trailing down like fate lines. It’s about endings and beginnings — death and renewal braided together.
Huginn and Muninn, up close
Credit: andy.mc_art
This arm piece focuses on Odin’s two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, perched on detailed branches. Every feather and talon gets attention, and the whole thing feels like a quiet homage to his companions — vigilant, intelligent, and constantly in motion.
Odin and Thor facing off
Credit: syco_tattoos
This stomach tattoo splits the canvas: Odin on one side with Gungnir and a horned helmet, Thor on the other with Mjolnir and equal intensity. It’s about balance — wisdom and strength, counsel and force — two faces of the Norse divine order.
Symbols that guide and protect
Credit: backbenchertattoostudio
This piece puts the Vegvisir front and center, with the Valknut braided underneath — a crisp combo about guidance and the honored dead. It’s tidy symbolism: find your way, honor the fallen, and move forward with purpose.
Ragnarok in a sleeve
Credit: master_of_none_tattoo
This sleeve is epic: Thor and Jörmungandr locked in combat, Odin on Sleipnir watching the chaos, and Fenrir baring his jaws. The knotwork ties everything together so the whole sleeve reads like one continuous, breathless story about the end of days and the fury of myth.
Wrap-Up
Norse tattoos carry weight — not because they have to, but because the stories behind them do. Whether you want a tiny nod to Odin or a full sleeve that tells a saga, these designs mix symbolism and artistry in a way that feels timeless. If any of these called to you, tell me which one you’d get — I’m already plotting my next tattoo, no lie.
