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The original literary tattoo blog! Over 600 tattoos from books, poetry, music, and other sources.

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The Lord of the Rings

not all those who wander are lost

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All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

– All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter by J. R. R. Tolkien

This is Danielle’s tattoo:

I began reading the Lord of the Rings at the age of 9 and while, at that age, it took me quite a while to finish the books, I fell in love with Middle Earth. Since then it’s been a yearly tradition to set some time out for myself and read the books to immerse myself in a world that I love so much. My attraction to the quote, while based largely on my love for Tolkien, is also based on the significance of the words to my own life. For many years of my life, especially as a teenager, there was nowhere that I felt I belonged. It wasn’t until I got older that I didn’t /have/ to belong anywhere, that I could just /be/. I’m not lost, I’m just wandering.

In Memory of Star

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Jim Genzano explains his tattoo:

The tattoo says “Elendil,” the name of a character from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings, written in Tolkien‘s Tengwar script.  In the Elvish language Quenya, the name means “elf friend” or “star lover.” Elendil’s name written in this fashion was often used as his badge and a device on his seals.  I got the tattoo – my first – as a memorial tattoo after the death of my friend Star.  I liked the “star” connection, and also Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings had a huge effect on me growing up and is still my favorite series of novels.  Star was also a fan.

not all those who wander are lost

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This tattoo was submitted by Tirra.

wanderlost

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

– All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter by J. R. R. Tolkien

This poem was written for The Lord of the Rings and appears twice in The Fellowship of the Ring.  In Peter Jackson’s film adaptation, it appears in Return of the King.