Contrariwise: Literary Tattoos Over 600 tattoos from books, poetry, music, and other sources.

22May/120

i am hope

This tattoo belongs to Mark Lidstone.

"I am anti-life, the Beast of Judgement. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds … of everything. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?"

"I am Hope."
- Choronzon and Dream, playing "the oldest game", in Sandman #4: "A Hope in Hell" by Neil Gaiman
25Apr/122

Fear of Falling

This tattoo belongs to Sorbetera.

This is a quote from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, from the story "Fear of Falling".  I got this tattoo because I wanted to put something on my body that reflects my resolve in life. It's a bit long and I could have just cut the phrase but I decided against it. I wanted to include the whole message of the quote for it to deliver its intended impact. I chose this font because I treat my body like a book. If I'm going to put words on my body, I want people to be able to read it and understand it.
3Apr/121

sometimes when you fall you fly

This is Emilee's tattoo.

"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly." 

— Neil Gaiman,  The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections

25Jan/103

tempus frangit

This is Will's tattoo:

This was my first tattoo, though I've been thinking about it for ... well, a long time. The phrase comes from Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series, from Delirium's sundial and means "time is broken." For me, it was always a play on having no sense of time, but realizing that memories are persistent beyond any real sense of time. I can remember what happened ten years ago better than I can what I did for lunch yesterday. I think most people are like that. Having it just above where most people wear a watch is just part of the joke.

6Apr/090

Theme Week: Neil Gaiman, Day 5

sandmantattoo-tc

This tattoo of Dream from The Sandman is on Michael.

Everytime I hear “Tear In Your Hand” by Tori Amos that got a reference to Neil Gaiman:

“..if you need me, me and neil’ll be hangin’ out with the DREAM KING.

Neil says hi by the way”

I feel good to have Sandman on my body and in a way in my soul.

5Apr/090

Theme Week: Neil Gaiman, Day 4

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This is Jocke Berg, singer in the Swedish band Kent, with a tattoo of the Key to Hell from Season of Mists, volume 4 of The Sandman.

4Apr/091

Theme Week: Neil Gaiman, Day 3

keytohell

This tattoo of The Key to Hell was submitted by Favve.

I got this tattoo about two weeks ago. I started reading The Sandman like a year ago or so and I became a huge fan of Gaiman's, I read every book that I can get. When I read Season of Mists, I thought about the Key to Hell as the perfect piece of art to be inked, it was perfect, with a deep meaning, related with Neil Gaiman and with a great design!

I got it to deal with changes, I've always been some sort of status quo person and changes in every sense affect me a lot. This tattoo have help me through my very own seasons of mists.