28 Tattoos Inspired by Lord of the Rings

Updated June 2, 2024 213.3K views 28 items

Ranked By

21.7K votes

2.9K voters

JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe enormous enough that there's an endless supply of tattoos fans can get to show their love of the most epic fantasy tale ever told. The world of Middle Earth is also ripe with badass images worthy of ink. Orcs, Dragons, Dwarves, Nazgul, Ents, the Balrog! It's a veritable who's who of fantasy glory.

Treasured books or films are often the best way to go with tattoos, since tatts are extremely personal and every shade of permanent. Lord of the Rings stands as a masterpiece of both literature and film, so it's a natural choice for ink inspiration. Whether you're into the books or the movies, the odds are you're a lifelong fan, so you won't be embarrassed flashing a Gollum tattoo decades down the line.

We've rounded up the best tattoos inspired by Lord of the Rings in one place! Whether they're from The Hobbit or Return of the King, these are true works of art inspired by one of the greatest pieces of literature every written! Vote up your favorites below!

Most divisive: This Sleeve Is the Extended Edition of Tattoos

Over 2.9K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 28 Tattoos Inspired by Lord of the Rings

1. Keeping It Subtle
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
878 votes
2. Anybody Speak Elvish?
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
733 votes
3. The White Tree of Gondor
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
682 votes
4. "Gah, We're Lost. Take Your Shirt Off"
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
726 votes
5. The Eye of Sauron Sees All
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
745 votes
6. A Classic Quote with a Little Extra
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
584 votes
7. Subtle Small Foot Tattoo is Great Protection
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
554 votes
8. Does a Palantir Work When It's in Ink?
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
550 votes
9. Simply Precious
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
586 votes
10. You Have to Really Know Your Tolkien to Get These
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  GNU Free Documentation License
518 votes

11. A Wizard Is Never Later
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
475 votes
12. Gandalf Has Your Back
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
623 votes
13. Flashing a Hobbit Hole
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
420 votes
14. Gandalf's Going to Let This Balrog Pass
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
436 votes
15. Watercolor Nazgul in Hot Pursuit
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
456 votes
16. Gandalf Controls Space, Time, Physics, and Even a Naked Lady
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
618 votes
17. Not Pictured: Smaug
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
434 votes
18. Now That's Ent-ertainment
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  GNU Free Documentation License
399 votes
19. This Sleeve Is the Extended Edition of Tattoos
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
353 votes
20. Just Treebeard Saying Hello
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
324 votes

21. Can the Eye See Through a T-Shirt?
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
370 votes
22. If You Flex, Does the Ring Wiggle on His Fingertip?
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
371 votes
23. The Mouth of Sauron Is No Less Creepy as a Tattoo
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
357 votes
24. Weirdly Adorable
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
364 votes
25. More Gollum Than Smeagol
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  CC-BY
305 votes
26. Saruman's Gaze Might Be a Little Too Intense
- Photo:
  Metaweb
  GNU Free Documentation License
327 votes
27. Gimli Flashes Blue Steel on a Bicep
- Photo:
  flickr
  CC0
318 votes
28. This Orc Doesn't Quite Trust the Human Wearing It
- Photo:
  Wikimedia Commons
  CC-BY
325 votes