Tattoos and The Solomons Knot

One of the challenges of writing my novel, ‘Another Life’, was to provide a means for my protagonist, Oliver, to find the woman who waved to him from a village cottage window thirty years ago. Oliver has little to go on, other than the name of the village, which does not appear on maps.

I decided that she would have a tattoo on her wrist, an unusual design, of a Solomons Knot, a traditional decorative motif found in many cultures and used since ancient times. This allowed me to create scenes where images and sightings of the woman would confirm her identity and introduce elements of her character: haunting, menacing and mysterious, and would ultimately confirm a consistent link with the symbol’s meaning.

Historically, tattoos were common in Polynesian and Inuit communities. At various points in history, they have been assigned criminal, religious or medicinal associations. Whereas Celtic Knots are a common subject for tattoos, the Solomons Knot is rare, making it a suitable and relevant choice for the story.