Most characters in Vikings have tattoos, and Floki is no exception. Kattegat’s boat builder and eccentric resident has a couple of tattoos on his head, and here’s what they mean. Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings debuted on History Channel in 2013, and while it was originally planned to be a miniseries, the first episodes were a success and it was soon renewed for a second season. Vikings stayed for four more seasons after that, and fans are now waiting for the second part of the sixth and final one.

Vikings initially followed Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels alongside his Viking brothers, but the series gradually shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons and made them the protagonists, more so after Ragnar’s death in season 4. Vikings has also focused on characters close to Ragnar and his family, among those Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård), the trickster of the group and Ragnar’s best friend.

Related: Vikings Theory: Floki Will Become The New Seer In Season 6

It’s currently unknown if Floki is still alive or not, and thus it’s a mystery if he will make an appearance in the second part of season 6 or not, but until then, it’s a good moment to look back at one of Vikings’ most memorable characters and how he has evolved. Floki’s changes have not only been in terms of mentality but also physical, and he got a couple of tattoos that hide some interesting messages.

Vikings: The Real Meaning Behind Floki’s Tattoos

Vikings Floki head tattoos meaning

Floki, like his friend Ragnar, has tattoos on the sides of his head and one in the middle, but the ones that have caught the attention of fans are the Runic bands on the sides. Vikings fans on Reddit have taken the time to translate these Runic tattoos and found that their messages are quite fitting with such an eccentric yet mysterious character like Floki. The band on the left side of his head reads as “Luki uiki Þasi runar”, which translates to “Loki hallow these runes”. Floki is very devoted to the Gods, and him being the trickster of the group has made many fans believe he’s the human form of Loki, so the tattoo definitely fits his personality.

The Runic band on the right side of his head either reads “þursamegin : þþþ” or “rimÞursamikin : þþþ”, and either way it’s an invocation to ice giants. The first one is an invocation to the Jotun, used to gain the strength and protection of the ice giants, while the second is all about the evil version of these mythical figures. Even though Floki is very loyal and his joyful attitude is often a cover for an emotionally troubled man, he can also be quite cruel, and his tattoos are a representation of that duality. If Floki comes back alive in the final episodes of Vikings, his invocations would have worked, supporting his blind faith on the gods – and if not, at least he had some of the most interesting tattoos in the series.

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