Achilles tattoo: a sweet way to show off your love for all things Greek.

What do you get when you cross Achilles, the famous Greek hero and his mythological Achilles tendon? Well, if you’re a tattoo-enthusiast, “Achilles” is usually tattooed right on the back of your foot in electric ink.

An Achilles tattoo, sometimes combined with a decoratively tattooed ankle cuff or Achilles tendon, is a popular way to show off your love for all things Greek. But in ancient times, the mythological hero Achilles was said to be the strongest of all Greek warriors and one of the wisest as well.

He was definitely a champion on the battlefield and his famous heel became his weakness, or better yet–his Achille’s heel.

During the Trojan War, Achilles was tricked into fighting a seemingly inferior warrior, who then proceeded to cut off his heel and show it to the crowd. After seeing that he wasn’t invincible after all, Achilles was said to have died by drinking deadly potions.

But compared with his mythological counterpart, modern-day tattoo artists have created some pretty spectacularly realistic Achilles tattoos. I don’t think that anyone is going to confuse a modern-day tattoo of a man’s back (or leg) for the legendary hero himself though.

And if you want to use the Achilles tendon as your theme, then you can make a tasteful tattoo out of it. The tendon itself is not nearly as interesting as the hero himself, but appending an electric ink design onto it does wonders for its appeal.

An Achilles tattoo is unlikely to be confused with another image, unless the model has other Greek mythological tattoos on his body. Put together with a wedding ring and matching necklace, this Greek hero design will look quite sweet indeed.

Remember to consider the size of your tattoo to the size of your body, though. A large and elaborate Achilles tattoo will look out of place on a finger or ankle; it needs a whole arm or leg to look right.

If you’re not sure what you want, a good format for your design is an animal skin–maybe something like a snake’s–on the back of your calf wrapped around the Achilles tendon.

But you should also consider the vein patterns or lines in the skin when choosing your design. Achilles tattoo designs should be striking and aesthetically pleasing, but not too effortless. The lines in your skin should be clear and crisp and not too thick, because that would make creating a realistic-looking image difficult.

To make even more of a Greek hero impression on several body parts, consider utilizing all of the available space on your back, like on the upper part of your arm close to the shoulder or above one knee.

Greek tattoo artists have created an unlimited number of varied and spectacularly realistic designs for these Achilles tattoos, so you can’t go wrong with this choice. The only thing you need to know is how much space your calloused skin can accommodate.

And although I think a Greek hero’s great strength and wisdom are not very fit for a tattoo, the symbol itself is quite universal indeed and memorable. You may already have the Greek hero image in mind from your favorite epic story or endless study of his fabled exploits.

If you love aches and pains, there’s no better time for an Achilles tattoo. With dozens of ideas for what to put on your foot or lower legs, you can choose how to commemorate your injury in the best possible way. Read also this awesome tattoos for chefs ideas.

Here are some cool ideas that’ll keep you going throughout the day: