tattoos of the russian mafia
one of the most memorable images from eastern promises (besides, of course, the scene where aragorn has a naked knife fight in a turkish bathhouse) is the glimpse we get of each mobster’s ornate hand tattoos. these tattoos are a kind of graphic cant which broadcast each person’s affiliations, jail time, specialties, ideologies, et cetry et cetry. fortunately for you, your dear friend raynor has got a decoder ring. it’s called the russian criminal tattoo encyclopedia (2005) by danzig baldeav. here is an interpretation of the above tattooed hand:
- 5 dots: 4 watchtowers and me. (i have been in prison)
- MIR: an acronym that spells the russian word for peace, but which stands for “shooting will reform me.”
- cat’s head: a thieves’ symbol
- LARA: a girlfriend’s name
- various convictions
- little finger: anarchist
- third finger: complete orphan, ‘rely on no one but yourself’
- middle finger: convicted for brigandage
- forefinger: a ‘leninist’ bandit. leader of a group of expropriators
- PEGA: a nickname
