First things first: it’s a centaur, and there’s more to it on the sides. This is the unfinished pic; the rest is currently healing up.

Now, as to the why… The short and sweet version is that I’m a Sagittarius. The long version is a bit more complex, as well as revealing: To start, I’m Greek and a fan of greek mythology. In said mythology, centaurs were nasty, vile creatures, who spent the majority of their time engaged in unsavory pursuits, such as murder, pillaging, marauding, rape, and drunken lunacy.

There was one, however, who was different. His name was Chiron, and he was wise and peaceful. He was the personal tutor to some of the greatest heroes of ancient Greece, including Achilles and Ajax, famed from the Trojan War.

The tattoo serves as my reminder that, regardless of what others may think we will be, or what assumptions they make in regards to how we will conduct ourselves, it is possible to be other than what we are considered to be, to rise above our base natures and strive for the betterment, not only of ourselves, but, more importantly, those that are around us.

The tattoo was done by my good friend Tom Kiernan, owner of Mean Machine
Tattoo, Tampa, FL., in two sessions, totalling about 6:30 hours.

-Greg

Inked by Tom Kiernan – Mean Machine Tattoo, Tampa, FL