The meaning of Noho Hank’s tattoos
Sources: The Russian Gang/prison tattoo wikipedia page and seveal police sites
Madonna with Child: Hank was involved with organized crime from a young age and has gone to prison at a young age. It can also mean “not capable of betrayal” (a nod to his Loyalties to the people he loves)
The snake on Hank’s right peck: Since it’s not around Hank’s neck it does not carry the usual meaning of “drug addict”. Given that its on his chest and its more amature than the rest of his tattoos, it probably either means nothing or is a tattoo Hank that has some personal meaning to him.
The Scorpion: Hank has been to prison and has done time at least once.
The angels on his collarbone: Hank’s devotion to his crime family and the criminal lifestyle
Church with dome: Hank has 1 conviction
The star on Hank’s right Bicep with the skull in the middle: The points of the star itself represent Hank’s rank in his gang. The skull may indicate a life sentence or him having killed somebody before.
The grid on Hank’s left bicep: Hank was “born in prison” (Aka has been involved with organized crime from a very young age, probably was literally born into his crime family or into crime in general)
The weird nose wing thing on his left arm: Either something personal to Hank or is more of a shitpost. (Although it does share a superficial similarity to a tattoo belonging to an Estonian criminal named Shulgin)
The Lighthouse: A longing for freedom (both from prison and also in Hank’s case for acceptance)
The Eye near Hank’s right armpit: Due to its specific position this tattoo specifically means he is watching over the people beneath him along with keeping his eyes open to potential threats.
The chess pieces on Hank’s fingers: It means Hank is one step ahead (it is also a nod to the real-life wife of Hank’s actor)
The Black Spade on Hank’s inner right arm: Another indicator of criminal status, usually a thief who has been or is currently in prison.
The Hexagon with a crown: An indicator of Hank’s time served. The crown is also a testament to his status.
The dagger with a snake near Hank’s right armpit along his side: Indicates that he is ahead of a “suit” AKA a gang leader. So this is probably a nod to him taking over the mob (or the LA branch of it) after Goran’s death.
The Cross on Hank’s arm: Hank does wear a Russian orthodox cross around his neck indicating he is a religious person. But the tattoo on his forearm is also a forced Tattoo given as a warning or punishment. This probably means Hank messed up in his early days and instead of being killed or tortured, this was his punishment.
The Cat tattoo on Hank’s stomach/side: Shows that Hank is a thief, and due to its location he has either a life sentence or indicates he is frequently in and out of prison.
The fish? on Hank’s right shoulder blade: I have no idea what that means.
The 5 dots on Hank’s hand: Prison
The removed tattoo on his hand: No idea since I do not know what it was, but judging by the fact the area looked very scarred he either tried removing it himself or it was forcefully removed by another gang member (or in some cases the police).
The candlestick with the spider webs: Its exact meaning is not 100% clear since the specific candlestick on Hank’s arm does not commonly appear in Russian gang culture that often as a stand-alone. However Candles themselves usually represent somebody’s life. Meanwhile a spiderweb commonly symbolizes struggle, being incarcerated, or organized crime in general. This could represent Hank’s life constantly being sorrounded with crime and how even though he is a bright and (from what we have seen) fairly ok person, his past will follow him wherever he goes.
The Scorpion on Hank’s left hand: Also an indicator of prison time (and since its on his hand it might mean he was in “the hole”).
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These were all of the tattoos that I could see. He probably has more on his back (like the fish looking thing) or on other areas of his body we cannot see. But this is what I managed to find.
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