𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈

Not even on your shoulder? Really?

Inspired by As soon as you are ready by Silver_Liver (ao3 link-https://archiveofourown.org/works/87328386/chapters/231321486 )

This is my own reference guide to Maul's tattoos. Anyone is free to use this as reference if they want.

1. Conception

"Maul’s whole body had been designed by McCaig, “based the idea of peeled flesh and muscle patterns.” Some of his preliminary drawings for EP1 included costumes that revealed some of Maul’s arms, chest and legs, but they were obviously never produced. Alas, the official reasons for the tattoo designs will perhaps never be known. McCaig speculated that the tattoos became the mark of the Sith. “In my mind, he’s covered from head-to-toe. Every inch of him.”

2. Concept Art + Visual Guide

Face

“If you were to strip the flesh off your face right now...the muscles would form a Darth Maulish pattern.”

Chest, Torso, Back, Hands

Legs, buttocks(😳), Feet

"McCaig added that lots of people called up with suggestions for the tattoo designs for Maul's body. “Especially women -- who were suggesting different patterns, especially red spots on his butt.” Another take on that idea was given on in a report of one of McCaig’s lectures, this one at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX - he stated that in addition that he had created a drawing of Darth Maul for his wife, showing the Sith Lord from the waist down and added that there was a big red dot on each butt cheek!"

I imagine that Maul's legs would follow a similar design as his arms. His knees would be completely tattooed with lines branching out from it, following the flow of muscles and tendons. I've noticed that his backside is less intricate than his front, so I want to believe hiss butt would be solid black.

For his feet, his tattoos would be similar to his hand. The top of his feet would have simple tattoos following the tendons, branching out for each toe, ending at the cuticle. His soles would be tattooed solid black, toe pads included.

2. In-universe

Canon

"Male Dathomirians, the Nightbrothers, such as the Sith Lord Darth Maul, had natural striping that they embellished with tattoos."

Legends

"The Nightbrothers were a tribal group of Dathomirian (Zabrak-Human hybrids) men subservient to the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Shortly after birth, a Nightbrother was subjected to an initiation ritual in which he was submerged in an oily bath, energized with spirit ichor conjured by the Nightsisters' use of magicks, and covered with tattoos on their chests and faces. Sometimes, the tattoos were applied to the Nightbrother's entire body - this was the case with the Sith Lord Darth Maul. The Nightbrothers' tattoos marked them as the Nightsisters' kin and warriors, and also showed which Nightbrother clan they belonged to.

Maul was a member of the Nightbrothers before being taken by Darth Sidious to be trained as his apprentice. Maul's tattoos, thought to be linked to the Sith, actually came from the warrior culture of the Nightbrothers. His entire body had been garishly and ceremonially tattooed in red and black pigments by his mother when he was less than a standard year of age (before he was taken by Sidious), symbols which showed his Nightbrother heritage. Later stripped of his black Nightbrother markings, Maul was left solely red-skinned. Agonizing Sith Tatoos were applied personally by Darth Sidious in an attempt to cleanse Maul's mind. Savage Opress also wore tattoos."

Here's one of my all time favorite videos that features him:

Something like Breaking Bad, for example, has low squiggability (that’s what I’m calling this quality). It’s tightly written, the characters are consistent, there’s little left to interpolate or extrapolate. Obviously, people DO write fanfic of Breaking Bad, but it still has a low squiggability score. Whereas something like Supernatural has a high squiggability score. Fantasy and science fiction often have high squiggability scores. This suggests squiggability could also be related to worldbuilding and potential for people to borrow a premise or setting.

This is my own reference guide to Maul's tattoos. Anyone is free to use this as reference if they want.

1. Conception

"Maul’s whole body had been designed by McCaig, “based the idea of peeled flesh and muscle patterns.” Some of his preliminary drawings for EP1 included costumes that revealed some of Maul’s arms, chest and legs, but they were obviously never produced. Alas, the official reasons for the tattoo designs will perhaps never be known. McCaig speculated that the tattoos became the mark of the Sith. “In my mind, he’s covered from head-to-toe. Every inch of him.”

2. Concept Art + Visual Guide

Face

“If you were to strip the flesh off your face right now...the muscles would form a Darth Maulish pattern.”

Chest, Torso, Back, Hands

Legs, buttocks(😳), Feet

"McCaig added that lots of people called up with suggestions for the tattoo designs for Maul's body. “Especially women -- who were suggesting different patterns, especially red spots on his butt.” Another take on that idea was given on in a report of one of McCaig’s lectures, this one at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX - he stated that in addition that he had created a drawing of Darth Maul for his wife, showing the Sith Lord from the waist down and added that there was a big red dot on each butt cheek!"

I imagine that Maul's legs would follow a similar design as his arms. His knees would be completely tattooed with lines branching out from it, following the flow of muscles and tendons. I've noticed that his backside is less intricate than his front, so I want to believe hiss butt would be solid black.

For his feet, his tattoos would be similar to his hand. The top of his feet would have simple tattoos following the tendons, branching out for each toe, ending at the cuticle. His soles would be tattooed solid black, toe pads included.

2. In-universe

Canon

"Male Dathomirians, the Nightbrothers, such as the Sith Lord Darth Maul, had natural striping that they embellished with tattoos."

Legends

"The Nightbrothers were a tribal group of Dathomirian (Zabrak-Human hybrids) men subservient to the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Shortly after birth, a Nightbrother was subjected to an initiation ritual in which he was submerged in an oily bath, energized with spirit ichor conjured by the Nightsisters' use of magicks, and covered with tattoos on their chests and faces. Sometimes, the tattoos were applied to the Nightbrother's entire body - this was the case with the Sith Lord Darth Maul. The Nightbrothers' tattoos marked them as the Nightsisters' kin and warriors, and also showed which Nightbrother clan they belonged to.

Maul was a member of the Nightbrothers before being taken by Darth Sidious to be trained as his apprentice. Maul's tattoos, thought to be linked to the Sith, actually came from the warrior culture of the Nightbrothers. His entire body had been garishly and ceremonially tattooed in red and black pigments by his mother when he was less than a standard year of age (before he was taken by Sidious), symbols which showed his Nightbrother heritage. Later stripped of his black Nightbrother markings, Maul was left solely red-skinned. Agonizing Sith Tatoos were applied personally by Darth Sidious in an attempt to cleanse Maul's mind. Savage Opress also wore tattoos."