Stefan Frei’s tattoos began with a Swiss crest and grew into a connected body of Egyptian imagery. He has explained the stories behind several pieces, from the Book of the Dead scene on his torso to the star he got after Seattle won the 2016 MLS Cup. Frei also sketches and makes visual art, and has said he thinks about tattoos as compositions as well as personal symbols.
The Egyptian sleeve is designed to read as one connected piece
Frei’s first tattoo was a small tribute to Switzerland: a simplified crest, his birth year and a Latin word for the country. The idea came from a stamp he remembered as a child. He liked its detail, but his artist said a faithful version would take a full back, so Frei pared it down. The red mark on his left bicep adds a spot of colour among the later black-and-grey work.
His interest in Egyptian art began in a Classical Civilizations course at UC Berkeley. Frei said it drew him to mythology and stories about life, death, the afterlife and the gods. On his left arm, Anubis and Horus appear near the hand, King Tut and pyramids sit through the middle, and Ra and an ankh are higher up. He identified the ankh as a sign of life and linked a scarab to reincarnation and the cycle between life and death.
Frei sketched tattoo ideas before his first appointment and researched the Egyptian imagery. He said he wanted the arm to read as a connected piece rather than separate patches. The torso work came first; he later returned to add the sleeve as a visual narrative.
The Book of the Dead tattoo scene turns the torso into a reflection
On his right ribs, Frei has an Egyptian inscription he translates as “Live and Let Live.” He describes it as a personal motto: he wants to live his own way and let others do the same. He asked a professor at Berkeley to check the wording before making it permanent.
On the left side of his torso, Anubis weighs a heart against a feather in a scene from the Book of the Dead. Frei explained that wrongdoing makes the heart heavy; if it is too heavy, it is devoured rather than admitted to the afterlife. He also described an inscription below the scene as meaning that actions are counted even when other people don’t see them. Those are his explanations of the image, not a complete account of Egyptian belief.
A half-necklace based on pharaonic jewelry sits on his left pectoral. Frei said he researched examples, combined ideas in sketches and had the design placed near the chest and sleeve. It helps tie those areas together.
The Egyptian skull turns his back into a larger canvas
Frei calls his back his largest canvas. He wanted an Egyptian skull, rather than a conventional skull, to fit the imagery already on his body.
The project followed his move from Toronto to Seattle in 2013, though Frei did not say it was meant to celebrate the transfer. In the Sounders’ 2017 feature, the work had taken well over a year and was still unfinished. MLS later reported a February 2017 progress photo in which Frei thanked his artist, AtomArtCore. Those dated accounts show how long the piece took; they don’t establish its current completion status.
The small hand star keeps one Sounders night close
After Seattle won the 2016 MLS Cup, Frei added a dark star between the thumb and index finger of his left hand. The Sounders reported that he unveiled it after the team’s December 14 parade and rally.
The final against Toronto was scoreless through extra time. Frei saved a shot from Jozy Altidore, then stopped a penalty in the shootout as Seattle won its first MLS Cup. The club named him MVP. Frei said the star marks that night. He chose his hand because other artwork already filled the space on his chest.
In SeattlePI’s gallery, Frei identified the star as his direct soccer tattoo; the Egyptian pieces grew from his historical interests. The distinction fits the stories he has shared.
What Frei’s tattoos say together:
The crest points back to Switzerland; the Egyptian work grew from his studies and art; the star marks one Sounders title. Frei has said some designs carry clear messages and others are images he simply wanted. He has compared making art with the calm he finds away from the pressure of goalkeeping.
For more on Frei’s creative work, watch the MLS feature below.