By Olivia Xenou, B΄ class
◾Star Designs
The star is a tattoo symbol popular with both men and women, and the Nautical Star tattoo design has gone through a strong revival. In many cases the meaning of a particular star may depend upon the number of points and the orientation of these points.
◾Angel Tattoos
An angel is a symbol of devotion, spirituality, faith, and signifies a relationship with God. Angels can be intended as a figure of guidance and protection. It is often used as the centerpiece of a tattoo that is used as a memorial.
◾Cross Tattoos
There is perhaps no religious icon or symbol more universally recognized than the Christian Cross. Religious symbolism is prominently featured in several tattoo design genres, both ancient and modern, and in fact could be argued that all traditional tattooing among indigenous peoples has a strong spiritual element. See also Celtic Cross, Maltese Cross and Iron Cross.
◾Wings
The wing design is often infused with inspirational or spiritual significance; the angel motif is a symbol of guidance and protection. For those who dream of soaring the skies, the wing symbol takes on the feathery aspect of a bird. Popular with both men and women.
◾Dragon Tattoos
A true classic tattoo design that shows the influence of Japanese and Chinese culture in Western tattooing. The dragon is a culturally far-ranging character whose apparent bad temper should be interpreted as simply amoral, neither good nor evil. Popular with both men and women.
◾Phoenix Tattoos
The phoenix is another tattoo design that illustrates the enduring popularity of Japanese tattooing traditions. But the phoenix is also a design with a rich mythological history in both Eastern and western cultures. Tales of the phoenix appear in ancient Arabian, Greek, Roman, and Far Eastern mythology. In both Greek and Egyptian tales, the phoenix represented the sun, dying in flames at the end of the day and rising each morning.
◾Swallow Tattoos
The swallow & bluebird are another tattoo design that shows the enduring popularity of nautical tattoo art. In ancient times, the swallow was associated with the “imperishable” stars and the souls of the dead. According to a Greek legend, secret texts told how to transform into a swallow, something the ancient deities liked to do. The swallow is a tattoo design that is popular with both men and women.
◾Lion Tattoos
The influence of the power of the Lion’s symbolism can be seen in its representation in both Chinese and Japanese art and mythology, as well as, both Eastern and Western cultures. The Lion was often used as a symbol of Royalty, as in many cultures it was considered the «King of the Beasts». In early Christianity, as Jesus was seen to be the «King of Kings», he was often represented by a Lion, and a Lion was the symbol of St. Mark. The Lion or Leo, is one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and represents the Sun.
◾Sun Designs & Symbols
The Sun as a tattoo design is a reflection of the Sun’s profound symbolic nature in most cultures around the world. As a tattoo design and symbol, a Sun represents fertility, vitality, passion, courage and eternally renewed youth, light and knowledge. The Sun was a symbol of both royal and divine powers, adopted by both secular and religious authorities. The sun as a tattoo is very popular with both men and women.
◾Tiger Tattoos
Tiger tattoo designs are popular in both Eastern and Western tattoo genres, and have a rich history in myths and legends in many cultures. Tigers are associated with power, ferocity, passion and sensuality, beauty and speed, cruelty and wrath. See also, Japanese Tattoo Designs
A tattoo design with a rich history that crosses both gender lines and design lines. The Rose in the West represents what the Lotus does in the East. A symbol of love, but especially of a love that is pure. Because of the rose’s beauty, scent and shape, it is the ultimate floral symbol. Of all the flower tattoo designs, the rose is still the most popular and the most requested. Interestingly, the rose is nearly as popular with men as it is with women. See also, Flowers.
◾Heart Symbols
Heart tattoos have been popular for well over a century. Heart tattoos were very popular with Servicemen in WWII; tokens of their loved ones that accompanied them and were a constant reminder of what they were fighting for. See also, Sacred Heart.
◾Zodiac Symbols
Mankind has been fascinated by the zodiac for millennia, since we first connected the dots between stars and named the constellations. Searches for Zodiac symbols encompasses both the West and the East, with people searching for Zodiac symbols that represent both the classic Greek / Roman Zodiac and the Chinese Zodiac, as well as, searches for Zodiac signs rendered in Japanese Kanji.
◾Skull Tattoo Designs
Represented in a number of tattoo design genres, as well as a classic tattoo design that has been popular for generations of tattoo enthusiasts. Nautical Tattoos with the Jolly Roger, or famed pirate’s flag of Skull and Crossed Bones, Old School Tattoos, New School Tattoos, Bio-Mechanical and every School of Tattoos in between. In Buddhism and Hinduism, skulls can be seen in their religious art.
◾Pinup Girl Tattoos
Pretty girls never go out of style especially when it comes to those classic tattoo pin-up girls. Pretty girls and tattoos never go out of style. A pinup girl is a woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of her on a wall. The term was first attested to in English in 1941; however the practice is documented back at least to the 1890′s. Today pin-up girls are just as popular with women body art enthusiasts as they are with men.
◾Crown Tattoo Designs
As a tattoo symbol, the crown doesn’t just mean the right of one person to command another. The crown tattoo symbolizes an individual’s sovereignty over their own life, feelings, thoughts, and actions. The crown symbolizes self-control, and is a reminder to use power and authority wisely and justly. Many groups have used the crown to symbolize the power and authority to lead or command. When it is combined with a cross, one of the meanings of the crown is «victory,» and the cross symbolizes Christianity.
◾Eagle Tattoos
The eagle tattoo is a typically male design that crosses over a significant number of tattoo genres, and the influence of the eagle in American tattooing cannot be underestimated. For freedom lovers everywhere, the Eagle’s ability to fly to the tops of mountains and swoop silently into valleys makes it the unchallenged symbol of a free spirit. The influence of the Eagle in American tattooing cannot be over-estimated, especially within the military and patriotic service tattoos genres