My Daily Tattoo

Meaning and Symbolism of the Butterfly Tattoo

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Butterfly tattoos are among the most popular tattoos today and the most frequently requested tattoo designs especially among women. This shows the major growth of women in the tattoo industry as a whole. Butterfly tattoo designs of course are popular among females just for their beauty! There is also a deep symbolism behind the butterfly that comes forms its short and amazing life.

A butterfly of course starts life as a caterpillar and goes through a major change as it becomes a butterfly. It makes a chrysalis or cocoon and then emerges as a beautiful butterfly. This lead many ancient cultures to regard the butterfly as a symbol of the impermanence and instability of earthly life. The amazing process of change from a caterpillar to a butterfly also captivated many ancient cultures that believed this was similar to the process of a soul’s journey from an earthly body to a heavenly body. In fact the ancient Greeks often symbolized the human soul or psyche with butterfly wings in art.

It is easy to instantly see the beauty that a butterfly tattoo holds and the deeper meaning and significance of a butterfly and its life process make for a very popular tattoo design for women.

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The meaning behind the rose tattoo

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Roses have always been associated with love and death. The ancient Greeks believed that the first rose was created when Chloris, the goddess of flowers, came upon a dying wood nymph and transformed her into a flower. Then the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gave the flower its beauty, and the god of wine, Dionysus, contributed an intoxicating fragrance. Beauty, love, intoxication, and death, all in one package; add thorns for a hint of sorrow and danger, and you have the perfect symbol of the human condition

So is it any wonder that the rose tattoo has, for both men and women, become one of the most widely requested of all tattoo designs? Not only is the rose loaded with symbolic meaning; its can be represented as anything from a single small bud or open bloom, or as a garland or bouquet of blossoms, and with or without thorns. It can have flowing ribbons with names of loved ones, tattooed in remembrance or as a pledge of eternal devotion.

One ancient Roman legend is that the god of silence, Harpocrates, happened to witness Venus, the goddess of love, engaging in an illicit sexual encounter. Venus’ son Cupid, the god of love, bribed Harpocrates with a rose to guarantee his silence. The Romans took their myths seriously, and the ceilings of Roman banquet rooms were festooned with roses as a reminder to those reclining at the tables. What was revealed from wine-loosened lips of wine was heard “sub rosa,” and would remain confidential.

A rose tattoo positioned in a very private place and known only to a lover can honor the tradition of the rose as a symbol of secrecy. But rose tattoos can also be worn visibly and proudly, as most men wear them, on the arm.

Even the color of a rose tattoo can add layers to its meaning; the Victorians actually had a “language” of flowers and by sending different varieties of blooms in different colors to those they admired could communicate symbolically all the romantic feelings their conventions would no let them say in person. Rose tattoos, alone or combined with other flowers, can communicate a very private message in a very public way.

While the most requested color for rose tattoos is red, signifying love, romance, courage, and beauty, the blue rose tattoo is gaining in popularity, and has an intriguing history. There are no naturally blue roses, and although research is ongoing to create one, the blue rose tattoo represents mystery and the quest to achieve the impossible. Some legends suggest that the blue rose can magically grant wishes or restore youth.

Rose tattoos, like the actual flowers, can beckon and entice, or hint of danger. Rose tattoos can suggest purity and innocence, or unbridled passion. Rose tattoos can be worn in remembrance of loved ones who have moved on or as pledges of undying love through all the years ahead.

A rose tattoo, in other words, can speak volumes about you, and all you need to do is tell your tattoo artist what you want yours to say!
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Nautical star tattoo and it’s meaning

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Nautical star tattoos have caused much controversy and heated discussion regarding the true meaning of the design. Over the years, many groups have attempted to tag the design with their own unique interpretation. In addition to the nautical connection, this popular tattoo design has been connected to the military, punk rockers, the lesbian community and the anti-racism movement in recent years.

But what are the origins of the nautical star tattoo? Where did it come from and what did it originally represent?

Almost everybody, without exception, accepts that sailors were the first group of people to wear nautical star tattoos.

In previous centuries, working at sea was a very dangerous and unpredicatable way of life. Sailors had very little to guide them at night, apart from the stars. And the one that they relied upon most was Polaris, or the North Star. As this star is positioned close to the north pole, it appears to be stationary at all times, unlike other stars which appear to move as time passes. This provided early sailors with a fixed reference point. And once they know where the North Star was, they could position their ships accordingly and be reasonably confident that they were going in the right direction.

Over time the North Star became a symbol for finding your way home safely and symbolically finding your way in life. But beyond that, as many sailors were deeply superstitious with a rich history of lore about life and death at sea, they were always looking for lucky charms. So many sailors began to place nautical star tattoos on their forearms or hands as a symbol of good luck and a desire to get home safely.

Skip forward through the centuries and the meaning of the nautical star tattoo has become broader. Not only is it a symbol of the sea, but also a sign of security and guidance for all sailors and travelers. It has also become a sign of following your dreams and achieving success in your life.

However, these is some disagreement concerning the design of the nautical star. Most people accept that the basic design of the nautical star is a five pointed star. But a minority of people claim that the nautical star represents the traditional design of a ship’s compass. This consists of the four cardinal directions, North, South, East, West, and possibly the intermediate directions of North East, South East, South West and North West. So their idea of the nautical star is a four pointed design or even an eight pointed star.

Personally, I think that the five pointed star best represents the design of the nautical star tattoo, especially when you consider that on many nautical maps, north is shown by a compass style five pointed star.

But whatever style of design is selected, one thing is clear; the nautical star has had a long connection with naval tradition and was originally a symbol of finding your way home safely. And while other groups may attempt to link themselves to the use of the nautical star tattoo, the sailors of bygone centuries will always retain the distinction of representing the original interpretation of this iconic tattoo design.

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