![]() Our global online community is a friendly pace to meet other sailing enthusiasts. Lovesail is a place for passionate sailors to meet others for dating, friendships and crewing opportunities. It served as a reminder to cling tightly to ropes and rigging and acted as a talisman to keep the seaman safe. Thought originally to have marked out an oarsman, the design later spread amongst all sailors. A butterfly on the other hand represents transformation. A red rose is generally taken to be a symbol of love, passion, or loyalty. A variety of interpretations have developed over the years for tattoos with meaning. ![]() Hold FastĪ design which was sometimes seen tattooed across the knuckles of sailors was the words ‘Hold Fast’, with one word on the knuckles of one hand, and the second on the other. Roses And Butterfly Each tattoo has its meaning and significance. The swallow, of course, is used in the designs of several sailing tattoos. In many cases, this symbol would take the form of a swallow with a dagger through it. Many sailors would choose to remember a comrade who had been lost at sea with a ‘momento mori’, or reminder of death, design. Sailing tattoos were known for being symbols of more spiritual things than just where or in what capacity the sailor had served, though. Sometimes crossed cannons were depicted, but other kinds of guns were also used in some designs. You were, therefore, more likely to see this design inked on someone who had been in the Royal Navy or the US Navy. The crossed cannons or guns symbol is another tattoo which defined the sailor in question as a person who had served in a military capacity at sea. Many sailors tattoos related to their past experience in this way. Rather than being a sign that a sailor has serviced in the whaling fleet, though, the harpoon tattoo actually shows that the mariner has served in a fishing fleet. HarpoonsĪnother tool which has been often depicted in sailing tattoos is the harpoon, which many people probably associated with whaling. It was a symbol that the sailor had voyaged successfully across the Atlantic. The anchor had another message to transmit at times, though, especially if a British sailor was sporting the design. In the United States, an anchor tattooed onto an arm was usually a sign that the mariner had served in the Merchant Marine. The anchor is a symbol which is readily associated with the sea and mariners and was also popular as a tattoo design with many sailors. Here we look at five more tattoo designs which have often appeared on the flesh of sailors. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that many of the sailing tattoos designs and images that were inked onto the skins of nautical adventurers in days gone by, possessed a wider significance. ![]() The old school shark tattoo is a mark of the individual who takes to the land and sea with equal lust for adventure and the unknown, the emblem of one who understands the law of nature and embraces, rather than fears, it.Tattoos have been closely associated with sailors for many years. ![]() Tribal Australian folklore tells of shape-shifting shark entities that freely roam about as they please. In other cultures sharks represent the metaphorical bridge between the land and the sea, believed by the tribes of Fiji to protect sailors and fishermen. Hawaiian mythology tells us that sharks were ancient gods in disguise, and that by performing rituals in their honor loved ones could be transformed into powerful beings upon their deaths. The shark has similarly come to represent a badge of honor, a sign that its wearer fears neither death nor the deep. Seasoned sailors have long upheld the tradition of inking shark tattoos on their flesh to invoke the blessings of the sea gods and receive protection for the duration of dangerous voyages. ![]() Hollywood has gleefully piqued our obsession with these behemoths with films like Jaws and Deep Blue Sea, while older shark lore carries an almost otherworldly, alien-like nature. Sharks are creatures of force and dominance, a wild reminder that man was not the first to take to the water. Sharks are the ultimate symbol of our worst fears, of depths as black as midnight, and the coldness of the predators that await us. features production from Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, and Sammy Witte. These terrifying but undeniably awesome creatures of the deep have struck terror and fascination in the hearts and imaginations of the seafaring and landlubbing alike since time immemorable. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |