What does a clipper ship tattoo mean?

It's where you go for work – but also for meaning and adventure. Sailor Jerry loved ships and held master papers on every major type of vessel. His legendary clipper ship tattoos represent both the call to adventure and the determination to be "Homeward Bound".

What does an envelope tattoo mean?

An envelope is most often a symbol for a letter, and a letter can hold an infinity of meanings. There are love letters, fan mail and hate mail, rejection letters, official letters, and more. This means that there is an absolute plethora of inspiration for how to represent yourself via an envelope tattoo.

What does a fully rigged ship tattoo mean?

Fully-Rigged Ships

A tattoo of a fully-rigged ship from the age of sail means the sailor had been around Cape Horn, the rough, stormy waters around the southern tip of South America. A fully-rigged ship is one with three or more masts, square sails fully deployed.

What does sailboat tattoo mean?

The sailboat and compass tattoo was a symbol of navigation for the sailor. The compass represents a sailor's ability to always find his way back home. Not all sailors were lucky enough to make it back to their families so any symbol that brought good luck was a welcome symbol.

Why do sailors get pig and rooster tattoos?

Keeping these explanations in mind, we do know the pig and rooster tattoo meaning is symbolic of good luck on the ocean and symbol to keep a sailor from drowning. Many people get this tattoo to pay homage to sailors of the past or because it looks cool.

A Guide to Sailor Tattoos

What does a swallow tattoo mean navy?

Swallow tattoos are one of the most popular in the navy and have a number of meanings. Each swallow represents 5,000 nautical miles in a sailor's career. The circumference of the earth is 21,639 nautical miles – about 4.16 swallows. A swallow with a dagger would be used as a memorial of a lost comrade at sea.

What does shaking hands tattoo mean?

Shaking hands tattoos, or friendship hands as they are often called, are an old school tattoo design that is great for a filler tattoo. They're small, simple and quite awesome! Representing anything from friendship, love and brotherhood to respect and loyalty a handshake tattoo is great piece of classic ink!

What does a ship tattoo mean?

Some meanings associated with the ship tattoo are new journeys/beginnings, home, good luck, a way of life, direction, bravery, honour or even a troubled past.

Why did sailors get swallow tattoos?

A swallow also became a mark of experience. It was traditionally tattooed on the chest for every 5,000 nautical miles that a sailor had travelled. These journeys were riddled with hardships, starvation, sickness, and death, and so the more swallows the sailor had on his chest, the more experienced and respected he was.

What does a Kraken tattoo mean?

The Kraken tattoo could represent many things depending on the person wearing it. Most would think it's a sign of power and fear. Maybe the person being tattooed feel like they are strong and terrifying, or it might possibly represent the unknown.

What tattoo do Navy Seals get?

U.S. Navy Special Warfare Insignia (Seal Trident)

A common tattoo that you will find on both current Seals and those retired from the Navy is the Seal Trident. This symbol recognizes Navy Seals and designates them as completing their training.

What tattoo do sailors get when they cross the equator?

An anchor tattoo symbolizes a Sailor's crossing of the Atlantic. Sailors may get a Shellback turtle once they have crossed the equator and get initiated into 'King Neptune's Court'.

What is a Sailor Jerry tattoo?

For a sailor, ships are both practical and metaphorical. It's where you go for work – but also for meaning and adventure. Sailor Jerry loved ships and held master papers on every major type of vessel. His legendary clipper ship tattoos represent both the call to adventure and the determination to be "Homeward Bound".

What does a 3 dot tattoo on the hand mean?

The three dots tattoo is a common prison tattoo that represents “mi vida loca,” or “my crazy life.” It's not associated with any particular gang, but with the gang lifestyle itself. This tattoo is typically found on the hands or around the eyes.

What does the tattoo with 3 dots mean?

Three Dots Tattoo

Ellipsis are used grammatically to indicate that the sentence is not fully complete. Many have used this simplistic design to indicate a concept of continuance, an unfinished journey, or a slow change of idea or thought.

What does a pizza slice tattoo mean?

Another common reason why people get the pizza tattoo is because it reminds them of a lot of good times they had when they were younger. Pizza is one of those foods that is eaten during big events, especially in America, and those are some important memories for some folks.

What does a bird tattoo on the neck mean?

Ancient Greek and Roman mythology told us that the swallow represents a departed person's soul, and spoke of Gods who could transform themselves to take the form of a swallow. Today many people consider the swallow their 'spirit animal' that represents fidelity, grace, happiness and peace in their lives.

What does a bird tattoo on hand mean?

The tattoo is supposed to mean that you have "done your bird, done your time". Where "bird" comes from the cockney rhyming slang "bird lime" which means for "doing time".

What does hold fast mean tattoo?

“Hold Fast” written across the knuckles indicate a sailor's career as a deckhand. It's said that having “Hold Fast” on each of a deckhand's fingers would give them the grip they needed to work with the ship's lines and rigging.

What does ship symbolize?

Through time, ships have been regarded variously asfeminine symbols of fertility, as symbols of faith, of peace, of discovery, of disaster, of power, of fools, of life, of death and of the afterlife.

What does a ship represent?

The boat represents a journey, a crossing, adventure, and exploration. It is also the femininity and "sheltering aspect of the Great Mother" (Cooper, 1978).

What does 13 in a tattoo mean?

The MS 13, also sometimes seen just as MS or 13, is a symbol of the Mara Salvatrucha gang from El Salvador. Typically these tattoos can be found anywhere on the body, but are most often found in highly visible places like the face, hands or neck.

What does a snake biting a hand tattoo mean?

Some tattooists have even stripped it of its original connotations of friendship and peace, replacing them with the opposite — treachery and betrayal — by swapping out one of the hands for the head of a snake. These snake handshake tattoos are a treacherous spin on a time-honored maritime motif.

What does devil's handshake mean?

stop talking; refrain from saying something. informal.

What does a dagger tattoo mean?

Having a dagger tattoo can represent both virtuous qualities within ourselves and also any adversity we may experience in life; the biggest of all being death. Not only is a dagger a representation of betrayal, loss and danger but it is also seen as a symbol of protection, sacrifice and bravery.