Colorful Anchor and Skull Design Tattoo

Brightly colored yellow anchor with diamond, a ruffled pattern, rays and skull in profile. Nice.

Dude w/ Pair of Anchors on Arms Tattoo

Simple pair of matching anchors in black ink. Kinda a Popeye placement on the forearms.

Tribal Tattoos

Tribal arm Tattoo ideas

Tribal tattoos, as the name implies, originated among Native American tribes and date back to over 5,000 years. Perhaps they are so prevalent among fraternity brothers due to the fact that the tattoos were originally applied to show loyalty to a particular tribe in native lands.

Tribal Tattoo, tattoo ideas

Tattoos were also used to display a person's caste status, wealth, role in the tribe, even to document his brave deeds or societal contributions. They also served a purpose when it came to traveling, tribal tattoos clearly identified a stranger as belonging to a neighboring sect and detailed what rank he held.

Later on, tattoos were used to create scenes on the body depicting battles the tribe member took place in. They were also used as memorials for loved ones who had passed away, their memory honored in the form of a soaring eagle.

Tribal Tattoo ideas for girls

Tattoos were certainly not limited to Native Americans, however. The Yokuts of California used body modification to call attention to the location of a person's supernatural power; the indigenous tribes of New Zealand, Africa, Central America and Hawaii also practiced the art of tattooing.

Religious Tattoos

The idea of religious tattoos may seem counterintuitive, for several reasons – not only is tattooing prohibited by some religions, such as Orthodox Judaism, but until recently, tattoos were associated with a vaguely disreputable counterculture that seems at odds with religion.

Religious Tattoos

However, religious symbols – Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Islam or otherwise – are actually quite common tattoo designs. It might surprise you that about 25% of all tattoos in America have a religious meaning

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Nice Tattoos have become a habit since the ancient times and has served as symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, a sign of status and rank as well as signs of outcasts, slaves and prisoners. Symbolism varies in different countries and cultures. Today, people choose to have cosmetic and tattoos for sentimental reasons, a form of self representation and identification with particular groups.

Among the different designs available, koi fish tattoos become more popular with men and women, probably because of its mystical symbolism. Koi fish is actually a type of goldfish that were bred specifically to have a wild and brilliant color scheme, with general symbolic meaning of luck. In Japanese folklore, the koi represents overcoming obstacles as told in a legend where koi swim along the Yellow river upstream will magically turn into a dragon. This is clearly an emphasis on overcoming adversity in life.

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Nice Bird tattoo designs have taken precedence over all other forms and types of tattoo designs universally. Across time, space and cultures, the bird has stood as a symbol of freedom, of spirit, of soul, of beauty. Flying high in the blue skies, birds are said to be closer to the gods and the heavens, and in many cultures, are viewed as creatures that carry the spirits of the departed to the heavens above.

In the days of old, heroes were always accompanied by birds as they went in pursuit of fiends, ogres, dragons and monsters. In most tales of yore, the birds would fly ahead to spy and return to inform the hero of looming obstacles, thus bringing about the famous phrase, 'a little bird told me'!

Nice Bird tattoos are also very popular due to their connection with religion as well as the mystical. Birds can be found in every era of history; stick figurines of birds have been discovered in the ancient Egyptian tombs in the pyramids, bedecking Arapaho Ghost Dance costumes, at African traditional rituals and weddings across all religions. Christian portrayals of cherubs and angels show them having wings, which are synonymous with birds. In almost all instances, birds are symbols of all the positive things in life, which is why many people tend to go for bird tattoo designs, especially for their first tattoos.

Generally, a bird tattoo design will consist of a pair of birds, depicted together. They tend to be opposites in characteristics; fair to dark, black to white, big to small. This merely shows the dual nature of the universe; where sadness exists, so does happiness. Where night exists, so does day. In other cases, good and evil are also portrayed by birds, for example, when we have a bird tattoo design of a bird fighting a serpent.

Decidedly, there are some implications to birds that are not completely normal. In China, the bird is called the niao, which also means penis, thereby bringing in sexual overtones into bird tattoos. Also, the double meaning of a cock as either a rooster or a penis dates back to eras past in the Rome of old. Some portrayals of birds are quite negative in impact. In Germany, to be insane can be put politely as to 'have a bird'! 'Bird-brain' is also one of the most famous insults in the Western World, although most people do not associate these negative impressions with bird tattoo designs

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At the beginning of the Meiji period the Japanese government, wanting to protect its image and make a good impression on the West, outlawed tattoos, and irezumi took on connotations of criminality. Nevertheless, fascinated foreigners went to Japan seeking the skills of tattoo artists, and traditional tattooing continued underground.

Tattooing was legalized by the occupation forces in 1945, but has retained its image of criminality. For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the yakuza, Japan's notorious mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos.

Tattooing and other forms of body decoration and body modification, as in much of the western world, are gaining in popularity in Japan. However, Japanese young people who choose to get tattooed are most often choosing "one point" designs -- small designs that can be completed in one sitting -- usually in the American or tribal styles. More recently, however sanskrit Siddham script tattoos are becoming more and more fashionable.

Traditional irezumi is still done by specialist tattooists, but it is painful, time-consuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (covering the arms, back, upper legs and chest, but leaving an untattooed space down the center of the body) can take one to five years of weekly visits to complete and cost in excess of US$30,000.

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The phoenix incorporates notions of life, rebirth and renewal. If you are contemplating a phoenix bird tattoo you need to take these values into account. Also, a phoenix bird of fire tattoo must be of sufficient size to make an impact. This is a magnificent bird and deserves respect - size is important. You simply can't represent the idea of eternal life with a small tattoo!

With so many tattoo designs around it can be somewhat bewildering trying to figure out which one is right for you. There are many factors to take into account but, essentially, the most important factor is decoding the meaning behind the tattoo design. Ask yourself, "What does this design represent?" It's true that some tattoos are loads of fun and don't really have any significance - nothing wrong with that! But a phoenix tattoo doesn't really fall into that category. A phoenix tattoo design has a definite purpose and significance which you need to know about before going ahead and getting this tattoo design inked.

So who or what is the phoenix? Well, this mythological bird is extremely mystical and enigmatic. Because of this, it is a very popular motif in tattoo artwork around the world. This bird's origins are believed to lie in the ancient country of Ethiopia in Africa. The bird's name is connected with 'fire' and the color 'red.'

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