Star Tattoos
Nautical star tattoos mean many things to many people all over the world. Traditionally, it was associated with people who went to sea, and was a good luck symbol that they believed would guide them home safely.
However, in recent years various groups have attempted to affiliate themselves with the nautical star tattoo and add their own definition and symbolism to the design. Every group claims the design as their own, constantly adding new stories and modern folklore about their use of the nautical star in an attempt to make their interpretation of the design pre-eminent.
This has caused great controversy and debate about the meaning of the nautical star design. So with that in mind, it's time to examine the different meanings that have become linked with the nautical star tattoo design.
1) The Nautical Connection
Almost everybody, without exception, accepts that sailors were the first group of people to wear nautical star tattoos. And the fact that the name includes the word nautical only increases the strength of the connection.
The origin of the nautical star design is unknown, but can be surmised without too much difficulty.
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.
Part 2: Nautical Star Tattoos - The military, punk and lesbian tattoo connections
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Nautical Star Tattoos - Part 1
However, in recent years various groups have attempted to affiliate themselves with the nautical star tattoo and add their own definition and symbolism to the design. Every group claims the design as their own, constantly adding new stories and modern folklore about their use of the nautical star in an attempt to make their interpretation of the design pre-eminent.
This has caused great controversy and debate about the meaning of the nautical star design. So with that in mind, it's time to examine the different meanings that have become linked with the nautical star tattoo design.
1) The Nautical Connection
Almost everybody, without exception, accepts that sailors were the first group of people to wear nautical star tattoos. And the fact that the name includes the word nautical only increases the strength of the connection.
The origin of the nautical star design is unknown, but can be surmised without too much difficulty.
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.
Part 2: Nautical Star Tattoos - The military, punk and lesbian tattoo connections
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