The Meaning Behind Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical star tattoos are one of the most popular designs available. People just seem to love the rich symbolism and the history behind nautical star tattoo designs. These make a great tattoo because of their simplicity, flexibility and bright colors. They are a really bold and strong tattoo design that stands out and also a very classic tattoo choice. If you are just getting starting and getting your first tattoo a nautical star can be a good choice to start with. They can be pretty small and therefore great for a first timer. However, they work equally well for someone that has a few tattoos already and wants to add some nautical stars because they are such a classic old school tattoo design. However, knowing the meaning of nautical star tattoos is important and an issue that can be hotly debated.

The History Of Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical stars are really a very old tattoo design that originated with sailors. In fact most of the classic tattoo designs that are out there originated with sailors as they were a very superstitious hardy bunch of men that would get symbolic designs to provide them with a safe journey and good luck during their long trips at sea. The earliest sailors of course did not have GPS navigation int heir boats ans so they had to navigate by the stars. Anyone who has a basic understanding of navigating by stars knows the the north star is the most important star of all. It is the first star that a sailor would find in order to orient themselves and get their bearing. Therefore the north star is of utmost importance to the sailor who is using star navigation while at sea. Thus the north star became a symbolic of a safe journey and a quick and safe return trip home. Once you know where the north star is a sailor worth his salt can navigate the boat homeward or at least towards land.

Thus the nautical star for the early sailors really represented the north star. Again because of the importance of the north star in navigation it became synonymous with a safe journey and therefore the nautical star (which is just the north star) became a good luck symbol that many sailors would get. There are some historians that believe these tattoos would be gotten by sailors after making certain trips or traveling over a certain amount of nautical miles or crossing some dangerous ocean. It very well could be that the color of the stars were also symbolic of achieving certain goals such as crossing the Pacific Ocean twice or etc. Most of the meaning behind such color choices and what it represent have long been obscured and lost in the lore of history. What is clear today though is the nautical star was used first by sailors as a good luck symbol.

The Nautical Star Today

Today much of the old meaning attributing the nautical star to a good luck symbol remains. It is also a tattoo that is very popular for those in the military especially the navy. For these groups of people it represent a safe journey and returning home. Many of the armed forces still get nautical star tattoos as they are incredibly popular.

Some other groups have also started to use the nautical star for it’s rich and deep symbolism. Some of these groups include punk bands and even fans of the alternative music scene. These people feel that the nautical star represent following ones path in life. They often feel it important to be original and follow your own path in life regardless of what the status quo is or what is considered popular. Therefore for them the nautical star represent following your true path.

For some of the same reasons this has also become a popular symbol and tattoo design for many gay and lesbian groups and people. Again they feel like the nautical star represent the importance of following ones path and staying true to oneself regardless of what is popular or in fashion at the time. So this has also become a symbol for these groups.

You can easily see that the original meaning of nautical star tattoo designs has stayed relatively in tact and in modern times has only been tweaked a little bit since sailors now use GPS to navigate by and no longer need the stars the nautical star tattoo has become more a symbol for a safe journey and following one’s tru path in life. However, it is pretty easy to see how the meaning of this symbol has made a slight change over time.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 10:26 am and is filed under Nautical Star Tattoo, Tattoo Designs, Tattoo Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.