Tattoo • ology

The history of nautical star tattoo is as old as the history of tattoo itself in the western world. This century-old form of body art started with the sailors who found the North Star as a guide to bring them back home. In the southern hemisphere, a similar Southern Cross would be the guiding element in the sky on which the sailors depended.

This intense dependence on the nautical stars, made sailors believe in tattoo nautical stars as being a symbol of hope for bringing them back home safely. It may sound as a superstition but there were hardly any modern navigation system in those days and the stars and various other constellations were the only elements to go by. Gradually, the symbol of nautical star came to signify hope and protection from unknown dangers of life.

It is also considered to be a guide when one is lost in life and looking for a path to follow - the nautical star is then treated as a symbol that provides guidance. There is yet another school of thought which proclaims that since the nautical star is always pointing upwards, it also lends a higher outlook towards life, when it is tattooed on the skin.

The modern meaning of nautical star tattoos however is filled with controversy and is a very strongly debated topic. Strange as it may seem, the nautical star tattoo has become a favorite within the gay, lesbian and punk rocking communities. The groups are undoubtedly diverse and obviously, the meanings which each group attaches to the design are also drastically different.

The design is also a top favorite with the armed forces and the reasons are rather similar to that of the sailors. They sport it for protection from dangers and for ensuring a safe return home. While the military personnel wish to find the safe path home through these nautical star tattoos, it could also signify seeking the correct path in life. A member of the United States army who was fighting the insurgents in Iraq, and has a red and black nautical star tattoo on his wrist got it done with the belief that the design will bring him back home safely to see his son grow up.

Similarly, punk rockers have also adopted this symbol and believe in their own interpretations. The design, the original credit of which goes to Sailor Jerry, the undisputed tattoo king, is followed to this day by followers of the punk rock culture, who find them ‘cool’. They also believe that the nautical star tattoo provides them with a more meaningful path of life and gives them the correct directions.

The gay or lesbian link to nautical star tattoo goes back to early years when such alternative sexual preferences were not made official and women often sported the nautical star tattoo on the inside of their wrists to hide it from public view. This was a subtle way of declaring to the world of their preferred sexual choices.

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