Archive for September, 2008
Popular Free Tattoo Patterns: The Rose
Posted by: | CommentsA fairly complex symbol, it is linked to both heavenly perfection and earthly passion. The symbol represents Time and Eternity and Fertility and Virginity.
The rose symbolizes:
- perfection
- completion
- the mystery of life
- the heart center of life
- the unknown
- beauty
- grace
- happiness
- passion
- sensuality and seduction
In the symbolism of the heart the rose occupies the central point of the cross, the point of unity. As the flower of femininity it represents love, life, fertility, beauty, verginity, and creation. The thorns of the rose represent pain, blood, and martyrdom. The rose also represents eternal life and eternal Spring.
The different rose colors also have meaning:
Gold/yellow rose: perfection
Red rose: desire, passion, beauty, consummation, joy, charity
White rose: innocence, virginity, spiritual unfolding, charm
Red & white rose together: the union of fire and water, the union of opposites
Blue rose: unattainable, the impossible
The rosette and the Gothic rose also have wheel symbolism, denoting the unfolding of power, making the rose an emblematic equivalent (in Western culture) of the Asian Lotus. A secondary meaning of the rose is discretion.
Rose Symbolism & Mythology
Egyptian: roses were sacred to Isis because they symbolized true love free from any carnal ties.
Hebrew: the center of the rose is the sun and the petals are infinity.
Graeco-Roman: symbolizes love, joy, beauty, desire, and was an emblem of Aphrodite/Venus. Roses were brought at the Rosalia festival and scattered on graves. The Roman Emperor wore a crown of roses. The red rose was believed to grow from the blood of Adonis and was a symbol of Aurora, Helios, Dionysos and the Muses. Additionally, Cupid allegedly stopped gossip about Vanus’ indiscretions by bribing the god of silence with a rose. This led to the hanging of live roses or painting of roses above Roman council tables as a sign that conversation within the room was private or confidential.
Butterfly Tatoo Patterns & Symbolism
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Classical mythology associates butterflies with the soul. Psyche is often represented as a butterfly. Sylphs, invisible female spirits of the air whose voices are heard in the wind, are named from the Greek word silphe, which means “butterfly” or “moth”.
The Aztecs associated butterflies with women who died in childbirth and warriors who died in battle. In some Chinese stories butterflies represent dead women’s souls, but they more often symbolize Summer, Joy, and Longevity!
For many Native American tribes butterflies symbolize the souls of the dead but also Transformation, because the insects emerge from the chrysalis. They also associate the butterfly with Beauty.
The butterfly signifies Fire to the Aztecs while in Celtic solar festivals the firebrand that rekindled the hearth fire after it had been extinguished was called the “Butterfly.”
From the bland caterpillar to the fantastic winged creature of astonishing beauty, the butterfly has become a symbol for transformation and hope, rebirth and resurrection, the triumph of the spirit and the freeing of the soul over the material world.
See also:
Kanji Tattoos & Symbols: The Letter “b”
Posted by: | CommentsHere are more kanji tattoo symbols. These are dictionary words that begin with the letter “b”. I’ve covered words that begin with “a” here: Kanji Tattoos and Symbols-The Letter “a”.
As stated previously, I plan to continue through the alphabet. If you want me to provide a symbol in a larger or smaller size simply ask in the comments.
 baby |
 bat |
 battle |
 beach |
 bear up, power, strong |
 beauty, beautiful |
 beauty, beautiful (brush stroke) |
beautiful, pleasing, skilled |
 best |
 black |
 boy |
 boy (brush stroke) |
 brain |
 big brother |
 buddha |
butterfly |
 butterfly (brush stroke) |
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See also: Overview of Kanji Tattoos
