But these old school designs have once again begun to gain popularity in the past few years. Now they are the latest trend in the world of tattoos; more and more people of the younger generation are taking to it like never before. These age old designs are very attractive mainly because of their timeless look and appeal.

Even though these designs are replicated flawlessly today, the feeling around them has most certainly changed, and that I suppose can never be replicated. Most people nowadays seem to wear it with a sense of irony; they are also worn a little differently and mostly for their vintage appeal. Nevertheless, they are back in fashion and looks like they might stay a while.

It is a historical fact that tattoos first penetrated our modern day society through travelers, mainly sailors. So you will see that most of these old school tattoos have a very sailor / marine kind of theme in them. Some of the most popular designs back then (and even now) are those of boats and anchors.

The anchor design is one of the oldest types of tattoos and it has many meanings. It was often worn as a symbol of the sailor’s experience at sea. It also came to signify stability and a strong foundation – much like what the anchor is really used for. It is said that some early Christians also used this symbol as a type of hidden cross symbol, in order to escape persecution from the Greeks.

Another popular old school design is that of the Swallow (sometimes even sparrow tattoos.) For a sea-worn sailor spotting a Swallow meant that land was close by. Sailors started wearing the design as a symbol of hope – a good omen.

In the first half of the 20th century posters and photos of pin up girls (models like Betty Grable) were very popular. Slowly they also became a big inspiration for the old school art.

Today, the Sun as a tattoo design is an indication of its deep symbolic nature in almost every culture around the world. One of the common symbols of the Sun is a circle with curvy lines stemming from the perimeter denoting the sun’s rays. Sometimes these designs come with a dot in the centre of the circle which is representative of the blending of the male and female forces.

Usually the Sun is perceived as a masculine symbol and the moon and the earth its feminine counterparts. Hence it is common for the Sun to be paired with the earth or the moon. For years people believed that the Sun was the centre of the universe and it came to be a symbol of both divine and royal powers. This idea was adopted by the ancient secular as well as religious authorities.

Almost every major ancient culture has a myth about creation. It speaks of how the Sun came into being and these stories are often accompanied by the apocalyptic myths that prophesy the end of the world. They explain that the end will come when the Sun is destroyed (quite true if you ask me, I don’t see how mankind can go on living on earth if there were no Sun!) The rising and the setting of the sun, the cyclic light and darkness is also representative of life itself in most ancient cultures. The idea of regeneration or reincarnation takes root from these beliefs.

The Sun is also symbolic of passion, courage and eternally renewed youth; vitality, fertility, enlightenment and knowledge. The different ancient cultures in our history denoted the Sun in different ways. A winged Serpent (like a dragon), an eagle with a serpent, an eagle, a falcon (which also represented the Egyptian god Horus), a phoenix, a swan, a ram, a cock, a bull and a lion are all various representations of the Sun. Some cultures even used such symbols as a rose or a rosette, a lotus, a sunflower, a chrysanthemum (a perennial garden plant) and the heart symbol to depict the Sun.

The tiger is seen as a symbol for a King in the Asian continent and is associated with the might and power of Kings. In fact, the tiger is referred to as the ‘King of animals’ by the Koreans. In the Hindu culture (of India), Shiva – a Hindu god of destruction – is seen wearing tiger skin and riding a tiger. The tiger is not only a symbol of power and strength but also of violence and destruction. The tiger symbolizes both life and death; both evil and its destructive power.

In the Chinese sub-continent, images of tigers are used to ward off evil spirits. Stone images of tigers are a common sight which acts as protective guardians of houses and buildings. During the great Zhou dynasty (pronounced Chou or Ch’ao) that lasted longer than any other regime in China, images of tigers were hung in the rooms of pregnant women in order to protect the unborn baby. Some cultures even consider the tiger a vessel of their god’s wrath; the tiger’s attack meant punishment from their supreme being.  

There are many stories about Weretigers in the Asian cultures (people who can shapeshift into tigers) much like the American Werewolf legends. People believe that the Tibetans and Na-hsi of the Yunnan province in China have their ancient ancestors in tigers or Weretigers. It is a common practice for the Na-his to present their boys and girls tiger figurines at ceremonies that celebrate their coming of age. Even newly wed couples are given these figures. Now that you know what the tiger can mean symbolically, you are now fully ready to get a tattoo of a tiger!

Sailor Jerry practiced his new found art on wayfarers and transients as he sailed the Pacific Ocean. He later established himself in Hawaii and made it his home. He is described as “a class-A pirate” by one of his best students (Mike Malone). His full arm tattoos under a plain white T-shirt became his trademark. He joined the United States Navy at age 19; he was exposed to the art forms of South East Asia during his travels with the navy, which very much influenced his own style in tattooing.

Sailor Jerry loved to sail (no surprises there I suppose!). In fact, he continued to sail and work as a licensed skipper (a person who has command of a vessel), conducting tours of the Hawaiian Islands, even during his career as a tattoo artist. Apart from his two key undertakings (sailing and tattooing), he also loved to play the saxophone – he played the Sax in his own dance band.

Sailor Jerry was not only an artist but he was also a prolific writer. He had many pen-pals (I’m sure teenagers today won’t even know this word!) around the world, with whom he had meaningful interactions. He also hosted his own radio show on KTRG from time to time. He spoke about varied subjects including politics.
By the end of his career he entrusted his art to two of his students – Ed Hardy and Mike Malone. A few decades after Sailor Jerry’s death (1973) Hardy and Malone partnered with an independent Philadelphia clothing company and established Sailor Jerry Ltd. The company mainly produces clothing, along with a wide variety of items such as ash trays, playing cards and shot glasses.

The five dots in Portugal resemble the five shields (reminiscent of the five wounds of Jesus’ crucifixion) of the Portuguese flag. This tattoo was previously worn on the shoulder or the hand by some members of the Portuguese army. Today it has become more like a Portuguese-American or Portuguese-Canadian street tattoo.

In Greece and Romania the tattoo is normally worn by prison inmates much like many inmates in the American, Canadian and French prisons. They represent the four walls of the prison cell, with the individual in the middle. In South America however, the dot in the centre represents a cop, surrounded by four prisoners.

The tattoo also holds another meaning in the United States. It is said to be the sign of an anti government group that is mostly in Colorado. It also means that the wearer is a member of the Blood or People Nation gangs representative of the points of a five point star. This tattoo is normally placed on the left hand. It is also a common symbol among the Oriental Troop gang. The five dots here represent the number 5 in the number 15 which denotes the letter O, meaning Oriental. Additionally in their culture the five dots stand for Health, Wealth, Family, Love, and Respect.

According to the criminals of Russia (who are sporting the majority of these tattoos) the dots stand for “I will not forget prison”.

The United Kingdom has a unique meaning for the five dots tattoo. It is very popular among the youth there and is said to stand for “find her, follow her, finger her, f*** her, forget her” – yea, unique indeed!

The term fairy brings to mind the picture of a tiny human like magical creature with transparent wings – for instance tinker bell; but fairies were not always that cute. Folklore has it that fairies were initially depicted as tall, glowing, angelic beings or a shorter shriveled trolls! Their wings – another trademark of fairies today – are supposed to have become common in the Victorian era and in later works. The fairies of folklore although they flew, dint have wings. They flew magically – however small they were – sometimes on ragwort (a kind of flower) stems and sometimes on the backs of birds.

In some, other animals have also been described as fairies. This can be attributed to the fairy’s magical ability to change shapes. Like wise their tiny forms were magically assumed and not their original size. Much of the folklore talks about protection from their wickedness – you see fairies are not all angels! It is said that cold iron is fairies like kryptonite to superman. Some charms of rowan and herbs are also used to keep them away. Stories are told of them stealing babies and kidnapping older people as well. Some describe them as having green eyes and those using words to confuse people since they cannot lie. They are also often shown as ones that bite! They hate being thanked as they see it as a sign of someone who forgets the good deed done. They’d prefer a different sign that will guarantee remembrance.

Reverend Robert Kirk, Minister of the Parish of Aberfoyle, Stirling, Scotland, in 1691 wrote: “These Siths or Fairies they call Sleagh Maith or the Good People…are said to be of middle nature between Man and Angel, as were Daemons thought to be of old”. Some believe they are the dead or a particular class of the dead. A few other are of the opinion that they are “demoted angels”. After the angels’ revolt, when God shut the gates of heaven those that stayed in heaven became angels, those that were in hell became devils and those stuck in between became fairies.