Anchor Tattoo Designs

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Anchor tattoo designs are one of the oldest symbols that has managed to hold its meaning through the years. Most commonly in today’s society, the bearer of the anchor tattoo is a seafarer of some sort, usuallly a member of the Marines, Navy or Coast Guard. However, it is not uncommon to see individuals that just simply love the water or enjoy sailing to wear anchor tattoo designs.

In maritime lore, a seaman that wore an anchor tattoo meant that he was very experienced and had successfully sailed the Atlantic Ocean, this made him quite trustworthy and very popular. Also, in more ancient times, to the Mediterranean seafarers, anchors were a representation of the sea gods.

Although anchor tattoo designs are often created by themselves as a solitary tattoo, it is very common for them to also be combined with other types of symbols that elaborate their meanings into something more specific such as lifesavers, ships, names of ports or creatures of the sea. Regardless of what other elements that anchor tattoo designs are created with, they are generally meant to symbolize security and stability in the physical world as well as steadfastness, trust and hope in the spiritual world.

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The most common type of anchor tattoo designs are those that are incorporated with the symbol of a cross which is pretty much all of then and really in the eye of the beholder and believer. Ancient Romans looked at the anchor as a lifesaver since it would protect its ship from being crushed by rocks during storms so the anchor came to symbolize protection. Christians say the anchor saves spiritual lives. They believed that the anchor is a sign of hope based on the life Christ, his teachings and his death.

The traditional cross anchor appears in a few different forms. One of the variations incorporates three crosses. These types of anchor tattoo designs are meant to symbolize either the Holy Trinity or the three crosses associated with Calvary.

As a nautical tattoo, the anchor represents a steady course through storms or a secure harbor that is protected from turbulence. An anchor symbol also served as a religious emblem for ancient Roman Christians as a disguised cross. It looked like an anchor however, to the Christians it was a cross. The anchor as a religious type of icon can be traced back to very early Christendom when such images were considered pagan and forbidden.

The cross anchor is also often referred to as St. Clement’s cross who was a leader in the early Roman church. Legend states that an emperor imprisoned him and since he was know to perform types of miracles while he was in jail, he received the death sentence. Executioners tossed him into the depths of the Black Sea, attached to an anchor. This is how be became the saint of mariners and anchor smiths.

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Military Anchors – Today, these are the most popular types of anchor tattoo designs. They are usually a simple anchor with Navy or Marines scripted through it.Tribute Anchors – These types of anchor tattoo designs are any type of anchor with a loved one’s name incorporated into it.Couple’s Anchors – Since the anchor represents stability it is common to see couples getting small matching anchor tattoos as sign of togetherness instead of getting each others name.Tribal Anchors – For those that choose to have a simple representation of an anchor without taking up a lot of space or having great detail, tribal anchor tattoo designs are idea, created with simple black, bold lines.Anchors With Other Elements – Anchor tattoo designs are commonly created with other symbolic elements such as water, ships, fish, sharks, birds, etc.Kelly Osborne – Ozzy’s daughter has an anchor tattoo on her left forearm.Kate Moss – Supermodel wears her anchor on her right wrist.Amy Winehouse – Singer displays an anchor tattoo on her stomach.Winston Churchill – World War II politician had an anchor tattoo on his arm.

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