#TRADITIONAL HARPOON TATTOO FULL#

Others, however, believed the wind liked whistling and would ensure a good wind. Whistling, for example, was thought by some to be bad luck, thinking that the wind would see whistling as a direct challenge and summon mighty storms. If those ideas seem to be counter to each other, the almost global diversity of sailors has made many superstitions that aren’t just different, but sometimes the exact opposite of each other. The golden hoop earrings synonymous with pirates and brigands were often thought to be a way to pay for a funeral if a sailor died, or even as a safeguard against drowning. Tattoos, of course, aren’t the only symbolic practices in sailing culture. A sort of memento mori-the sailor would not only be reminded of their friend’s death, but of how treacherous the sea can be.

After the first swallow, each additional swallow marked 5,000 nautical miles traveled at sea.ĭagger through a heart: A dagger through a heart was said to represent a lost comrade or many lost comrades. The swallow was a symbol reminding the sailor of home and was believed to be a talisman that would carry the sailor’s soul to their home of they died at sea. Swallows: A sailor normally got a swallow when he first left home. A rope around the wrist or a knot on the forearm was also worn by deck hands and dock tenders. A charm on the fingers to keep ropes from slipping through them a seaman’s dexterity with rope was what earned his salt. HOLD FAST: Hold fast written on your knuckles was meant to help you do just that-hold fast. In the early 1900s, the US Navy banned what it deemed as salacious tattoos, and some artists popped up with specialties in “adjusting” tattoos for modesty. A hula girl meant a trip to Hawaii, and to many soldiers was a reminder of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Hula Girl: The hula girl was made popular by tattooists like Sailor Jerry, who helped popularize tattoos among Navy soldiers during World War II. Asia was the birthplace of the original marriage between sailors and tattoos, but as time went on, many countries in the region began associating tattoos with pirates and brigands, eventually outlawing tattoos. The visage of King Neptune was also a symbol of this feat, and some sailors even got tattoos of both to mark their achievement.ĭragon: A Chinese dragon celebrated a sailor’s trip to the Orient, and a golden dragon meant they had crossed the International Date Line. Dragons have long marked the backs of sailors and pirates in the Asian Pacific. Turtle: Turtles were well known by sailors for being stalwart travelers of the sea, and turtles were the mark of a sailor who had crossed the equator.

Mutinies have even been recorded against captains ordering the navigation of these notorious waters.

#TRADITIONAL HARPOON TATTOO FULL#

Occupying the southernmost tip of South America, Cape Horn was dreaded by many sailors the rough waters required a ship to travel under full sail. Though the harpoon was simply a tool of the trade, many eventually came to associate it as a symbol of protection against vengeful whales and sea monsters.įully rigged ship: A fully rigged ship was evidence that a sailor had crossed the dangerous waters of Cape Horn, also known as Tierra del Fuego-Land of Fire. Harpoon: Harpoons were a direct reference to whaling and as such were symbols of time aboard a fishing boat or service in a fishing fleet. Star: A star, much like a compass rose, was a safeguard against being lost at sea, but instead was meant to protect a sailor lost overboard or otherwise stranded at sea. A compass rose may not have actually worked as a compass but was supposed to help keep sailors from getting lost, and remind them of the way home. In some cases, crossed guns could mean a sailor was such an appointed sniper instead of a cannoneer.Ĭompass Rose: Not all tattoos were supposed to mark service or accomplishments some tattoos were meant to act as talismans of protection for the sailor and ship carrying them.

Though you might think of an old naval warship equipped with just cannons, many early navies also used sharpshooters on deck and in rigging to fire at enemy ships’ decks. A boatswain was the foreperson on deck, in charge of managing the crew on duty and directing any rigging, anchoring, or cabling of the ship.Ĭrossed cannons: A pair of crossed cannons designated military service among sailors. Eventually, merchant marines would adopt the anchor as a de facto badge of membership.Ĭrossed anchors: A pair of anchors crossed on the webbing of the hand-between the thumb and index finger-meant you were a boatswain’s mate. Anchors also could mean that a sailor had crossed the Atlantic and returned safely. Anchor: Anchors were symbols of stability to sailors and were often accompanied by “Mom” or “Dad”, authority figures likened with a seaman’s stability.

Traditional harpoon tattoo