By SitesReady Values: love, freedom, luck, youth, hope
To understand the meaning of a swallow tattoo, one can only know its original origin and active symbolic roles in the cultures of many countries of the world.
The origin of the swallow tattoo has its roots in the past. The first swallow tattoos were, oddly enough, associated with the sea, or rather with sailors. The fact is that swallows, like birds that live only on land, were the first to be seen by sailors, approaching a large island or mainland. The appearance of the swallow meant that the land was already near.
And so the swallows gradually became traditional for sailors. homecoming symbol, and far from home, they reminded of the family and home left behind by their native land. Images of swallows like tattoos began to spread throughout the world from large seaports. And it has remained popular with people traveling and working at sea to this day. According to maritime laws, a sailor has the right to stuff a swallow on his arm or chest, only having passed at least seven thousand nautical miles on the ship.
The swallow itself symbolizes and personifies a number of the following symbols: hope, youth, luck, morning, spring, sunrise, home comfort, happiness, speed and, of course, freedom…
In the culture and mythology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the swallow was associated with Aphrodite – the goddess of love and beauty, could act as her messenger to earth. In ancient Egypt, swallows were dedicated to the mother goddess Isis. Swallows were also incarnations of the “Great Mothers” in the Cretan and ancient Sumerian cultures. In China, swallows were sacred a symbol of daring, loyaltysometimes risk, danger and favorable change… In Japan, she was associated with devotion to the home and tender maternal care. Christianity is characterized by the perception of a swallow, as symbol of resurrection, the beginning of a new life. The tattoo of one or two swallows symbolizes the desired freedom, they are often stuffed on the body by prisoners released from prison. Fighters of some martial arts applied the swallow to their fists, believing that it would give speed to their hands. She was the emblem of some criminal gangs and a symbol of the supremacy of the “white race”.
Combining all of the above in a single image, we get a wonderful swallow tattoo, the meaning of which is saturated with ancient myths, pirate adventures and mysterious stories. You can notice the fact that in all cultures in which the image of the swallow is mentioned, it is most often associated with the concepts tenderness, love and prosperity… Therefore, the image of a swallow is especially popular among female tattoos.
They are depicted in composition with other female symbols, endowed with different meanings, and made for different purposes, but they are all united by the desire to bring joy and change life for the better.
