These days, the lighthouse is still one of the most favorite images for representatives of maritime professions. For them, the meaning of the lighthouse tattoo is not only belonging to a special kind of activity, but also a long-awaited return home, where they are loved and waited for. The sketch of the lighthouse tattoo is often performed in the traditional style.
The image of a lighthouse in ancient times was often tattooed to themselves by sailors, lovers of the sea, sea romance and travel. In our century, the lighthouse came as a symbol of boundless faith and hope, light on the path to new achievements, a new life.
The lighthouse tattoo is a positive and bright symbol pointing the right way amidst stormy waves, sharp rocks and treacherous currents. The latter are prototypes of life's difficulties and obstacles, which the lighthouse helps to overcome.
The image can indicate the acquisition of new goals and landmarks in life, movement on the right course, from darkness to light, self-improvement. The lighthouse tattoo is most often applied using the Old School style. This symbol is more likely to suit the male sex rather than the female.
For prison inmates, the lighthouse means freedom, the hope for a new life, the anticipation of release. Above all, it is a release from the burden of mistakes on the path to a bright future. This is the meaning of the tattoo, as seen by those who have been in prison.
It must be said that, despite the special sympathy of the prisoners to the tattoo with this image, the lighthouse is equally often chosen and quite law-abiding citizens. In this particular case, the meanings, properties and qualities that the person himself attributes to his tattoo are much more important. And they do not necessarily have to be associated with imprisonment or any restrictions in the past.
For some, a lighthouse tattoo is a light in the midst of darkness, a guiding star leading through life. Psychedelically, a lighthouse can shed light on the past, present and future, drawing on their background the image of a person who has gained knowledge and wisdom, gaining a vector of further movement.
As a rule, the lighthouse tattoo sketch is very effective, and already from a distance attracts the attention of others. Imagine against the background of blue-black clouds and foamy waves, a sheaf of dazzling bright light emanating from the lighthouse tower, looming high over the cliffs, and you understand why this image is so captivating to many.
It is noteworthy that in the past sailors often depicted ships on their bodies. In most cases, these were three-masted ships, because it was believed that three was always good luck. If there was a four-masted ship on the tattoo, a lighthouse and the inscription "Away from the rocks" were sure to be present. Sailors believed that the lighthouse and the inscription guaranteed safe navigation and return home. Hence another meaning of the lighthouse tattoo - reliability and safety.
Lighthouse Facts
A lighthouse is the main landmark for ships to determine the approach of land. This architectural structure should have a sufficient height and the presence of strong light signals, so that it was visible in any weather. By the way, in many countries lighthouses are ranked as ancient monuments of architecture and are objects of cultural heritage.
Since ancient times, representatives of maritime professions associated the lighthouse with hope, help, and a successful return home. For sailors and fishermen, his body image served as a kind of amulet and protected from trouble and danger during travel. These men applied lighthouse tattoos as a sign of confidence that they would surely find their way home. Disrespecting this structure boded ill fortune on the voyage, not just for one sailor, but for the entire crew. A tattoo with a lighthouse on the forearm or shoulder was usually made with a four-masted ship and decorated with the inscription "Away from the rocks". Such a drawing symbolized safety and reliability.
The history of the symbol
Lighthouse structures appeared before our era, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They were erected by the Phoenicians, the ancient Greeks, who actively explored the surrounding coasts and went out into the open sea, exploring unknown lands. For convenience and safe navigation it was necessary to illuminate dangerous areas from the towers of fortresses or from high cliffs, from where signals were given.
But the first real lighthouse was installed in the second century AD. The famous lighthouse in Alexandria didn't actually serve a navigational function - it served as a monument. These designs then spread to various coastal states, including northern European territories.
There were lighthouses in Russia as well, but real professional lighthouse services appeared only after a special system of lenses and light supply was developed in the 19th century. Interestingly, a great contribution to the development of lighthouse work was made by the ancestor of the writer Robert Lewis Stevenson, who was also prescribed to continue the dynasty. But the lighthouse business did not appeal to him, for which the future popular novelist was much criticized by his kin.
The function of lighthouses was to orient seagoing vessels in space near the coast, to help them enter the harbor without devastating consequences.
As we know in marine science, it was the approach to the shore during storms and strong winds that was most dangerous for ships, rather than staying on the vast sea. Often the saving flash of fire at the top of the lighthouse gave hope to desperate fishermen, lost travelers.
Sketch options for tattoos and their meanings
Lighthouse tattoo in modern tattoo art denotes the search for a new path, light, enlightenment, faith and hope for the best. The owner of such a body image is looking for himself, trying to understand his purpose in this life. By nature, he is a romantic who hurries towards new adventures and uncharted waters. Stability and consistency is not inherent in this man, it attracts everything new and unusual. The owner of the lighthouse tattoo with caution to others, values its security and weigh decisions. The drawing on the calf is a reminder of a happy future and symbolizes faith in their own strength.
For men, the lighthouse represents maturity and experience. A man with such a tattoo has gone a certain way in life and is ready to share his experience with others. He will always come to the rescue in a difficult moment and give sound advice.
A tattoo with a lighthouse has a criminal meaning. In the zone, the tattoo means that the person has been punished for the crime committed and has made certain conclusions. The construction represents freedom, the beginning of a new life, hope for a bright future, liberation from shackles.
Tattoo sketches can be different, but one of the most popular male subjects is a raging night sea and a lighthouse with a bright spotlight, the light of which breaks through the fog and clouds. Waves and rocks represent obstacles in a man's life path, and the rays of light symbolize a way out of a difficult situation. For a girl, too, a similar pattern will do, although it is much less common than for the stronger sex. Another well-known variant of the tattoo is an old abandoned lighthouse (see gallery for photo). The design is mostly done in black and white and with fine detail.
Women:
- An eloquent symbol on a woman's body is a vessel with scarlet sails. The image sung in the book speaks of the enduring faith in wonder, the expectation of true love;
- The elegant, flowing lines of the sailboat suggest a dreamy nature, creative inclinations and sexuality of the image's owner;
- The presence of an anchor on a schooner can symbolize the longing to find a family rear. A star in the sky would indicate a woman's devotion and determination;
- If the ship depicts a shackled woman, then it is a hallmark of a person deprived of will. Sometimes such a tattoo can mean hopeless love for a windy sailor.
In any case, a positive interpretation of the symbol prevails. The key associations of the ship can safely be considered freedom and fortune.
