What does the swallow/sparrow tattoo mean?

Question

What does the swallow/sparrow tattoo mean?

Answer 1

It traditionally has nothing to do with people in prison. Those who have them have borrowed them from traditional tattoo meanings.



It started out as a sailor's tattoo, plain and simple. Often, it was used to mark a certain number of miles sailed. It was also supposed to bring good luck, so some sailors got one or two before setting out on a voyage, to bring them luck and ensure that they'd come back safely.



Many ancient cultures (and it's still a belief held in some places today) believed that the sparrow is one of the only creatures which can see the human soul when it leaves the body. They can see it descending to enter the body of a baby before it is born, and they can see it leaving the body of a person who dies. It also has the power to aid the spirit in traveling to heaven. Some sailors with sparrows got them so that if they died at sea, the sparrow could help carry their spirit to heaven. For that same reason, they are also sometimes used as memorial tattoos for a loved one who is gone. Often, that is one or two sparrows holding a banner with a name on it.



In modern tattooing, there have been additions to the original symbols of sparrow tattoos. For instance, sparrows mate for life, so some people use them to symbolize finding their one true soul mate. There is also some symbolism associated with what the sparrow is doing. A singing sparrow has a different meaning from a diving sparrow, and I know both have to do with love, I just can't remember which is which.



I have heard of prison ink where sparrows symbolize freedom, because they can come and go as they please and are not barred from the outside world, but prison ink usually adapts traditional tattoo symbols for its own purposes, and those are almost always tied to the actual act of being in prison instead of to the traditional symbolism for the tattoo. I would stay away from prison symbols if I were you. I just went and checked a book I have on symbols, and it says that the freedom associated with a sparrow tattoo is freedom to love the person you choose to love, NOT freedom from prison, so you can see that prison ink has slightly adapted the meaning to serve their own purposes. Naturally, freedom can be taken as "live your life," but that sense of it isn't mentioned at all--it simply mentions sailors, luck, and love.



You're probably best off talking to a tattooist who REALLY knows what he or she is doing. Nothing sucks like getting a tattoo thinking it means one thing and then finding it means something else. It hasn't happened to me, but it has happened to other people I know. And since it's permanent, it's the suck.



Good luck.

Answer 2

"Live like a bird, free, fast and short"

Answer 3

Sparrow Tattoo

Answer 4

1000's of Tattoo Designs & Ideas

Answer 5

tattoos=ugly tacky

Answer 6

Sparrow tattoo



A Sparrow Tattoo, and any other tattoo for that matter, is a significant move that stays with you for a long time, so if you choose to have a Sparrow Tattoo you should know what it represents.

(Some say a tattoo stays for life, but you can always hide a tattoo under a bigger one :-) )



Historically, the sparrow tattoo started as a sailors’ tattoo.

Sailors used to get a sparrow tattoo for every 5,000 nautical miles they traveled.

Sparrows were also believed to bring a sailor good luck, so sometimes the sailor got his Sparrow tattoo before leaving the docks, hoping it would act as a talisman, and help bring him safely home again.

he ancient Egyptians believed that sparrows would catch the souls of those who had died.

This belief was another cause for a sailor to have the sparrow tattoo, as if the sailor had the misfortune of dying at sea, according to the legend the sparrow would carry his spirit to heaven.



In modern times, the sparrow tattoo is sometimes used as memorial designs for loved ones who have passed away.

The sparrow tattoo can be inked holding the ends of a banner that bears the name and birth/death dates of the person being memorialized.



The way the sparrow is pictured also defines a lot about its meaning -

A sparrow singing a song symbolizing Freedom and a sparrow diving toward a nautical star represents freedom to love and to find your true love.

Sparrow is different from most birds, when they find their soul mate, they stay with them till the end of their life.

For that reason, a sparrow is a symbol of finding your true love as Sparrows symbolize love, dedication and trust

A sparrow is a symbol of finding your freedom

Sparrows are known for traveling great distances, but always returning home