old swallow tatoos

Our collection of old swallow tatoos:

New tattoo
After an hour an a half, this is my newest baby. :o) (still very much a work in progress).

Swallow
SWALLOW For the most part, the swallow is a symbol of good luck and is a favorite bird in traditional tattoo design, typically done in blue or red and also commonly appearing in pairs. The earliest source of this symbolism likely lies in the bird’s association with the coming of spring. The swallow is also associated with homecoming and resurrection, likely attributes derived from its natural behavior. It is not uncommon to see the swallow tattoo accompanied by nautical stars, another traditional or old-school tattoo associated with homecoming. In addition, early sailors received a swallow tattooed on each side of the chest to show that they had travelled five thousand miles... From www.terisagreen.com/books/encyclopedia.html.

Comment on this photo...

Cherry on Fire
CHERRY Cherries have been used to symbolize feminine beauty as well as love and even divination. In ancient China they were a symbol of immortality or longevity. In Japan, the cherry was the samurai’s symbol. For these warriors, the crushing of the fruit’s flesh (to reach the hard pit within) was a symbol os sacrificing human flesh to get to the core of the person. In tattoo artwork, it is not uncommon to see the cherries paired, as they might come in nature. They can appear by themselves or sometimes in the mouth of a classic swallow. In these Western contexts, they take on a sexual overtone about virginity (and its loss) that is variously interpreted as “Gone forever” or “Here’s mine, Where’s yours?”. FLAMES Considered one of the fundamental elements of nature in many cultures, fire has conflicting symbolic associations, as one might expect for something that can wa.