Sun Tattoo

Sun tattoo is very popular and common that it is hard to find a distinctively unique sun design. There are many reasons why so many people choose sun symbol for tattooing. It is various according to the person’s culture, beliefs, and personal preferences.

The most common reason why the sun tattoo is still very popular in the first place is that the sun symbolizes vitality and the cycle of life. The sun shine is shine representing that life is short. Therefore, it is suggested be lived to the fullest. The rising of the sun means a new day is about to begin. The worries of yesterday should be a thing of the past. This then serves as a reminder to enjoy the sun while it is shining.


In the ancient times, a sun tattoo could also have deeper spiritual connotations. A sun tattoo represents divine power and the bearer usually holds a position of authority within their religious circle. The sun would rise again after a night of darkness symbolizes the sun’s ability to give life. This sun tattoo also symbolizes immortality, and reincarnation.

In the Asian culture, there is Yin-Yang philosophy, the good and evil symbolism, and the symbol for balance. There is sun tattoo combined with moon tattoo. This combination is believed to be a union of the male and female power, sexually and spiritually speaking. It also fit for the philosophy of yin-yang.

Sun could also be considered as a symbol of light and goodness. It is pureness of the soul, or at least an attempt to emulate the concept of goodness. Therefore, some people especially the intellectuals or those who fancy themselves as one, the sun tattoo have the meaning of learning and knowledge for an ignorant mind, just as the sun would bring light to darkness.

Sun Tattoo

Sun Tattoo

Sun Tattoo

Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical Star Tattoos
The nautical star tattoo is the most masculine design amongst star tattoos. Nautical star tattoos are considered old school. In the early days of tattooing, they used to be popular amongst sailors, who had them for guidance and protection. Sailor Jerry is a famous tattoo artist from those days.

The nautical star is a 5-pointed star, the points are split in half and filled with an alternating color (usually black-red or black-white), creating a 3d illusion.
Sailors used stars and the North Star (aka Polaris) for navigation, so it's not hard to see why so many of them have star tattoos. They function as a guide to get them back home safely. Soldiers have them for the same reason. Swallow tattoos also have a similar kind of nautical history.

Also today, people have star tattoos for similar reasons, you can rely on them when you are lost in your life, they are a light in the darkness.
In Ireland the nautical star is a symbol for good health, it's an old Pagan symbol you can find in certain Irish hospitals.

The nautical star tattoo has a special meaning in the gay and lesbian community. Some gay and lesbian people have a nautical star tattooed on their wrist as a sign of their disposition. The wrist is a place that can easily be covered by wearing a watch or a bracelet. Curiously, many celebrities have a star tattoo on their wrist (see further).

The nautical star is also a popular punk rock tattoo design.

Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical Star Tattoos
Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical Star Tattoos

Nautical Star Tattoos

Polynesian Tattoos

Polynesian tattoos are an ancient art that has been receiving a lot of attention in modern times. Though few of us who are not from the Polynesian islands would be willing to undergo the painful and lengthy procedure that real Polynesian tattoos necessitate, we might well be attracted to elements of the traditional tribal designs and wish to incorporate them into our own tattoos – using modern methods (most of us anyway).

Hawaiian face tattoo

The people of the Polynesian islands have evolved their own distinct culture over hundreds, even thousands of years. Though there are many islands in this area, the people all came from a common homeland – though no one is exactly sure where this might have been, or when they came or how.

Polynesia is a group of islands spread over the Pacific Ocean (over 1000; Polynesia is the Greek word for many islands). The Marquesa islands are probably where the Polynesian people came to first and they later spread to:

* New Zealand: Aotearoa (Maori for NZ) is where the Maori people live. Tattoo art or Ta Moko as they call it, is a very important aspect of their culture. Discover all about Maori Tattoos here

* Hawaii: Hawaiian tattoo designs are distinct from other Polynesian tattoos in that sense that they have a more personal meaning. Popular today are Hawaiian flowers, turtles and abstract tribals.

Hawaiian tattoos

* Easter Island (Rapa Nui): the tattoo designs of the inhabitants of the Easter Island have a huge variety: stylized boats, vaginas, spears, birds, geometrical patterns, .... Women and men had a combination of bold lines and dots on their forehead, from one ear to the other. The tattoos made their skin sacred and enabled them to communicate with the gods.

* Samoa: Samoan tattoos are generally very large and denote the social status and rank of the man or woman who wears it.

* Tonga: the Tongan tattoo is similar to the Samoan tattoo.

* The Cook Islands: the tattoo designs of the Cook Islands were spread over the entire body. Each tribe had its own tattoo sign.

* French Polynesia (Tahiti): traditionally, only people of a high social ranking had tattoos. Tahitian tattoos covered the whole body, except the face. Women as well as men were tattooed. The women were tattooed at a very young age. Later they are tattooed again when they reach sexual maturity. When they desired a man, they would show their tattoos by lifting their skirts.

* The Marquesa Islands: a group of islands in French Polynesia with a deeply rooted tattoo tradition. The people of the Marquesa islands were the most heavily tattooed of all the Polynesian tribes.

* Several other islands which now house distinct ethnic groups.

Though they are distinct, a lot of cultural similarities remain. For example, practically all of these people practice the art of tattooing, and they do so in startlingly similar ways. Tattoo art was very important in the Polynesian culture. Because they had no written language, tattoos were used to depict social status, family history and spirituality.

The Motives For Polynesian Tattoos

Here are some of the reasons the Polynesian people had tattoos:

* The tattoos were a symbol of courage. The tattoo process was very painful and a lot of perseverance was needed to endure the long tattoo sessions.

* Getting the first tattoo marks the transition between childhood and adulthood. It is a rite of passage.

* Tattoos added to the sexual attractiveness of a man.

* Tattoos offered protection, they were a talisman.

* Polynesian tattoos read like a book. By looking at a tattoo, insiders get to know the social status and rank of the tattooed person.

Polynesian tattoos

Polynesian tattoos

Polynesian tattoos

Polynesian tattoos