Compass Tattoos – Symbolism Behind Compass Tattoos

Though often associated with maritime travel, compass tattoos make a fitting symbol for our life’s journey. Why, we’re all just sailors maneuvering through our life’s seas, after all.

Compass tattoos carry the rich history that fused skin art and sailors. During the early days of nautical travel, the mariners relied on the night sky to guide their path. As they navigated through the unknown waters, they always had a constant companion—the Northern star which served as their compass. This is seldom practiced today, as technology already paved way for more sophisticated equipment. However, the maritime symbols like the compass, the nautical star, and the swallows still stand as valuable designs for body art.

Compass Tattoos – Various Designs Of Compass Tattoos

There are many design options for compass tattoos, the most popular of which is the compass rose. The design depicts a circle with directions ticked at its quarters and a rose at its center. Two stars placed on top of each other, echoing the nautical star, polish the overall design.

Another take on compass tattoos involves a steampunk motif. Generally, these compasses have a gold or silver body. The faces may be basic, with only the dials and directions, or more intricate, with the details of the twelve zodiac signs. The designs usually feature a rose or a star compass, which are older models. A compass attached to the end of a chain and the inner makings of a compass are also popular images used in this motif.

Compass Tattoos – Make It Personal!                                             Compass Tattoos

Nonconventional compass designs also translate to good body art. Among these is the Vegvisir, a Nordic compass that has runes instead of directions. The prismatic, astro, and lodestone compasses are also good variations.

With the many compass designs to choose from, you can still personalize it by tweaking its colors. Though gold and bronze are the usual picks, the vibrant hues of blue, yellow, red, and orange add edge to your compass tattoo. Other design elements can be infused in the compass tattoos design, like the Celtic knots and cosmic bodies.

Mariner or not, you can never go wrong with compass tattoos.

Compass Tattoos