Star Design

The nautical star design is one of the oldest and most original of all the star tattoo designs. It is interpreted as a dominant symbol and has a long history. The first use of nautical star tattoos date back to ancient mariners when they used to have them positioned on their body to align with the northern star and from this they could figure out if they were going in the right direction and hence guide them home. 

Today the nautical star has been adopted by many groups. The Punk Rocker movement adopted Star tattoos and was originally influenced by Sailor Jerry, who was one of the original and revered tattoo artists of the modern age.  

Star tattoos are generally connected with masculine groups but the powerful emotions of strength and unity are also very strong among lesbians who have now also adopted the star tattoo and tailored the design to their identity. 

The most commonly used star tattoos are the 4 and 5 pointed designs, but also Moon Star Moon designs are also popular and can look more feminine than the nautical star. 

The increasing number of  people who are having individual star tattoo designs is down to the fact that it us such a versatile shape that can be adapted and incorporated into many ideas. Many people have small ones done in discreet areas like on the wrist which can be hidden by a watch or bracelet. They are also great for covering up an old tattoo that was maybe done badly. Another great idea is to incorporate it into an existing design to enhance or add detail. 

Other groups that use the star are the occult or people that practice witchcraft. They use the Pentacle star design which has 5 points and is taken from the Greek word Pentegrammos which means 5 lines. The lines suggest a link to the devil at the points where the lines cross. 

But don’t worry, if you still want a 5 pointed star tattoo design without the dark meaning there are plenty of other more light hearted designs out there that can adapted to suit you. 

Here are some ideas on combining star tattoos with other designs. 

Place the stars in descending sizes on either side of 2 swallows with a heart in the middle. Looks stunning. 

Shooting stars but where the stars are replaced with delicate flowers and the flowers are connected by small tendrils that cascade to the left or right. Looks great on the shoulder or hip. 

Tribal Tattoos with a pentacle star in the centre. The tribal design is then framed around the star to look like barbed wire. 

My favourite is the design that has 5 pentacle stars in a straight line in descending sizes going down the centre of the back. 

Star tattoos are a great first tattoo design to get done because they are so adaptable and regardless of their size still have the same powerful meaning. 

My name is Jonny Rae and if you have found this article interesting I run a blog which features the top websites with the largest number of tattoo art designs you will find on the web. Come see me and let me know what you think? http://tattooscool.blogspot.com/

About the Author:

My name is Jonny Rae and I live in a small village in southern England. Thanks for stopping by..

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Star Tattoos – Meaning Behind the Magic

 

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People of every time period have been superstitious about witches, mainly evil witches that would do them harm. They would take any and every precautionary step necessary to repel witch spells from entering their homes. Some German immigrants that came to Pennsylvania starting in the 1700's used 'hex' designs to ward off evil spells. Hex means witch in German and of course hex is also a Greek root word meaning six. These beautiful six-sided geometric designs,hexagrams, were painted over doorways,on barns and on what was considered a very important piece of furniture, the hope chest.

The hope chest, also known as a dowry chest or blanket chest, was the piece of furniture in every newly weds' home which held household items like quilts, bed linen and baby clothes. More importantly, these blanket chests held the family heirlooms as well. So in order to prevent any evil spell damage in the home in case their outside counter measures failed, hope chests were given these beautiful designs. These hex designs were also to ensure good luck for the household. Some groups of German immigrants, such as the Amish and the Mennonites, rarely, if ever, had these types of designs placed on buildings or on their blanket chests. These religious groups were known as the 'plain people' and their lives were ran accordingly. Every aspect of life needed to be plain such as clothing, the interior of their homes and their furniture. They rarely added any embellishments of any type to their possessions. The religious Germanic groups known to wear 'fancy' dress such as the Lutherans and other reformed groups, would have used hex designs on their hope chests. Some historians contend that hex designs were never meant to chase away evil spells, but rather to just add a nice touch to other wise drab furnishings.

Hex signs are normally geometric designs varying from the extremely simple to the complex. Many wood crafters learned to add these symbols to homes and blanket chest furniture in a very stylish manner, incorporating the tree of life, hearts, circles(the sun), birds, stars, foliage and flower design elements. These design symbols had specific meanings so families would incorporate those they favored into a family design for their hope chests. The meanings for the most used of these symbols were: the tree of life for longevity, hearts for love and kindness, tulip for faith, 3 tulips for faith, hope and charity, star for luck, sun wheel for warmth and fertility, the circle for eternity or infinity, doves for peace and contentment, four pointed star for a bright day, eagle for good health, strength and courage, horse head for protecting against animal disease and buildings from lightning strikes, maple leaf for contentment, oak leaf for strength, 4 quarter moons for the seasons of the year, rain drops for fertility, abundance and rain, rosette for good luck and to keep away bad luck and evil, twelve pointed rosette for a joyous month each month of the year, triple star for success, wealth and happiness, unicorn for virtue, piety and the belief in God, wavy border for smooth sailing through life and birds (distelfinks) for good luck.

These designs were very colorful when added to hope chests. This created a warm atmosphere in the room where the blanket chest was placed. Of course the colors chosen for the hex designs also had meanings for these families. Red stood for strong emotions, yellow stood for the love of man, green stood for growing things, blue stood for protection, white stood for purity and brown stood for Mother Earth.

People now use hex designs mainly for decorative uses,especially on blanket chests, although there are those who use them for folk magic. Have fun with these designs. Make one with meaning for yourself and your family. After all, the basic meaning of a hex design is to give oneself good luck. Create a special hope chest for your family by painting your favorite designs on the outside. Blanket Chest Heirlooms.com offers quality handcrafted blanket chests in many styles to accent in every area of your home.