Nautical Star Tattoos

Long used as an image for protection and guidance through life, nautical star tattoos are assigned many different meanings by their wearers.

Said to be one of the earliest tattoo symbols, nautical stars have been used as tattoos for at least a century. Many individuals who made their living on the sea, as well as sailors in the military, have chosen to get nautical stars tattooed on their bodies. Seafaring souls often use the stars to aid them in navigation, and this is especially true of Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star.

The North Star became an important influence over the lives of sailors, as did the star that is seen inside of a compass. For these reasons, it is hypothesized that sailors combined this symbolism into one tattoo - the nautical star. Unlike other nautical images, such as anchors and maps, the nautical star is a hopeful symbol; it is representative of always being able to find your way home.

Being an old-school tattoo image, nautical stars have been around in the tattoo world for a long time. These stars were once only popular with people who were in some way attached to the water, but as time went on, other groups adopted the nautical star for their own purposes.

Since the 1940's and 1950's, a nautical star tattoo has been used by some homosexuals to indicate their sexual preference. Lesbians started this practice among themselves during an era when homosexuality was frowned upon and not spoken about. Many lesbians chose to get a small nautical star tattoo on the top of their wrist, which could easily be covered by a watch if needed.

A popular image for those who enjoy punk rock and hardcore music, nautical stars have also found their way into this part of tattoo culture. This group latched onto the image because of its old sailor imagery, as well as the fact that Sailor Jerry tattoos have become extremely popular as of late.

Many members of the Navy and Marines have chosen to get nautical star tattoos, because of the association between sailors and this image. Some even have nautical stars that are coded by color: red for serving on the port side of a ship, and green for starboard.

No matter which meaning you assign to a nautical star, remember that these meanings are never 100 percent clear. Don't let an "assigned" meaning of a tattoo stop you from getting an image you enjoy.

Most nautical star tats are relatively basic, following the same pattern of alternating color and black ink found in a five pointed star. If you are looking for something a little different, here are some places that have more intricate nautical star designs:

• BMEzine has a large selection of star tattoos, some nautical and some plain.
• TattooJohnny also has many different star images, with some unusual patterns.

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