Get Acquainted with Popular Religious Tattoos: Cross Tattoos

Tattoos using religious symbols are a rage across the world and many tattoo enthusiasts use them to highlight their faith. The most preferred tattoo in this niche is the traditional, Cross Tattoo. Most people interpret the Cross Tattoo as representative of the Christian faith. Such Cross Tattoos can be created in various ways, including the conventional black & white patterns or elaborately-colored designs wherein the Cross is often adorned with other religious denominations of the Christian faith.

Slightly Unusual Cross Tattoos: The Ankh Cross

There are many variations among Cross Tattoos, i.e. those that are not related to Christianity, such as the Ankh Cross. The Ankh is a symbolic representation dating back to the ancient Egyptians. It has been found on many of the coffins within which the mummies where buried. The Ankh is denotes both, Physical & Eternal life. It is also called the ‘original cross’ since it was believed to have been used before the cross of Christian faith. The Ankh typically represents the material things that are essential to sustain human life such as water, sun and air. Many pharaohs wore the Ankh on their headwear and anklets. Some tattoo experts believe that the Loop of Ankh represents the Womb, i.e. feminine purity and the elongated part of the Ankh represents the Penis, i.e. sign of masculine dominance.

Looking beyond the Conventional Cross Tattoo: Consider the Maltese Cross

Maltese Cross is regarded symbolic of the true Christian warrior. The popularity of the Maltese Cross rose with its presence on the weapons used during the Holy Wars. The Maltese Cross is quite different from the Christian cross since it is pointing outwards and takes an octagonal form. There are some variations in Maltese Cross such as Cross Pattée which has a French influence. This form of the Maltese Cross is representative of the ‘paw’. The other variation of the Maltese Cross was created in 1901 that is also called the Dudeney Maltese Cross. This is like a seven-edge modification of the original Maltese Cross that has eight edges. The traditional Maltese tattoo is also called the Amalfi Cross. This sign was seen on the armor of the Maltese Knights who fought for up-keeping the Christian faith. Maltese Cross is still prevalent in some forms of the existing, Maltese currency, i.e. in the form of coins. The Maltese Cross is bit more elaborative than the traditional, Christian cross since it is eight-pointed and the V-shaped parts of the tattoo need to be merged along their tips, ensuring that each arm of the tattoo has two points/edges.