Traditional Heart Tattoos

Heart tattoos originated from sailors who were doing a long stint at sea, as there was a possibility, they would not return home. It was a symbol and way to keep their loved ones close and sometimes these hearts were with or without names. Most of the time they read Mom/Mum or the name of a special person from home, but they also could be decorated with flowers, swallows, skulls, and much more.

Heart tattoos can also represent more than just Love. A few other meanings are compassion, courage, grief, loss or as a memorial tattoo for someone that has passed away. Often you will see the tattoo imagery with a dagger going through or behind the heart which signifies ruthlessness, death, sacrifice or betrayal by love lost.

This design can be traced back to early Christianity artwork and the symbol has traditionally been called the “Immaculate or Sacred Heart of Mary”. It has been used to depict Mary’s divine love and beauty, as well as her suffering. Another popular image is the sacred heart which is a Christian symbol for the heart of Christ and is a sign of devotion. Outside of religion the heart and dagger can also represent the Voodoo spirit Erzulie Dantor, a bisexual female goddess believed to protect women, children and those society has cast away. For sailors, this heart and dagger are a sign of loyalty and willing to fight anything. To this current day hearts still remain one of the most popular tattoos for sailors.