10 Nautical Tattoos And Their Meanings

Traditionally, because of the nature of the swallow and the frequency with which it was encountered by crews on board sailing ships, it became somewhat of a mascot of the sea-faring community.

The swallow spends a huge proportion of its life on the wing. In addition, it manages to travel immense distances during its life. As such, crew on board a vessel must have seen swallows a lot more frequently than other birds and developed an affinity with them.

Traditionally, a swallow tattoo was awarded for every five thousand nautical miles that a seafarer had travelled. Especially in the age of sail, completing that amount of miles would take months and years to accomplish. By extension, two swallows would have been indicative of a seasoned mariner and a good hand.

While the age of boilers, steam and now engines has made the achievement of racking up ten thousand nautical miles almost trivial, there are other interpretations in the modern era,

In some cultures, a swallow on the hand means "this fist can fly" - a clear warning sign that the wearer can fight. Also, it is now worn by some for aesthetic reasons, where a pair are inked just to balance a design.