Why Do People Get A Cross Tattoo?

By a "cross tattoo", I don't mean a tattoo with a bad temper. I mean a tattoo in the shape of a cross. The cross is another one of those incredibly old symbols that seems to have permeated the collective unconscious of our species. There are many different types of cross tattoos as there are different types of crosses. Unless the cross design is incorporated with something threatening like a man in a white hood holding a noose, you can generally assume the wearer of a cross tattoo got one for a benign reason.

The Old Rugged Cross

In modern times, when you say "cross", the first image to pop into your head is the crucifixion cross that Jesus was to have been executed on. Perhaps derived from a verse where Christ tells His disciples to "take up your cross and follow Me", the image of this extremely gruesome torture device has been the chosen symbol for millions of Christians, no matter what their denomination. Cross symbols, especially with a white dove or beams of sunlight, are a non-too-subtle way of silently proclaiming the tattoo wearer's religion.

The Equal Armed Cross

As most conquering religions do, they twist the loser's religious symbols for their own uses. Perhaps the cross would not have been the chosen symbol of Christians had not the equal-armed cross already been established as a symbol of potent power among many Pagan faiths or healers. Just doing the gesture (very similar to the Catholic Sign of the Cross) is supposed to ward off the Evil Eye. The oldest known Christian cross is, in fact, an equal armed cross known as a Greek cross.

Variations of a Theme

A cross tattoo inside of a circle is one of the oldest doodles known. It's generally thought of as referring to the Sun. A cross topped with a loop is known as an ankh, and was a symbol of life for the ancient Egyptians. A cross with three horizontal lines as opposed to one is a symbol for the Tree of Life, which is a major symbol in old Norse religions and in today's Pagan counterparts.

The only two cross tattoo designs which are intentionally threatening are the upside down cross (Satanism) and the broken armed cross (better known as the Swastika). Although their original symbolisms were benign, they were adopted by very cruel and feared people, forever tainting these symbols. Anyone wearing one of these cross tattoos and not expecting others to be afraid and angry is a person who, at the least, is very confused.

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