Don’t Be Afraid Of A Rose Tattoo
One of the most universally recognized symbols is that of the rose, although the same flower can represent different things to different peoples. The rose – particularly the red rose – has become almost an archetypical symbol for love in all of its forms. Often rose tattoos might have the name of a particular sweetheart somewhere near or on it. Oftentimes roses are incorporated into multi-image tattoos, such as a snake curling around a dagger imbedded in a rosebush.
Symbol Of Love
Rose tattoos are often symbolic of a particular love of the person the tattoo is on – even if the love is just for roses themselves. Red roses were once consecrated to the Greek Goddess of love, Aphrodite and Her Roman Counterpart, Venus. Red roses are also the symbol of the Virgin Mary. Whenever she is supposed to appear, the scent of roses is reported to be very strong in the air or permeating the person who had the Marion vision. Some people equate love with romance and the sexual act – some with caring to the point of self sacrifice.
English Roses
A beautiful Englishwoman is usually referred to as “an English rose”. This was popularized during Shakespeare’s day with sonnets like “O my love is like a red red rose”. Roses are also the family symbols of two long lived and possibly still feuding families, the Lancasters (red rose) and the Yorks (white rose). Any city or town in England or America named York or Lancaster usually has the appropriately colored roses as their symbol. Therefore, don’t be surprised if that white rose tattoo means the wearer was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania. In England, red roses are also the symbol of the Labor Party, currently the dominant political party.
Guns ‘N’ Roses
Many fans of the popular hard rock band Guns ‘n’ Roses, which were most popular in the late 1980’s, will have tattoos of – yes – guns and roses. This is sort of a yin-yang symbol for the fans, a symbol of contrasting images to make a whole. The soft, fragile, natural side clashing with the hard, solid and manufactured side. And, the guns and roses tattoo looks really cool.
Horse Racing Fans
A blanket of roses is the traditional award for the horse who wins the Kentucky Derby (while the owner gets a trophy and a whole lotta money). If the rose tattoo wearer also has a horse tattoo, odds are this is a tribute to a fallen Kentucky Derby hero, or to commemorate a concection to a still surviving Kentucky Derby winner.
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