Trying to find good examples of cross tattoos? Well you couldn’t have arrived at a better place. We have a good list, I’m sure more than one will inspire you.
Cross tattoos on the back
Here you have a selection of cross tattoos on the back, which are quite popular.
Cross tattoos on the shoulder
The next most popular place to get a cross tattoo is the shoulder:
Cross tattoos for women
Cross tattoos for men
Small cross tattoos
Original cross tattoos
In addition to evaluating the different designs for your cross tattoo, you may think about giving a change or an original twist to your design. To do this, you can try to lengthen the vertical stick of the cross and build a kind of bracelet with it along the arm.
You can also, for example, divide the design between your two wrists or forearms, and make the image perfectly composed and complete when you bring these two parts of your body together, giving true meaning to your tattoo of crosses.
In reality, in these tattoos, as in any style, the only limit is in the creativity of the person who wants to get the tattoo and in the capacity for action of the tattoo artist (who, surely, also has a tattoo of crosses).
As you have seen, you can choose from a large number of cross tattoos. And there are many more crosses than we could think of at first glance. Of course, make sure you understand the meaning well… Because some crosses have unpleasant meanings!
What does a cross tattoo mean
The cross has been an important symbol in numerous cultures for thousands of years. However, its most popular meaning is due to Christian symbolism, which considers it a symbol of suffering and sacrifice.
The Christian religion celebrates what is called Passion of Christ, which is the path that Jesus Christ followed from when he was betrayed by one of his followers until he was executed with one of the worst ways in ancient Rome: the crucifixion.
Crucifixion consisted of tying a person’s hands and feet to a pair of wooden logs arranged in the shape of a cross. Then, the executed were nailed to the cross itself, and left to die of thirst or pain.
Many fainted or their strength failed, so the weight of their body pulled them downwards and the wounds tore the skin further. In short, it was a slow and very painful method of torture and execution.
The Calvary that Jesus lived according to Christians to save them is very celebrated with this symbol, which is why a Latin cross (with the stick vertical longer than the horizontal) is the symbol of Christ.
The Greek cross is also an important symbol within Orthodox Christianity, and is characterized by the fact that its two sticks are the same length. However, the most common motif in cross tattoos are Latin crosses.
Other crosses that you can get tattooed
Perhaps the next best-known crosses are the Celtic crosses, also due to the appropriation that the Nazis made of them. They are a mixture of Christian and Celtic symbolism, and it is a Latin cross surrounded by a halo.
Many of these crosses are used in cross tattoos because they are richly decorated and construct very interesting elaborate designs within the Celtic tribal tattoo. It is curious that the Celtic cross is also used to symbolize protection against evil.
Another well-known cross is the so-called Ankh Cross, Egyptian cross or cross of life. If there is one that is related to Egyptian mythology, it is the Cross of Ankh. It is the symbol of life and resurrection, of the eternal return of things that always happen again.
The origin of the Cross of Anj is quite doubtful. Many think that it is an allegory of femininity represented by the oval, united with the male genitals represented in the shape of a T.
This also explains that one of the most common cross tattoos is that of the venus symbol. >, which is made up of a circle and a Greek cross at the base, although many feminists would avoid identifying it with a cross.
When to get a cross tattoo
If you are thinking about getting a cross tattoo or not, you are in luck, because whether it is a tattoo of this type or any other, the only criterion that matters when it comes to It’s yours to decide.
But it may be that you have some doubts, either because it is your first tattoo, or because you don’t really want to load your tattoo with so much symbolism, or perhaps because of any other reason. It is natural, because getting a tattoo is an important decision, and even more so if it is a tattoo of this type, with what it implies.
First of all, the most important thing when getting a cross tattoo is that you are happy with the design and that the tattoo artist > who is going to tattoo you can really make that design and do a good job.
For this reason, it may be interesting for you to investigate the different types of crosses that you can get tattooed, and the different styles that usually incorporate them, such as Chicano tattoos, Old School, New Old School, Traditional and Neotraditional.
In any case, do not allow anyone’s opinion, unless it is a professional who gives it to you with that intention, lead you to doubt your convictions and desires. The one who is going to have to live with a cross tattoo is going to be you and no one else.
Problems of getting a cross tattoo
With the act of tattooing two types of problems usually come, which sometimes are not even important, but which can condition the decision of some people or the illusion they have for the tattoo itself.
In the case of a cross tattoo, the most important thing is to assess that it is a permanent body modification. This implies that, unless you want to invest a lot of money and a lot of pain, it will always be with you.
That’s why you should think carefully about what part of your body you want to get tattooed. When we talk about symbols that have a powerful meaning, as is the case with cross tattoos, then caution has to be greater: they identify you as a believer or similar to a series of ways of seeing the world .
And although the ideal would be for no one to judge anyone for how they dress or what they believe, the impression of others can have important effects on our lives, whether Time to interact socially.
However, as you have already seen above, the places where it is most popular to get a cross tattoo are the back upper part and the shoulder, so that it is not a symbol that people easily hide.