All About Cross Tattoos

Celtic Cross Tattoos - High Cross
The Celtic Cross is a Latin cross with a circle within the upper cross. The circle represents eternal life as a result of Christ's death. The Celtic Cross was used by missionaries in Ireland around 800AD to commemorate places of worship. The Celtic cross is surely one of the most eye-catching types of tattoo around today. A border of Celtic knots seems to have no beginning or end, the background is of the basic cross pattern. The knot work/spiral might also decorate the inside of the cross. The glamorous and timeless beauty of these cross designs lend themselves particularly well to tattoo art. This tattoo is generally black and green.

Gothic Cross Tattoos
The Gothic style is similar to the German design of heavily ornamented pieces of fabricated from wrought iron. They may have a little barbed wire around the middle of the cross or the cross may be intertwined with a dagger. Gothic crosses also are symbolic of feelings of depression, pain and anger. Today's Gothic Cross Tattoos normally include dark and troubling descriptions.

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CCross Tattoos are one of the most admired and popular tattoo designs these days and has been through out the ages.

The Cross has powerful religious connections and meanings and come in many forms. The Cross Tattoo represents everlasting life and immortality, faith and the union of heaven and earth.

To help you in your search for a Cross tattoo design lets look at the most common cross symbols and their meanings, giving a brief detail to each of these crosses.

When you have an idea of what you want, the most successful way to find a good cross tattoo gallery is to look for one of the superior tattoo galleries.

The larger tattoo galleries split the tattoo designs into different genres, so you can easily find Cross Tattoos.

Below are some the most common designs, and meanings of the following Cross Tattoos:

1. Christian or Latin Cross
2. Tau Cross
3. Anchor Cross
4. Greek Cross
5. Cross of St Andrew
6. Celtic Cross

One of the most familiar crosses today is the Christian cross on which Jesus Christ died. For thousands of years, crosses have been used in all types of Christian faith. For that reason it is very symbolic and holds a lot of meaning, allowing people to show their faith. It is also know as the Latin cross, with a shorter level arm than the upright arm. Many Christian symbols have been turned into tattoo images; this cross beats all the other designs.

Another famous cross is the Tau cross. It is in the shape of a T and is named after the Greek letter which it resembles. The Tau is an very old symbol of eternal life, and is also steeped in religious meaning. Christians also refer to this cross as the cross of St Anthony, as he died on such a cross. Also known as the Egyptian Cross and the crux commissa. It is shaped like the letter T. Francis of Assisi used it as his signature.

The anchor cross is the combination of a cross and an anchor. This cross represents faith and hope. The anchor cross is believed to be a Pagan symbol and predates Christianity. A stylized cross in the shape of an anchor. Also known as the anchored cross or mariner's cross.

The Greek cross, also known as the Cross of St George has equal length arms, and was used by the Greek Christians, as they preferred symmetry in their designs. In 1100AD the Cross became the symbol of England. Used especially by Eastern Orthodoxy and Early Christianity Also known as the crux immissa quadrata. Has all arms of equal length. Often the arms curve wider as they go out.
The Cross of St Andrew, now the flag of Scotland is in the form of an X. St Andrew was crucified on the X cross rather than a Latin cross, because he believed he was not worthy to die on the same cross as his lord.

The Celtic Cross is a Latin cross with a circle within the upper cross. The circle represents eternal life as a result of Christ's death. The Celtic Cross was used by missionaries in Ireland around 800AD to mark places of worship. The circle is a symbol of eternity or eternal life that emphasizes the endlessness of God's love as shown through his sacrifice on the cross. Others consider the circle a halo.

One of the most popular types of cross tattoos design is the "Celtic" tattoo, which usually features a pattern in a style reminiscent of the ancient Celtic civilization.

This style is typically favored by people who want to show off their Celtic - more often than not Irish - roots.

It occasionally draws criticism as people view it as a cheapening of Celtic heritage and also because it is very frequently worn by people with absolutely no connection to the Celts.

If done correctly, however, a Celtic pattern can look great. The watchword in this matter is very definitely "size". A large Celtic band - often chosen as an adornment to go around the arm of the person getting the tattoo - can look very clumsy and unattractive.

Celtic patterning is quite intricate and delicate and, at the right size, is undeniably stylish. Anyone considering a Celtic tattoo should bear this in mind.

Celtic crosses are another popular look for people seeking to signpost their heritage - an intricate design that features a circle at the top, around the point where the vertical and horizontal bars of the cross meet.

It is worth being cautious, however, as certain iterations of the Celtic cross are used as insignia by Neo-Nazi groups.

Generally these groups use a simplified version of the cross, without the ornate curlicues which distinguish a true Celtic cross. Familiarizing yourself with these differences can be the difference between a tattoo to be proud of and one to regret.

The two words to remember, then, are "size" and "caution" - as long as you pay attention to the meaning of your desired tattoo you should end up with something that will be a conversation piece for years to come.

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The Gothic style mimics the German design of heavily decorated pieces fabricated from wrought iron.

The Goth culture is marked with a fascination of Medieval, Victorian and Edwardian times past. Gothic crosses also represent feelings of despair, pain and anger.

Today's Gothic Cross Tattoos usually incorporate dark and distressing imagery. Crosses wrapped in barbed wire are common. Also crosses that are in fact daggers with a single drop of red at the tip.

Gothic subculture has been in existence since the early 1980s, when the Goth music scene sprang up in the North of England out of the dying punk scene. Against the odds, it has persisted for what is now nearly thirty years, in the face of occasionally hostile and often mocking treatment in the media and in society.

There is a feeling that Goth is a movement whose time has now come, especially in the wake of the "Nu-metal" scene which had a large following on both sides of the Atlantic at the start of the century.

Along with black clothes, hair and make-up and often artificially pale faces, along with a predominance of leather, gothic fashion includes tattoos - and these tattoos, interestingly, are a part of gothic fashion which has made the jump to the mainstream before any other.

Stars such as Eminem and David Beckham have been known to rock a gothic tattoo, although there are as yet no reports claiming that they're whiting up and listening to My Dying Bride.

What constitutes a gothic tattoo? Well, in this day and age, it's pretty much whatever the media decides is a gothic tattoo, apparently. But the main uniting factors include elements of religious and fantasy imagery, faeries and angels being particularly popular.

As an armband tattoo, a representation of a thorned rose vine is the most popular, which has echoes of the crown of thorns forced onto Jesus' head as he was crucified.

The crucifix itself plays a large part in gothic tattoo imagery - in a lot of cases an ironic appropriation of a broadly Christian image by people who have little time for Christianity itself.

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