Greek cross

Chinese cross

As you can see that there are many different types of cross tattoo designs, this is just a sample of what is out there. If you looked through our directory you would find 56 more cross tattoo designs. No shortages of cross tattoos exist. For that matter, there are no shortages of cross jewelry or apparel either. The cross has been used as a symbolic gesture of faith since the beginning of time. Today it is traditionally shown as a symbol in the Christian faith; however it is not exclusive only to Christians. In addition to the depiction of Jesus and the crucifix, the cross has been used in various countries with various symbolizations. Almost all variations of the cross have a basis of deity. Some citizens have taken the cross as a symbol of: the hammer of the God Thor; Babylonian moon deity; representation of the four directions in which the sun shines; the higher, celestial states of being, along with the lower, earthly states; an association with Maat, the Egyptian Goddess of Truth and the sexual union of Isis and Osiris; and lastly as a symbol of a human effigy on a cross.

A cross is a cross is a cross, right? Au contraire; did you know that dozens of different types of crosses existed? There is so much more to a cross than merely a small letter "t". Here are a few examples: Ankh, Canterbury, Christian, Coptic, Furka, Greek, Byzantine, High Cross, Labarum, Lorraine, Nordic, Papal, Patriarchal, Presbyterian, Red Cross, Cross of Sacrifice, Saints Andrew, Peter, George, Sun, Tau, Mariner's, Bent, and Persian.

One doesn't need to drive very far down any freeway to see a wooden cross planted on the side of the road – often with a wreath of flowers or the initials R.I.P. Clearly someone lost their life at that site. The cross is a way to pay tribute and also alert others know of a potentially dangerous curve or intersection.

The death of a loved one can also create a desire for a permanent tattoo of a cross with the name of the family member or friend woven between the cross. To some, such a depiction helps the memory stay alive.

Therefore, it would be foolish to come to the conclusion that someone donning a cross tattoo must surely be affiliated with the Catholic religion. While some tattoo designs have no symbolization or deeper meaning – other than the owner thought it was cute or would look cool, such is not the case with cross tattoos. The cross is often an expression of faith - each cross and each tattoo with an extremely individual meaning.

Greek cross

Though most of the cross tattoos are linked with Christianity, there are several other cross tattoos that do not have any association with Christian or catholic faiths. It’s interesting to explore different types of cross tattoos.

Cross tattoos are not mere body art designs; they hold deeper meaning for most of the wearers. Often associated with Christianity, these cross tattoos are preferred by many tattoo enthusiasts who want to express their individual religious faith and spiritual beliefs.

Although cross is a religious symbol of Christians, not every cross tattoo hold the same meaning for the tattoo fans. Interpretation of cross tattoos varies from person to person, especially when the cross tattoos are embellished with different designs.

The cross tattoos are often classified into two types. They are Christian cross tattoos and non-Christian tattoos.

Christian Cross Tattoo Designs
There are some cross tattoos that are strictly associated with Christianity. Persons with strong religious beliefs often opt for these tattoos to express their religious conviction. Some of the Christian cross tattoos are:

Celtic cross:

It is usually a combination of two different religious and mystical symbols from two different cultures. The design has a cross and a circle that is centered at the point where the two lines in the Latin cross intersect. The imposed circle representing the cycle of life is associated with the notion that life and death is eternal and cyclical.

There are some other Celtic crosses that feature intricate Celtic knots throughout the design. These tattoo designs are embellished with knot patterns that have no beginning or end. The knots often symbolize the continuous nature of life that has no start and no end.

Latin cross: It is one of the most simple cross tattoo designs that features a long vertical line intersected by a smaller horizontal line. This is the design that is closely associated with Christianity. There are also some ornate crosses of the same dimensions combined with the Sacred Heart that are instantly identified with Catholicism.

These cross tattoos can also be customized to suit the wearer’s choice. People can opt for different images like wings, birds etc or they may also go for some words.

Maltese cross:

It represents eight-pointed cross, consisting of four V-shaped arms. Each point represents qualities of a hero, like loyalty, honesty, contempt of death, and religious faith. Thus these cross tattoos symbolize courage and the hero’s ultimate sacrifice.

St. Andrew’s Cross: This cross design varies from other conventional designs. It is usually in the shape of an X instead of the typical T design.

Non Christian tattoos

There are several cross tattoos that are not identified with Christian religious sentiments. Such tattoos are classified as non-Christian tattoos. Some of them are:
Gothic cross:

Gothic cross tattoos are one of the most popular non-Christian tattoo designs. These cross tattoos are German in style and are heavily adorned. Usually iron textured, they are often combined with different imageries like barbed wire and daggers.

Greek cross: It features an equilateral cross symbolizing the god Anu and the sky. This design has often been associated with sun-worship.

Chinese cross: It features a cross that is identified with the Chinese ideogram for “earth.”

Ankh is also a popular choice that is deep-rooted in Egyptian culture. In ancient Egypt the sign was considered as the key used by the Gods of the underworld to awaken the souls that had crossed the river of death to usher them into the afterlife.
These are some other Non-Christian crosses that like Aztec cross, the Tau cross, Gammate Cross or swastika, and many more.

Popularity of cross tattoos

Many people getting their first tat tend to choose crosses for their

initial foray into body art. It’s a fairly safe design that is usually deemed socially acceptable, where other tattoo designs may not be as welcome. The simple cross can also be incorporated into some not so simple design

eltic crosses can be masterpieces of body art, and even the most simple cross can be embellished with other design elements such as hearts, flowers, angel wings, and nearly anything else you can think of

ike religion itself, the cross holds whatever symbolism an individual intends it to, and everyone interprets it’s meaning in his or her own way. One person may get a tattoo of a cross because of deeply held religious beliefs while another just thinks it “looks cool.”

Tribal Cross Tattoos

Tribal Cross Tattoos

Cross Tattoos Pictures And Tattoo Designs

Tribal Cross Tattoo Designs And The

Filed under: Celtic Cross Tattoos

Sexy girl tattoo in various design

New hot fascinating tribal tattoos in style

Sexy women tattoos 4

Sexy girl tattoo in various design

flower tattoos with their roots

Some cross tattoos show Jesus on the cross, while others show the cross, often with realistic wood graining, with a crown of thorns hung over one arm. Other cross tattoos consists of crossed nails such as big, rough looking nails like those that were used to hang Jesus on the cross.

Other popular Christian cross tattoo images include the Celtic cross (probably one of the most popular Christian tattoos of all), the Russian cross, and the Egyptian 'ankh', a cross with a circular shape on top, the ancient Egyptian symbol for 'life'.

Besides the cross, there are other Christian images that are often used in Christian cross tattoos. The fish symbol is a great illustration based on assorted biblical references, a stylized fish symbol is frequently used as a symbol of Christ. This is a compact, but quite prominent symbol that lends itself well to tattooing, especially in black.
However, there are also other tattoos that may be gang related such as the Hispanic Christian Cross Tattoos.

They are an interesting sub-group. If you know anything about their traditions, you won't be too surprised to learn that most Mexicans and other Hispanic people, even though they are involved in gangs or other criminal activities, are deeply religious and rely on their Christian symbols to both identify and protect them.

These Christian cross tattoos are rather complex, many involve a tattooed image of a saint, Jesus, or the Virgin Mary. Hispanic tattoos often have words, as well, usually a Bible verse, perhaps accompanied by a loved one's name. Many Mexican gang members have multiple sophisticated tattoos, allowing the individual to literally wear his identity and emotions on his skin, if not his sleeve

Tattoo Designs Celtic Cross

Tattoo Designs Celtic Cross

Looking for the right tattoo design can be an important and vital move for some people, so if you want to be 100% sure you get the design you truly want to be looking in the right place. It’s also a very easy thing to locate a design you really love for free if you know how. If you want you can locate a few free tattoo designs in the following places:

1. Tattoo parlors and Tattoo books. Of course you can find a really nice design in a tattoo parlor for free, however more often then not many of the selections are general designs and so you really have to work your way through to find the design you really want. So you should ask to see if they have a book of their individual work that they specialize in at their shop. Many times the artists themselves will have original, high quality designs they have drawn and are more than willing to tattoo you with them.

2. What about the Internet? It can be a real challenging experience searching for a tattoo design and having to sift through all the typical designs you've already seen. Unfortunately that’s usually what happens when looking through free tattoo designs on the internet. Many if not all of the free sites simply won't include many if any of the unique or popular designs, however you could come across that one in a million if you look long and hard enough.

3. Ah ha…Tattoo membership websites. Even though you will have to sign up and join, what you get in return is access to thousands of really astounding and exclusive tattoo designs that you most likely would not find anywhere else, and you'll also be able to utilize any of the designs at NO COST. This is really easy way to filter through high quality tattoo designs at your own leisure, and find the best tattoo for you.


Finding a tattoo through a tattoo gallery

In the opinion of many professionals the best place to discover a tattoo is through a tattoo gallery. In a gallery you'll be able to view countless designs to help you finally choose a design that works best for you. Viewing the best tattoo designs can be exciting, motivating and very rewarding. Some of the best forms of tattoo galleries can be found here:

1. Tattoo museums: Some cities have small tattoo museums that can be cool to check out as you get to see many of the vintage designs along with designs that still rank as very popular today. Look around and you’ll find there could be a museum in a city near by. Quite often the actual tattoo parlors double as mini museums. Here you can browse and view at all kinds of designs from the past.

2. Tattoo parlors: Tattoo parlors will usually have hundreds of designs to look at. Browse through their books and on their walls. Usually you’ll see photographs of the actual tattoo just minutes after it was placed on the customer. This can really help you get an idea of how it will actually look.

3. Tattoo Online Galleries: Now here's a brilliant way to view thousands of astounding designs, without even having to leave the comfort of your home. There are many galleries on the internet that have popped up where they collect the best designs out there…both new and old. They also include quite a few styles from tribal to modern to vintage and so on. It's really the best of the best of what’s out there and it can make things really easy to look through many designs.

Designs Cross Tattoos

Designs Cross Tattoos

Side tattoos are making a massive splash in 2010 & are definitely going to be two of the top tattoo locations of the year if not the top. Side tattoos were always kept for the more hardcore tattoo enthusiasts historically as they can be more painful to get done. However, with so plenty of people getting tattoos these days & everyone wanting to be different from the crowd side tattoos are definitely a hot & in style item.

That does not mean run out & get your side tattooed with the first flash picture you find at your tattoo shop. In lieu take your time & think about the possibilities of getting a side tattoo design & look for some resources & styles you like & then work with an artist to design your own distinctive tattoo design. If you need a high quality tattoo that you will love for years to come you must take a methodical approach to the design.

Tribal Side Tattoos - Of work there is the nice ol' standby of tribal tattoo designs. These have been popular throughout the 1990's as have always been a massive item for men. The strong bold shapes & lines along with the black color make for a strong statement that plenty of men like in their tattoos.

These work well as a side tattoo & when done on the side they are definitely an update to the overdone & overused shoulder tribal design. Some other ways to update a tribal design & do something that will differentiate your tattoo a bit is to go with a specific style of tribal & not the new age mismatch of ambiguous tribal designs. In lieu pick a Hawaiian or Samoan or Maori tribal design & go with a traditional style.

Here are a number of the current ideas for side tattoos for men. This is not an exhaustive list of all the possibilities but a number of the top ones that plenty of men like.

Dragons - Dragons have always been popular & they seem perfectly fitted for a side tattoo. Any area on the body that is not thick works well for a dragon tattoo so the dragon can fly in & out of or on & off of a side & interweave between it. There's the more English & Western style dragons that they always think of when playing fantasy & adventure games but there's also the more traditional Japanese & Chinese style dragons that work well also.

Script Word & Written Tattoos - These are all the anger right now & look to continue being popular & in style. The great thing about word tattoos & sayings is it is easy to convey a message with them no worry about trying to communicate through symbolism. Now you can say it in words. Not only that the script & font can become a major part of the design themselves & make for a great looking tattoo.

Koi Fish - Koi fish are of work popular in Japanese tattoo designs & the story & symbolism behind them make for a powerful & symbolic side tattoo. Also the blend of blue water & gold yellows & oranges of the fish work well together in a side tattoo. Also since the fish is crooked up ward & sort of jumping out of the water a side tattoo is a great location for this design. The water can splash around the side & onto the stomach & back of the tattoo location as well as the fish bend & twist around the side. This makes for complexity in the design that it catches & holds the viewers attention & draws the eyeball in to the design.

Above are three of the more popular ideas & trends for side tattoos for men & design that they might like. There's of work plenty of other design option s out there. It is important to carefully research & use resource materials to bring to your tattoo artist to easily describe the look & feel you are after & then turn over what you have your ideas & photos or resources to the tattoo artist & let them go to town. You will finish up with a cooler tattoo then you ever imagined.

collection of Cross Tattoos.

Collection of Cross Tattoos

Reproduced With Permission from Mark Hataway. The Greek work Tetelestai means "It is finished." -- the last words of Christ on the Cross.