Heart tattoos have been popular for well over a century. Heart tattoos with banners were very popular with Servicemen in WWII; tokens of their loved ones that accompanied them on perilous journeys to far-off theatres of conflict and a constant reminder of what they were fighting for.
Add "Mom" to a heart and you have a tattoo icon. The heart is the eternal symbol of love, romance, and the very life force within all of human kind. Getting to the "heart of the matter" suggests that the heart rules the source of truth and love. When one is unfair in a particularly insensitive manner, the person and the act are described as "heartless". Friendship, courage, romantic bonds, and emotional expression are also embodied in this symbol.
While more than likely numbering higher than the sands of the sea, there are a few more common variations popular in tattoo studios across the country.
- The Heart, Pierced with an Arrow. The arrow is a symbol for directed energy, flow and penetration. When paired with (and piercing) the heart, it represents the not-unpleasant sting of love.
- Stars and Hearts. A symbol of happiness and favorable opportunities.
- Heart-shaped American Flags. A popular choice, which attests to a great love of country.
- Hands Holding a Heart. Representative of a more maternal or paternal kind of love.
- The Golden Heart. Popularly associated with self- or God-consciousness. It symbolizes the personal awareness that you are at one with all things.
- The Black Heart. Commonly illustrates grief or morning, or "dark nights of the soul". In 1999, the white heart was adopted as the universal symbol of nursing, so it's a great one for all of your heath care professionals to integrate into your ink!
