Tattoo Symbol Index - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Tattoo designs - R >> Roses

Rose Tattoo Designs - The Rose in the West represents what the Lotus does in the East. A symbol of love, but especially of a love that is pure. Because of the roses’ beauty, scent and shape, it is the ultimate floral symbol. Of all the flower tattoo designs, the rose is still the most popular and the most requested. Interestingly, the rose is nearly as popular with men as it is with women.

The rose’s beauty, variety, and exquisite scent have inspired lovers, saints and artists since humans first encountered it. The Greek goddess, Aphrodite, is associated with its rising into being, literally springing from the sea foam as she ‘rose’ up out of the waves. Diana, the Roman goddess, in a fit of jealousy, turned the maiden Rhodanthe into a rose, and her suitors into thorns. Sappho blessed the rose as the “Queen of Flowers”, but prior to that the Greeks knew it as the “King of Flowers”. For the Romans and the Greeks, roses represented beauty and love. The story goes that Cleopatra had her palace strewn with rose petals to receive her lover, Mark Anthony.

Early Christians associated the rose with their Roman enemies, hence it became a mark of scorn, but eventually it came to symbolize the survival of persecution. Later yet, won over by its fabulous beauty, Christians adopted the rose as a symbol of the miraculous. At least a dozen saints have their names linked with roses, like Saint Therese of Lisieux, also known as Saint Therese of the Roses. The Virgin Mary herself is called “The Mystical Rose”. The first ‘rosary’ is said to have consisted of roses, then, later, rose-carved beads.

Countless tales and legends name the rose as a source of love and delight. According to the ancient Persians, the nightingale loved the white rose so much that the bird embraced it, piercing its heart and turning the rose red. Ancient Hindu writings speak of the goddess Lakshmi being born of 108 large rose petals, and 1,108 smaller ones. In 15th century England, during the bloody War of the Roses, the red rose stood for the House of Lancaster, while the white rose represented the House of York.

Tattoo Johnny Tattoo Designs - Check out over 770 different rose tattoo designs by some of the world's top tattoo artists and illustrators.

Tattoo designs - R >> Roses

Tattoo Symbol Index - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z