Year of the Rat Tattoo
Years of the Rat – 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 East and West can differ enormously in their interpretation of some symbols and the rat is an excellent example of that type of...
View ArticleYear of the Ox Tattoo
Years of the Ox – 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 Almost universally, the ox is a benevolent symbol. Throughout East Asia, however, oxen are venerated as one of mankind’s most valuable...
View ArticleYear of the Tiger Tattoo
Years of the Tiger – 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 The symbolism of the tiger in East Asia is an ancient and rich one. Generally associated with strength, power, speed and aggression,...
View ArticleYear of the Rabbit Tattoo
Years of the Rabbit – 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 The symbolism of the rabbit in East Asia shares some traits with its symbolism in the West, with fertility and its propensity for...
View ArticleYear of the Dragon Tattoo
Years of the Dragon – 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 The symbolism of the East Asian dragon could not be more diametrically opposed to that of the western or Celtic dragon, as noted in...
View ArticleYear of the Snake Tattoo
Years of the Snake – 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 It is no overstatement to say that the snake is very likely the most symbolically loaded animal that exists. Throughout time...
View ArticleYear of the Horse Tattoo
Year of the Horse – 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 In artwork as ancient as the cave paintings of the Paleolithic era, horses have embodied a type of archetypal speed and power that is...
View ArticleYear of the Goat Tattoo
Years of the Goat – 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 The goat (ram, sheep) presents an ambiguous sexual symbolism in many cultures of the world–symbolizing one thing in terms of the male...
View ArticleYear of the Monkey Tattoo
Years of the Monkey – 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 The monkey in East Asia has long held a privileged symbolic position as a king, quite opposite the western view of these creatures...
View ArticleYear of the Rooster Tattoo
Years of the Rooster – 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 The veneration of the rooster in East Asia is widespread but nowhere is it more pronounced than in Japan and China. In Japan,...
View ArticleYear of the Dog Tattoo
Years of the Dog – 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Despite being overwhelmingly associated with death the world over, the dog is seen much more as a guardian and faithful companion in...
View ArticleYear of the Pig Tattoo
Years of the Pig – 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 Although pigs have often been equated with gluttony and selfishness in modern symbolism, they also have an earlier meaning, along with...
View ArticleVirgo Tattoo
Virgo is the sixth sign of the zodiac (August 23rd to September 22nd), occurring just before the equinox that marks the beginning of fall. The name derives from the Latin for virgin. Not surprisingly...
View ArticleGemini Tattoo
Although Gemini is Latin for “twins,” the two brothers who are the central figures of the myth around which the constellation is built were anything but twins. In fact, they had different fathers....
View ArticleSagittarius Tattoo
The tattoo symbol below is an astronomical tattoo as well as an astrological one. People familiar with the signs of the zodiac will likely recognize the left-hand symbol in the tattoo below. It is the...
View ArticleScorpio Tattoo
Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac, reigning over the calendar year from October 23 to November 21, midway through autumn and approaching the dead of winter. Indeed, the approach of death and...
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