Fun foot tattoo today. Swallows are one of my favorite birds to tattoo, and roses are my favorite flower to tattoo, either are a classic and look great if done right.
The meaning of a swallow tattoo. The one meaning I have always heard, and chosen to believe, was that they signify for a sailor a doing a certain miles at sea. A sailor with one swallow had travelled over 5,000 nautical miles, and a sailor with two swallows had travelled 10,000 nautical miles. Traveling these great distances was extremely difficult and dangerous in the early days of sailing, so one or more swallow tattoos denoted a very experienced and valuable sailor. It is also legend that if the sailor drowns, the swallows will carry their soul to heaven, representing freedom and hope.
Another coined term in the UK for the swallow tattoo on the hands is a symbolism of a prison sentence from an ex-con to the meaning of “done your bird, done your time”.
