Old school tattoo design

Swallows and sailors have a lot in common. Swallows, unlike other birds, tend to return to the same nesting site consistently after travelling long distances in extreme conditions, similar to a sailor at sea. Often seen in pairs when tattooed, it is thought that sailors would get one swallow tattoo to represent setting sail, and would get the other upon their return home.

Furthermore, by having one or more swallow tattoo, it was seen as a reflection of one’s sailing success. Each tattoo acquired was a reflection of the extreme distances the sailor had travelled. Not only was a swallow tattoo seen as a representation of one’s calibre at sea, there was also the myth that if a sailor was to drown on their journey, if they had the tattoo, the bird would lift their soul to heaven.