Tattoos, as a phenomenon, appeared before our era. Since then, tattoos did not just embellish the human body but also represented a symbol that contained information about the person who owns it. The tattoo design elements could tell about the origin of a person, occupation, and religion. The latter, religious connotation, had a special meaning since it was the religious and magical tattoo designs that maintained their primitiveness from the moment of their birth to the
present day. They inspired and encouraged their owner to believe that a specific symbol had mystical power and could provide protection against evil, hex, and misfortune. In contrast, the others were able to heal, give strength and confidence. One of those art designs is the St. George tattoo motif.
Meanings, designs, and significance of the tattoo of Saint George and the dragon.
The tattoo has become an artistic expression in the modern world and is no longer the imprint of people who returned from places of detention. Moreover, among today’s youth, the tattoo is considered one of the foremost well-known ways of self-expression and recognition. The tattoo design of Saint George has so many meanings that it gains increasing popularity despite being one of the most difficult to recreate. By portraying various symbols on the body, such as runes, hieroglyphs, religious quotations, and charms, people make an essential step in their lives, or other words, the beginning a new stage. There is a common opinion that, once they find themselves in prison, some inmates make a tattoo of St. George the Victorious and the dragon, which is believed to award its owner with power. After all, determination and willpower became a big deal in the life of this great Christian martyr.
When someone chooses the tattoo design depicting one of Saint George’s outstanding feats, spearing a dragon that indicates the devil, both men and women look for protection. But the tattoo design with the image of George the Victorious, although he is a Christian saint, is equally essential in Islamic culture – the myth of Jirgis or Geergis has many correlations with the legend of the martyr George the Victorious. Also, for believers, the church’s opinion regarding the image of biblical heroes on the body remains open. Religion condemns it, but the violation of this prohibition is not considered a sin. The logical explanation for this may be that during the Middle Ages, images of biblical heroes were applied by warriors who visited the Holy Land – which was directly related to the church and religion. The artist’s design of Saint George and the dragon has many small details and elements, impressing fans of such decoration of their bodies. However, this image is demanding – it will look good only on a large area of skin. The most commonplace for putting Saint George and the dragon tattoo is the back, but also the image can be placed on the arm or leg, depending on the wishes of its owner, who put their meaning in the tattoo.
Saint George and the dragon tattoo can be considered religious and, at the same time, patriotic plots. Its inking requires special efforts of the master and serves as good protection for the owner. Saint George, as you know, is a person who symbolizes win over evil. As previously mentioned, Saint George and the dragon tattoo had a special meaning for prisoners. It was inked by those who wanted to take the right path of correction and needed the saint’s protection. In the second half of the 20th century, the image had a different meaning in crime rings. During that time, the meaning of Saint George and the dragon tattoo was reduced to the fight against power, Committee for State Security, as the personification of evil.
The Christian religion condemns the inking of images of saints on sinful human flesh. The prohibition is violated by those who want to feel protection literally with their skin. In their opinion, it doesn’t matter which way led to an understanding of sinfulness and the desire for correction. According to this, Saint George and the dragon tattoo has a protecting and concentrating character.
The dawn of tattoos was in the Middle Ages. In those days, pictures on the body were evidence of a person’s stay in the Holy Land. Inking of biblical heroes was especially popular among Christians.
Considering photos of tattoos with Saint George and the dragon, one can say that it’s better to ink it on large areas of skin, such as the back or legs.
Saint George is a good choice for a tattoo for anybody that looks for a religious tattoo. Maybe even not just strictly religious but a tattoo design with interesting symbolism and profound meanings. The image has many details in case of good draughtsmanship. Stories that are close to religious topics should, in no case, be inked in the genital area out of respect of course.
