Every tattoo is exclusive and has its personality, which means that it cannot be compared to any other. The Rock of Ages tattoo could be an excellent choice for those individuals in love with traditional tattoo designs or traditional tattoos. There are a significant number of tattoo designs born because of songs like the “Rose of no Man’s land” lady’s head, but clearly, the most popular between them is the Rock of ages. The phrase “Rock of Ages” can easily be connected with cheesy rock opera.
However, the name Rock of Ages incorporates an entirely different origin. It comes from the hymn that was written by Reverend Augustus Toplady in England within the middle of the late 1700s, where he sheltered from a storm in a cleft in a rock face in a place called Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills. The first two lines of this hymn are “Rock of Ages, cleft for me; Let me hide in thee.” One hundred years later, in the 1860s The Rock of ages became a painting painted by Johannes Oertel. The primary name of this painting was “Saved or an Emblematic Representation of Christ’s faith” which was widely reproduced, and people started to connect it with the hymn, so it was later known as “Rock of Ages.”
But what is the meaning behind this unique tattoo design that makes it distinctive from the others? Across the world, the Rock of Ages tattoo represents a classic religious image that was applied thousands and thousands of times. This tattoo is equally accessible for both men and women. The motif for this exclusive tattoo design comes from the third verse of the hymn. The inspiration for the hymn comes from the Bible, where Christ is portrayed as the spiritual Rock. The image is perfect for tattooing because of the colorfulness, the dramatic naval theme, beautiful woman, and religious symbolism. As a tattoo, this design usually incorporates a sinking ship, one or several women on a rock, skulls, and of course, crosses. The cross represents Christ’s cross as the only hope for the lost soul, whereas the image of woman/woman represents the mourning of the husband who died at sea, and the cross is his tomb. The image of a sailor kneeling in front of a rock cross is also famous for this tattoo design. The shape and diversity of this tattoo design allow it to be inked on many parts of the body.
However, people often choose the arms, although it is perfect as a full-back tattoo. The Rock of ages tattoo can be done in different styles. One is the traditional, old-school-style rich in color and design, and the other done in black and grey shades. Furthermore, there was a common belief between sailors that wearing this Rock of ages tattoo design on your back has a highly symbolic nature, designed to serve as lucky charms or, in other words, to protect the individual wearing it. They believed that by wearing them, they are protected and spared from disciplinary sanction, or will suffer less because no one would harm the image of Christ. With everything that was previously said, it can quickly be concluded that this unique tattoo design holds a large number of meanings. The most obvious one is faith, whatever it is, and that your faith will guard you and keep you safe. Moreover, this tattoo represents hope, religious beliefs, and love.
The Rock of ages is a tattoo that is popular even today, primarily because of its symbolic representation. Today, modern tattooists, by adding their personal touch, further improved this elaborate tattoo motif and made it perfect. Despite the improvement, some of the original features of this tattoo, like the crucifix of stone, never changed and remained the same for centuries. The Rock of ages is a choice of tattoo excellent for those people who want to make a public statement about their religious beliefs. But before they decide to get this tattoo, they need to be confident that this particular design is what they had in mind.
