A Transmutation Circle Tattoo

There has recently appeared a new trend in tattoo art – a transmutation circle tattoo design, which is especially popular among the representatives of a younger generation, anime fans.

A transmutation circle is a fictional element of manga and anime series Fullmetal Alchemist. It is a combination of circles, lines and alchemical symbols, but text written on them, as well.

The main character of the series is an alchemist Edward Elric whose little brother Alphonse has nearly died in an accident but Edward managed to save his life by transmutation. At the same time - as in the process you can gain something only by sacrifice something equally valuable – Edward lost much. That’s why the two brothers went travelling in order to find the Philosophers Stone that cab compensate for the lost.

Transmutation circles are drawn on gloves, or tattooed on hands and when a person who wears them snaps his or her fingers a spark is created, which means that reaction is initiated. And the desired action can be performed. Some characters of the series have an ability to control fire with the help of their transmutation circle tattoo or can initiate explosions. At the same time an alchemist can simply put the thing he wants to transmute in the centre of the circle or can draw it in the place where transmutation will be performed.

A Transmutation Circle Tattoo

Transmutation circle is not a source of energy, it is only a catalyst. It acts as a medium through which energy circulates between the alchemical source and the alchemist’s body. As the energy of an only person is not enough, in the Fullmetal Alchemist series there is one more source of it, the parallel universe where warring action of World War I take place and dying people provide large supplies of energy.

In the original manga there’s not such kind of the parallel world and its characters use alchemy without transmutation circles at all –just by clapping their hands of without movements at all.

So a transmutation circle tattoo is some kind of a mythical tattoo that can show a person’s “identity,” namely manga or anime fun.

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Welsh Celtic Tattoos, Part 1: Celtic Cross

Though Celtic tattoos are popular nowadays it’s still difficult to trace their origin as well as the origin of the Celts themselves.

The Celts never wrote about their history so it’s known very little about their life before Greeks and Romans came to the British Isles. But scientists claim they were well-educated people, especially in terms of geography, philosophy, astronomy and of course, religion. Religion played a very important role in the Celtic community as the knowledge of many generations was transmitted by Druid priests.

Though the Celts were pushed by the invaders, they influenced them adding their contribution to the newcomers’ culture. The so-called “knotwork” design was already popular in Europe long time ago.

The Celts are a legend, because they invented exceptionally complicated and striking ornaments which still cause bewilderment. The distinctive feature of Welsh Celtic tattoos is the abundance of loops, lines and spirals in them. Endless interlacing symbolizes the never-ending cycle of life. The knots may as well stand for close ties between body and soul.

The Celtic Cross and the Celtic Knot are considered to be the most popular tattoo designs. They are usually tattooed on the breast, the beck, the forearm and round the shin. There exist also Celtic tattoos depicting animals and the most widespread among them are Celtic tigers and lions.

Let us pay a closer look to the Celtic Cross.

The Celtic Cross is a Christian cross with a cycle over the lines intersection. The most ancient Celtic crosses were cut onto the huge stones lying on the ground. Later crosses were ornamented with spirals, knotwork, animal figures, plant elements and Biblical stories. Some scientists believe that the Celtic Cross originates from a “Chi Rho” symbol that was widespread during the rule of Christian Roman Emperor Konstantin. “Chi” and “rho” are the first letters of the name of the Christ in Greek. The way the letters are put over each other reminds us about the equilateral cross in the middle of the Celtic Cross.

In the next article I will tell you about Celtic Dragons, the Celtic Sun and the Celtic Knotwork. Stay in touch, the story is to be continued..

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Nature Butterfly Tattoos, Their Meanings And Places To Ink

Butterfly tattoos are very different by style and size. Usually tattoos of insects are not very popular, but this can’t be said about butterflies and dragonflies. Just like with amphibiotic creatures – we don’t tattoo them very often, but still we can find a lot of pictures of gecko tattoos. Butterfly tattoo goes right next to tribal tattoos and tattoos with stars and crosses. A lot of women choose butterfly as their first tattoo design.

Nature Butterfly Tattoos, Their Meanings And Places To Ink

A butterfly tattoo is very sweet and feminine but has no excessive sentimentality. It is a perfect choice for a first tattoo, because it imposes no responsibility. A small good-quality butterfly tattoo on your ankle or shoulder can accentuate your natural beauty and individuality.

Nature Butterfly Tattoos, Their Meanings And Places To Ink

In general, butterfly tattoos have a lot of meanings, it all depends form the person and its culture. Below we give you a short survey of the most wide-spread meanings of a butterfly tattoo:

It’s a symbol of rebirth and transformation. All slow and ugly caterpillars turn into beautiful creaturesIt can be a symbol of undergoing a new stage in life
It also can mean freedom
In Christian culture a butterfly means a human soul (according to Greek translation)
Some peoples deem it to be the symbol of luck
Ancient Aztecs thought that butterflies are the souls of the fallen soldiers

There are some popular ways of tattooing a butterfly. For example – a butterfly can be combined with the elements of tribal style. Tribal tattoos with butterfly are usually done in black ink or it can be a colored tattoo with black outlining. Such tattoo is usually placed on the waist, because this way it is easier to show the symmetry of the creature. Moreover, any good tattoo looks great on women’s waist. But you should always consider other variants, too, maybe you’ll find the one that suits you better.

Nature Butterfly Tattoos, Their Meanings And Places To Ink

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Ideas For Gemini Design Tattoo

We are continuing talking about Zodiac tattoos: last time we discussed kind of Sagitarius tattoo design and today our topic will be Gemini tattoo design. If you were born between May, 21 and June, 20, then you may find this article helpful in finding some ideas for your tattoo.

The best thing about the Gemini sign is that the choice of images that you can ink on your skin is unlimited as long as you can get a twin image near. But let’s start from the simplest designs. The simplest Gemini tattoo design is the Gemini’s sign in different variations. In order to make your tattoo more personified, you can add some ornaments and decorations to it, like flowers, hearts – actually, anything you like. If you like Celtic designs you may check out this tattoo at our tattoo gallery.

Ideas For Gemini Design Tattoo

Another good idea is joining our sign with the sign of your beloved one, like the tattoo you can see below, where the Gemini sign is joined with the sign of Capricorn.

Ideas For Gemini Design Tattoo

A natural Gemini tattoo is an image of twin girls or boys, or a boy and a girl. There are a lot of ready small and simple designs of the twins’ silhouettes, but you can always come up with something more interesting and modern-looking. If you are a lucky Gemini who has a twin brother or sister then you can even get a Gemini tattoo that is a portrait of you both – just make sure your tattoo artist can do the job properly).

Ideas For Gemini Design Tattoo

For those who want their Gemini tattoo to be more secret, a Gemini star constellation can be a solution. Moreover, it looks beautiful when properly done.

Ideas For Gemini Design Tattoo

There are a lot of legends about Gemini in different cultures; these legends can turn out to be great ideas for your tattoo. Just use your knowledge and imagination and create a unique Gemini tattoo design.

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