Maltese Cross Tattoo

The Maltese Cross Tattoo is a very popular in today’s tattoo world. A Maltese Cross Tattoo is commonly confused with the Iron Cross Tattoo. While there are some sinister –and false—associations commonly made between the Iron Cross and the Maltese Cross, the Maltese Cross Tattoo not been significantly affected by these negative and negative conjectures.

The Maltese Cross Tattoo is symbolic of Courage and even Chivalry. Because of its confusion with the Iron Cross—a cross that has a similar shape to the Maltese Cross because of its spreading arms also known as the Maltese or “cross pattée”—the Maltese Cross Tattoo is mistakenly associated with visual imagery of the symbol used by the Nazi S.S. in Germany during WWII. Yet, despite such mistaken—and negative—associations with the Nazi’s application of the Iron Cross, another variation of the Maltese Cross has been used a symbol of honor and a symbol that is believed to offer protection of firefighters and other service workers when they have to be chivalrous and brave to endure the taxing, dire, and even dangerous conditions of their jobs.

Regardless of how or why any symbol is used—and regardless of what that symbol might be—the meaning behind that symbol—such as the Iron Cross—should be based on the original meaning behind that symbol. While the Maltese Cross is often confused the Iron Cross—even in Maltese Cross Tattoos—its meaning is courage. Much of the same can be said of the Iron Cross, despite the Maltese Cross being entirely different, especially when its design elements are considered.

Since the four arms of the Maltese Cross all have V-shaped ends, the Maltese Cross Tattoo has eight points. The eight points of the Maltese Cross Tattoo represents one part of the whole of true courage. These eight points/components are: Loyalty, Piety, Generosity, Bravery, Honor, Fearlessness of Death, Charity, and Faith. This makes the variations of the Maltese Cross great symbols for many services people whose jobs are considered chivalrous and / or courageous.

Several design variations of the Maltese Cross are typically used to signify connections and pay reverence toward certain occupations and are used a lot amongst military persons, paramedics, firefighters, and any other congregation of service workers. The Maltese Cross Tattoo is open for anyone to get inked, but the meaning behind it should be kept in mind. The Maltese Cross Tattoo can often be found on guys—although girls are not excluded from getting any variation of the Maltese Cross Tattoo inked onto their skin. Both men and women are courageous, and the design of the Maltese Cross Tattoo definitely expresses this facet of anyone’s character.