Star Tattoo Symbolism

Star Symbolism

The star symbolizes honor, achievement, hope, divinity, intuition, the feminine and guidance.

For centuries, the symbol of the star has been used to reference  divinity, intuition, the feminine, hope and guidance.  Stars offer the ability to guide us through the night. They can also refer to your need to discover their own inner light.  Stars exists above us as well as within us. They encourage us to trust in something much greater than ourselves.

One of the most popular associations to the Star is its reference to our aspirations, dreams and hopes. They represent our ambitions and desires. They remind us that when things may appear to be out of our grasp, through diligence and faith we can travel beyond our current limitations. 

Fivepointed star :

without crossing lines is also one of the most common and important Western ideograms. It is used in the flags of some 35 countries, both Western and Eastern. Its first appearance on a national flag is believed to have been in 1777, when the United States of America declared itself an independent country. 
This star is also the most widely used military symbol and is found on the tanks and fighter jets of all the superpowers, as well as in the armed forces of all other countries on officers and petty officers' uniforms.  For nearly all armed forces on this planet the golden fivepointed star without crossing lines is the symbol par preference of military rank and power.

It is also the sign for the planet Venus as the Morning star and the goddess of war

Stars with wavy points are emblems of God's goodness, or some other eminence that elevated the first bearer above the common people. 

Stars, estoiles and mullets are often confused because of their similarity, which is not helped by the fact that no definite lines have ever officially been followed regarding their specific differences. 

In England
Estoliles: stars with wavy rays are called estoiles
            An estoile can have any number so one must be provided 

Mullets: when "stars" have straight lines they are called mullets.
           A mullet has five points unless another number is specified, which it often is.

So technically there is no such thing as a star in English symbolism. 

In Scotland 
The distinction between a mullet and a star is that a mullet is pierced, which actually makes it a spur-revel, and a star is whole. 

In France
The definition of a mullet is different yet again; this time, it has no less than six points.


A star depicted on a coat of arms, in some cases, may represent a falling star and denote a divine quality bestowed from above, whereby men shine in virtue like bright stars on the earth.

SIX-POINTED STAR:

Six-pointed star formations are rare as an ideograph in Western cultures except in the case of law enforcement badges. 

In astrology some formations of a six-pointed star can signify fixed stars. In some rare instances it can signify the date of birth on a gravestone, synonymous with the five-point star.

If the collinear edges of a regular six-pointed star are connected, so that two interlaced triangles are formed, a symbol results that is variously known as the hexagram, Star of David, or Shield of David (Magen David). This symbol is most commonly associated with Judaism; it is also used in Christianity and Islam and Hinduism, but on a less frequent basis. The six-points represent all twelve patriarchs (Vav or Man) or tribes. The two "Triangles" are actually the letters "Dalet" and "Yud", the two letters assigned to Judah. The two triangles form a diamond, which is the gem assigned to Judah. These letters are found in the assigned zodiac of Leo.

Several varieties of six-pointed stars are used in Western culture:

• The Star of Life, which is a six-armed cross
• German and German-American hex signs and barn stars often incorporate both five- and six-pointed stars as central themes.
• The six-pointed star is used as the symbol for Folks Nation alliance of gangs from Chicago. Crip gang members tend to use this symbol also.

When surrounded by a circle, it represents the "divine mind" (a counterfeit of God's wisdom) to numerous occult groups through the centuries. Many still use it in occult rituals. But to Jewish people, it is their Star of David. 

Nautical Star 

In the five-pointed star, a line is drawn from each point to split it into half and each section is filled with an alternating color. The colors used for the nautical stars are either red and black, or green and black. The sailors would usually get two nautical stars tattooed. The port side, which is the left side of the ship is represented by the red and black nautical star tattoo, while the green and black star tattoo is used to represent the starboard side or right side. Those who served the port side of the ship had the red star while green star was for those who served the starboard side of the ship.

Sailors donning a red and black nautical star was linked to their pride as it meant that the sailor had traveled across the Pacific ocean at least thrice. That was a great achievement in itself. Some of them got a red and black nautical star tattoo as the compass at the bottom of most of the sea maps was colored red and black. Since sailors completely relied on celestial navigation in those days, the North Star being a fixed reference point was a great aid. These nautical star tattoos were also symbolic of hope. They got these tattoos to ensure safe passage. Since the sailors were staying away from their loved ones, they hoped to reach back home safely to reunite with their dear ones. Their beliefs about the nautical star stemmed from their dependence on the celestial navigation to get back home.

The nautical star tattoos were earlier a symbol of hope and guidance for sailors. A nautical star was a symbol of hope and good luck. It may give one strength to succeed in life. 

Nautical star tattoos have also been linked with the gay or lesbian movement and punk rockers.

Shooting Star

symbolizes a brief fleeting moment in ones life just like the brief wonder of seeing a shooting star race across the night sky. 

They can also be a symbol of reaching ones ultimate destiny.
Traditionally shooting stars also meant a new birth and changes in ones life and also a wish for a better life.