A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Tattoo Related Terms-G
Gay:-----------------------------------------------
If I have to explain this topic to you you may be in need of some sex education.
Some typical gay designs incorporate:
Blue star--In the 50's there was a group of lesbians in Buffalo, NY that got a blue five-pointed star tattooed on their wrist to signify who and what they were. The trend caught on to some degree but is still debated by some and embraced by others, as with most things in life.
Double gender symbols--Male/Male or Female/Female, occasionally bisexuals will get their gender linked to one of both.
Labrys-A feminist symbol that is quite commonly associated with lesbianism. It derives from the pre-patriarchal system of Greece and is meant to represent a time of female empowerment rather than being considered a "lower class" against those of equal standing.
Lambda--The lowercase greek symbol has come to be known as a symbol used among lesbians.
Pink Triangle--This was originally a part of the Star of David given to gay Jews during the Holocaust. Rather than two yellow triangles there was one yellow and one pink. The gay women were generally marked with a black triangle for being promiscuous. The pink and black parts of the star were later embraced by parts of the gay community.
Rainbow-- There are many different versions of this now you can see and read about them here.
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Greek: ------------------------------------------------------
There are different designs that represent the Greek nationality. For right now we are going to focus on the mythology though. This topic is as old as time. Greek Gods, Goddesses, Titans, Nymphs, and a pantheon of other creatures or monsters fill these ancient myths. We will include their Roman names in some places (if applicable) in parenthesis. This is a huuuuuuuge topic, so this is more or less an introduction to Greek Mythos and by no means even really scratches the surface.
Creatures-------------------------------------------------------
Centaurs- These half horse, half human creatures are generally represented as war mongers, but a few went against the grain and were completely civilized.
The Graeae-The daughters of primordial Gods Phorcys and Ceto, they appear as old women with only one eye and one tooth between them. They shared these items in order to survive. They act as oracles and are similar in concept to many other cultures' ideas of three women being tied to fate somehow. Their names were Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo.
Griffins- These wonderful eagle-lions were considered to be the kings of all creatures since they were of both the kings of land and air.
Nymphs- Now nymphs are generally represented as sexually attractive and exhuberent female essences of nature. They can control it and are one with it. Because of this there are many, many different types of Nymphs so we will just focus on a few main ones:
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Alseides-Groves
Anthousai-Flowers
Asteriae-Stars
Aurae-Breeze
Dryads-Trees
Hyades-Star cluster, sent rain
Meliae-Ash tree nymphs born of the blood from Uranus having his member removed by Cronus from within Gaia.
The Muses-Art, Literature, and Science
Naiads-Fresh water
Nephele-Clouds
Oceanids-Salt water
Oreads-Mountains
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Pegasus- This offspring of Medusa's blood is a winged horse that served Zeus and helped a few heros out over the years. He also had a lesser known humanoid brother Chrysaor.
Demi-Gods------------------------------------------------------- (The offspring of Gods and mortals, lesser Gods, or mortals that have been given immortality after death)
Erinyes(Dirae)- The Furies, these deities wreak havoc on lying men. They were Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. They are said to be born of the blood from Uranus' castration. They also acted as a tribunal in Erebus to hear the complaints of those mistreated by others that should have, by right, treated them better.
Helen of Troy- This legendary beauty was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. The great Trojan War was launched so that she could be taken from Paris and returned to her husband Menelaus.
Heracles (Hercules)- Best known for his labors, this hero was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. He had incredible strength and cunning and was able to cleanse himself of the sin from murdering his children.
Perseus- Best known for slaying Medusa and Cetus, this son of Zeus and Danae seems to have been both brave and fair in his helping and treatment of others.
Rivers of the Underworld- The rivers of the Underworld were also once Gods and Goddesses. They are: Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx.
Theseus- This son of Poseidon and Aethra is best known for his killing of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. He went through many hardships to regain his rightful place in Athens.
Gods and Goddesses-------------------------------------------
Aphrodite (Venus) - Olympian Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality.
Apollo (Apollo) - Olympian God of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge.
Ares (Mars) - Olympian God of war.
Artemis (Diana) - Olympian Goddess of the hunt, forests and hills, the moon, and archery.
Athena (Minerva) - Goddess of wisdom, craft, war, diplomacy, weaving, poetry, medicine, and commerce.
Demeter (Ceres) Olympian Goddess of agriculture, harvest, fertility and sacred law.
Dionysus (Bacchus) - Olympian God of the vine, grape harvest, winemaking, wine, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.
Hades (Dis Pater) - Underworld God of the underworld, the dead, and riches.
Hephaestus (Vulcan) - Olympian God of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges, sculpture, and blacksmiths. Symbols include hammer, anvil, tongs, and a volcano.
Hera (Juno) - Olympian Goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and family.
Hermes (Mercury) - Olympian Messenger God of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, border crossings, and guide to the Underworld.
Hestia (Vesta) - Olympian Goddess of the hearth, home, domesticity, family, and the state.
Poseidon (Neptune) - Olympian God of the sea, earthquakes, soil, storms, and horses.
Zeus (Jupiter) - Olympian God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, and justice. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, bull and oak.
Monsters---------------------------------------------------------
Caucasian Eagle- This is the eagle that tore out Prometheus' liver every day as punishment for giving man fire.
Cerberus- The giant three-headed dog of Hades. The guard dog of the Underworld. If you weren't supposed to be in the Underworld and it caught you, you were a chew toy.
Cetus- A giant monster of the deep, this long-nosed fish-snake was feared by many, except the Nereid and Poseidon. It is the bringer of storms and misfortune to sailors. It was later killed by Perseus using the head of Medusa in order to turn it to stone.
Charybdis-A ridiculously enormous sea monster that guarded a strait across from Scylla. She caused a giant whirlpool due to her insatiable thirst for the sea. She is depicted in many different ways, mostly with a huge mouth, rows of teeth, and tons of tentacles though the description of her is chained to the sea bed with a huge gut and flippers for arms and legs. This is one case where the modern version is a bit cooler than the original.
Chimera-A fire breathing amalgamation of goat, lion, and snake. This child of Echidna was a terror of all in it's path as well as an omen of bad luck just upon the viewing of it.
Colchian Dragon- An enormous serpent that guarded the golden fleece, which was apparently just hanging from the branch of an oak tree.
Crommyonian Sow-A wild pig that was killed by Theseus.
Cyclopes-One eyed race of giants born from Uranus and Gaia.
Echidna-Her parentage is in a haze but she is the Mother of Monsters. In many accounts she gave birth to Orthrus, Cerberus, Hydra, the Sphinx, Nemean Lion, Caucasian Eagle, Ladon, Crommyonian Sow, Gorgon (mother, not the sisters), Colchian Dragon, Scylla, and a list of other possible children. So basically her and Typhon were a pair of monster making fools. She greatly resembled the Gorgon, being part snake and part woman, with no mention of turning men to stone. Interestingly enough, she is thought of as the mother of the Scythians in their culture.
Gigantes- The giants were born of the blood from Uranus being castrated. They were not necessarily large, but very strong and aggressive.
Gorgon (mother, not the sisters)- Daughter of Echidna and Typhon. Lower body of a snake, upper body of a woman.
The Gorgon Sisters-These snake haired sisters turned anyone who looked at them into stone. They were:
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Euryale- An immortal punished for her sister's crime of being beautiful enough to be raped by Poseidon.
Medusa- Punished for being raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple she and her sisters were made to have snakes for hair and a gaze that turns men to stone. A mortal, she was eventually killed by Perseus.
Stheno- Supposedly the most vicious of the Gorgon, she is said to have killed more men than both of her sisters combined. She is typically thinner and with red snakes for hair. She is thought to be immortal.
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Hecatonchires- A trio of hundred handed giants with fifty heads a piece. They are Briareos, Kottos, and Gyges. They helped to overthrow the Titans and then guarded Tartarus.
Hydra- A multi-headed sea serpent which grew two heads for every one cut off. Sounds like a great party trick.
Ladon-The guardian of the golden apples. Though many modern depictions of it are multi-headed I can find no indication of this. In fact all old representations are to the contrary.
Minotaur- Son of the Cretan Bull and Pasiphae that lived in the center of the Labyrinth. Another wonderful tale of bestiality in Greek Mythology.
Nemean Lion- This wonderful bndle of joy had impenetrable fur, sharper than razor claws, and a shiny disposition.
Orthrus- Brother of Cerberus, he guarded Geryon's cattle for him.
Scylla- Having the upper torso of a woman, a midrift with dogs protruding, and a lower body of a sea serpent. She guarded a strait opposite of Charybdis.
Sphinx- Not to be confused with the Egyptian Sphinx this creature is similar but is a female with wings from her back and a lion's body. If you came upon it, or vice versa, it would ask you a riddle. If you were unable to answer the riddle it would eat you.
Primordial Deities----------------------------------------------
Aether- ♂ The upper air.
Apate- ♀Deceit
Chaos- A genderless force of all creation, the great void.
Erebus- ♂ Darkness
Eris (Discordia)- ♀Strife
Eros (Cupid)- ♂ Sexual desire
Gaia- ♀The Earth Mother. She and Chaos sired Uranus. She gave birth to Ourea and Pontus without intercourse. She and Uranus later parented the Titans as well as many other creatures and monsters.
Geras- ♂ Ageing
Harmonia (Concordia)- ♀
Hemera- ♀ Day
Hypnos (Somnus)- ♂ Sleep
Momus- ♂ Blame, satire, and Mockery.
Moros- ♂ Doom, the immaculately born God which sends mortals to meet their fate.
Nyx- ♀ Night Mother, she is considered to have so much power that she is feared by even Zeus. She is the mother of Hypnos and Thanatos, Aether, Hemera, Moros, Ker, Oneiroi, Momus, Oizys, the Hesperides, the Moirai, the Keres, Nemesis, Apate, Philotes, Geras, and Eris.
Nemesis (Invidia)-♀Retribution, she punished those that the Gods saw as undeserving or arrogant.
Oizys-♀Distress, twin sister of Momos.
Oneiroi- ♂ Dreams, they were called the sons of Nyx.
Ourea- The Mountains, they are actually a group of nine: Aitna, Athos, Helikon, Kithairon, Nysos, Olympus, Oreios, Parnes, and Tmolus.
Philotes- ♀ Affection
Pontus- ♂ Sea
Tartarus- ♂ The Abyss
Thanatos- ♂ Death
Typhon-♂ Storms
Uranus-(Caelus) ♂ The sky father of the Titans.
Titans------------------------------------------------------------
Atlas- ♂ A later Titan, this is the man with the weight of the world literally being on his shoulders.
Coeus- ♂ Intelligence, the center of heaven
Crius- ♂ Constellations
Cronus- ♂ The Harvest
Hyperion- ♂ Heavenly light.
Iapetus- ♂ Mortality
Mnemosyne- ♀ Memory, Remembrance.
Oceanus- ♂ Sea
Phoebe- ♀ Prophecy
Prometheus- ♂ A later Titan, he is known for being the creator of humanity and the gift of fire to men.
Rhea- ♀ Fertility, Motherhood, and Generations.
Tethys- ♀ Fresh Water
Themis- ♀ Divine Law and Order
Theia- ♀ Sight, Shining light of the clear blue sky.
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Greyscale:-----------------------------------------------------
Describes images with only hues of black and white. (see also Black and Grey)
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Geometric:-----------------------------------------------------
Designs composed mainly of intense geometry. These can be anything from the works of MC Escher, a Hindu yantra, or like the tattoo work of Mike Cole, and more.
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