Sparrows can mean: eternity, luck, and innocence. Sparrows can travel great distances, but always return home.



The sparrow is an inconspicuous small bird, buff and brown, it flits from here to there in the company of other sparrows, free to take flight as and when it pleases.

These Sparrow Tattoos are typically worn somewhere on the hands, wrists or arms, but they can really be placed pretty much anywhere on the body. Most sparrow tattoos are quite small, like the birds themselves.

Sailors traditionally would get a sparrow tattoo for every 5,000 nautical miles that they have traveled. You would get one after traveling 5,000 miles and the second after traveling another 5,000. The origins of the swallow tattoo go back to a ship named The Swallow; the crew of the ship had a mutiny. To recognize each other, the 7 mutineers who started the mutiny had a swallow tattooed on their chest.

Sailors earn the right to the wear "blue birds of happiness" tattoos on either side of their chest after having crossed the Equator. Also it has been said that they keep the sailors from drowning. The Sparrow has been said to symbolize a safe return home. When a sailor saw a swallow at sea, he knew he was very near land, and the swallows would lead them home. It is said that if the sailor does not survive his travels, and ends up drowning, the birds alight upon his soul and carry him from the murky waters, up to heaven.

Swallows can also symbolize renewal and fresh beginnings. With one swallow facing forward looking to the future.

Johnny Depps' character of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean has made the Sparrow Tattoo very popular and a lot of fans have had a tattoo as a tribute. Sparrow tattoos also have their place in prison culture, where the Sparrow Tattoo symbolizes freedom. The sparrow symbolize freedom, some convicts choose sparrows as a statement about their own freedom, especially when they are getting near their release from prison.

You may not perceive the common sparrow as the bird of love, but a lot of people do. When sparrows mate, they mate for life. A sparrow is a symbol of finding your true love and can be very popular with couples to show their commitment and love and loyalty to each other.

Some tattoo artists would get sparrow tattoos somewhere on their body to draw the evil away from their bodies because they tattoo demons and anti-religious designs every day. They believe it will protect them from the evil spirits.

Sparrows are mentioned in the bible and have some religious meanings. Sparrow Tattoo should always be tattooed in pairs.

The Egyptians associate sparrows/swallows with the stars and believed that they caught the souls of those who have passed.

Lately Sparrow tattoo seem to be popular with those into Rockabilly and are tattooed on either side of the neck for guys or across the chest or abdomen for women.

It will be interesting to see if these Sparrow tattoos are still popular in years to come or just fade away.