Ringer impale me..., or Why you don't need to decorate yourself with a tattoo with stars

Tattoos are incredibly popular these days. Young people are especially actively covering themselves with drawings, sometimes completely without thinking about the consequences. In modern society, few people know that some tattoos belong to the world of crime and tell the story and status of their owner. For example, the stars show a high rank of a person in the criminal world and they can "ask" for such tattoos.

It is not difficult to guess that the "thieves' stars" originated from the well-known wind rose for centuries. This indispensable attribute of ancient maps, indicating the cardinal directions and prevailing winds, was very much loved by sailors. Therefore, the first such stars appeared on the salted bodies of sea tramps.

Many believed that the wind rose was a powerful talisman that would help in the most extreme situation and lead a wanderer home from any part of the world. Pirates also loved tattoos with this symbol, for whom, on the contrary, it became a symbol of unlimited freedom.

A little later, such stars became in demand among the soldiers, who pinned them before long-distance campaigns with the same goals as the sailors. Gradually, the wind rose lost its original meaning and began to be perceived as a star, and its meaning was interpreted in a completely piratical way. The tattoo began to symbolize a special philosophy of life, in which there is no place for submission, and freedom and struggle are put above all.

"Thieves' Star" is a paired tattoo that is located on the shoulders, near the collarbones or on the knees. This drawing is not accompanied by any inscriptions, since for any person related to the criminal world, its meaning is obvious. But the stars are often combined with other images that are placed in the center or around. These can be animals, objects and even portraits of leaders.

Most often, reputable representatives of the criminal world make tattoos with eight-pointed stars, the rays of which are divided into two parts – white and black. The white side of the beam symbolizes the human principle, and the black side symbolizes the thieves' world. The combination suggests that the tattoo owner "sows thieves and people in freedom and in prison." A star with a wolf's muzzle reads like "Man to man wolf", a tiger means a tough temper, and in combination with a cat's muzzle means a pickpocket.

It is believed that thieves' tattoos appeared in the 50s of the 20th century. Any drawing in the criminal environment must be "earned", and only representatives of the highest caste of the criminal world – thieves in law can wear "thieves' stars" on their shoulders. Under the collarbones of the stars, the so-called "negatives" are impaled - people who do not recognize prison orders.

Stars on his knees are a sign of a criminal who does not recognize anyone's authority over him, neither the prison administration, nor cellmates, nor law enforcement officers. These signs say - "I did not kneel before anyone."

From applying any tattoos that have criminal significance and even just similar to them, it is worth giving up. It may happen that they will have to answer for them in front of the "jailers" – you can not renounce prison and from the bag. They can "ask" for these images in everyday life, if a representative of the criminal world accidentally sees them on the street, on the beach or in a cafe.

"Thieves' stars" and stars on the knees are especially undesirable tattoos. They not only attract unnecessary attention of the police, but also give criminals an excuse to arrange a strength test for their owner.

In a prison cell, a person with stars on his body can face serious trials – nagging, provocative questions and even violence. In the criminal world, those who wear undeserved "insignia" are merciless.