Homeward Bound and
Mermaid Tattoo Symbols

Homeward bound -- yet seaward drawn -- is an “old school” maritime tattoo design. It was usually depicted with a clipper ship, fully under sail, water splitting at the prow, almost heading directly at the viewer, with a banner or two that proclaimed “Homeward Bound.”

The mermaid represents an ages old story of feminine power, emerging from the water, sometimes to lure men to their death and other times to act as their rescuers. Half-woman, half-fish, these popular symbols have been used by mariners as symbols of temptation while others are variations of the pinup girl tattoo and still others represent the call back to the sea.