Peace is a message we can't get enough of - on flags, in art, or on your skin as a powerful tattoo message. Take your pick - the dove, the olive branch, the paper crane, the 'V' sign, or the most familiar peace sign of all - the inverted broken cross in a circle. (If there's a name for it, we haven't heard it.) It defined the peace movement in the 60s. Actually, it was created especially for Britain's nuclear disarmament movement in the 1950's. Since then, it's become the international anti-war movement emblem.
Rumors of an occult origin for this symbol evaporate in the face of its actual - and very practical - explanation. It's a combination of the letters 'N' and 'D' in semaphore, which is a system of communication using hand-held flags. Superimposed over each other, we get what looks like the Teutonic rune of death. Some conspiracy theorists insist it resembles a pagan symbol, even one that signifies the hatred of Christians, and a favorite sign of Satanists. Don't let that put you off putting your weight - and a patch of skin - behind the peace movement.
The symbol showed up in America, at civil rights marches in the '60s. It must have had an impact, because right wing fundamentalists are said to have considered banning it, as they did in South Africa during the apartheid years. The symbol was never more visible than during anti-Vietnam war demonstrations in the US.
The word in Hebrew is 'Shalom', and in Arabic it's 'Salaam', both well-known peace greetings, and worthy of a text tattoo that will never go out of fashion.
See also: Dove Tattoo Designs and Crane Tattoo Designs.
