Death Tattoo
Angelina Jolie inked her first tattoo at a very young age. Her first tattoo was a Japanese kanji for the word "Death" and inscribed on her left back shoulder. It served as a reminder to her to live life to the fullest. She has since covered it up with an ancient Khmer script when she adopted her son, Maddox.
Blue Tongue Dragon; Cross and "Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit"
The Blue Tongue Dragon is the first dragon tattoo Angelina Jolie inked on her body which she got while intoxicated in Amsterdam. She regretted doing it and has since covered it with a black Latin Cross tattoo.
Next to the Latin Cross is a phrase in Latin:
"Quod me nutrit me destruit"
Which means " What nourishes me, destroys me."
According to her, she had the Latin Cross tattoo done the day before she married, her then husband, Jonny Lee Miller (her co-star in the movie "Hackers") in 1995. She said the intention of the tattoo "was all symbolic, and it was a good thing, nothing dark."
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart, kept in cages
The tattoo on Angelina Jolie's inner left arm is a quotation from Tennessee Williams:
"A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages"
She had this tattoo done in the presence of her mother, Marcheline Bertrand. So what does the quotation means to her? In Angelina's own words:
" I don't think i know one person who i think can be completely who they are, every second of the day, who feels completely free.. So it's kind of a prayer for everybody to find their happiness, to break out... Anything that makes us comfortable, those things are cages around us."
Tribal, Window and Dragon Tattoos
At Angelina Jolie's lower back, she had three tattoos done: a tribal, a blue window and a tribal dragon.
The 'tribal' design was done at the same period when she did the Kanji "Death" tattoo. It is unclear as to the meaning of the 'tribal' tattoo, other than the possibility of it being an 'in' design when she had it inked.
At the centre of her lower back is a 'tribal dragon' but now is partially covered by the Bengal Tiger tattoo.
The 'window tattoo' refers to her once held view on life:
" Wherever I am, I find myself looking out of the windows, wishing I was some ware else."
The window has since been covered up by the tail of the Bengal Tiger. She had the window covered because she no longer subscribed to that view and she felt that she is "where she wants to be right now".
Bengal Tiger Tattoo
Besides the Khmer script tattoo, the other prominent tattoo on Angelina's back is the Bengal Tiger tattoo. The tattoo spreads 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide and was commissioned to commemorate her Cambodian citizenship.
According to press report, it took Sompong Kanphai, the tattoo artist, 2 hours to complete the design which was done in Bangkok in 2004. It took two hours to complete the tattoo because Angelina opted for a traditional Thai tattooing style. Purely by hand, the tattoo artist maneuvered a long needle that glides inside a hollow tube, delicately inking the skin manually. While tattooing, the tattoo artist chanted ancient Buddhist hymn to bless the tattoo.
Buddhist Pali Prayer
Here's the translation:
"May your enemies run far away from you . If you acquire riches may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides."
The tattoo was done by Sompong Kanphai in in a hotel in Pathum Thani, Thailand, the same tattoo artist who did the 'Bengal Tiger Tattoo"
Know Your Rights
This gothic letter tattoo "Know Your Rights" sits between her shoulder blades and the phrase is taken from the title of a song of her favorite band "Clash". According to Angelina, it is a slogan of empowerment which she described as "humanitarian, but a little punk rock".
Strength of Will
Inside her right forearm is an Arabic script tattoo which means "Strength of Will". However some say it means "Determination". But what ever it means, Angelina's interpretation of the tattoo was revealed by her in an interview in a US television whilst promoting her film "Wanted". She said :
" I have 'Strength of will' in one language, and we added it in four other languages on my arm."
Rune Style "H" Tattoo
On Angelina Jolie's inside left wrist is a rune style tattoo of the letter 'H'. According to sources, it is to remind her of her brother, James Haven whereas some say it is to signify her ex-boyfriend Timothy Hutton. Knowing Angelina's disposition to laser off any reminders of her past relationships, the former meaning is more plausible.
Billy Bob and Black Dragon Lasered Off and replaced by Geo-Tattoos
On her left arm, Angelina had "Billy Bob" and a Black Dragon inked when she was with Billy Bob Thornton. When she divorced from him she removed "Billy Bob" by laser. After the removal of it, in an interview she said:
" I'll never be stupid enough to have a man's name tattooed on me again"
When she started a family, she had the Black Dragon removed as well and in its place are geo-coordinate tattoos (expressed in the degrees, minutes, seconds notation) of where her children were born :
N 11º 33' 0" E 104º 51' 00"N 9º 2' 0" E 38º 45' 0"
S 22º 40' 26" E 14º 31' 40"
N 10° 46' 0" E 106º 41' 40"
N 43º 41' 21" E 07º 14' 28"
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