The Symbolism Of Russian Prison Tattoos
1.
Back then in prison, Tattoos hold intricate meaning. It wasn’t worn for fashion. It has to be earned – the hard way. Tattoos indicate a ranking in prison, otherwise known as “The Zone”. The Zone, notoriously vicious, deadly & overcrowded (with more than 100 prisoners in a small jail cell), is controlled by a main group of criminals called the “Thieves-in-Law”, the highest named as “The Godfather”- sitting atop a complex hierarchy of criminals (the guys who make the rules), while the weakest prisoners (the “downcasts”) are at the bottom. A heavily tattooed person indicates a very high rank, as he is literally one of the toughest guys there – who, before he earned it, suffered and survived beatings and committed a lot of crimes and murders. A downcast who attempts to get a tattoo without the approval of the thieves gets killed without question.
2.
This prisoner’s tattoos display his anger and bitterness towards Communist power; the tattoos on the face signify that he never expects to go free. Text around the neck ‘To each his own’; above each head of the double-headed snake ‘Wife’ and ‘Mother-in-law’; on the chest ‘It is not for you whores, to dig in my soul’.
4.
The eight-pointed stars on the clavicles denote a high-ranking thief. the dollar sign on the bow tie shows the bearer is either a safecracker, money launderer or has been convicted for the theft of state property.
5.
The tattoos on this inmate mimic those of higher-ranking criminals and indicate he has adopted a thieves’ mentality. But he does not wear the ‘thieves’ stars’ so holds no real power among this caste.
6.
A snake around the neck is a sign of drug addiction. The stars on the clavicles and epaulettes on the shoulders show that this inmate is an authority.
7.
‘The court only deprived me of freedom, but nobody deprived me of human feelings. and the years go by, and my temples have gone grey, and my youth has been damaged.’ the bell tolls [meaning he is serving his time ‘to the bell’ – the full sentence with no remission].
8.
Text across the chest reads ‘As long as I breathe, I hope’. The turbaned man clutching a knife in his mouth indicates an inclination to brutality, sadism, and a negative attitude toward activists – prisoners who openly collaborate with prison authorities (also often a pirate). The Latin text on the shoulder reads ‘Remember your mortality’.
9.
Eyes on the stomach denote homosexuality. The medals are awards that existed before the revolution. He defied the Soviet regime
10.
A dagger through the neck means that a criminal has committed murder in prison and is available to hire for further killing. The drops of blood can signify the number of murders committed.
11.
This convict’s tattoos were applied in the camps of the Urals where the tattoo artists produce work of exceptional quality. Because they were so held in such high regard, criminals often attempted to be transferred there in order to be tattooed. The dollar bill on the shoulder signifies the bearer’s commitment to a life of crime.
12.
The skull and crossbones show that the prisoner is serving a life term. the single eight-pointed star denotes that he is a ‘semi-authority’ among thieves. the girl ‘catching’ her dress with a fishing line on his left forearm is a tattoo worn by hooligans and rapists.
13.
The lighthouse on his right arm shows a desire for freedom. each wrist manacle means he’s served a sentence of more than five yrs.
14.
The devils on the shoulders of this inmate show a hatred of authority. sometimes accompanied by anti-Soviet texts.
15.
Text on the stomach reads man is wolf to man. text across the arms reads ‘live in sin, die laughing.
16.
A cross with Jesus (seen on the guy on the left) marks one as a thief-in-law. A dagger through a rose or a barbed wire wrapped around it (seen on the right guy’s forearm) conveys that he’s been a convict before the age of 18.
17.
The Epaulettes (on the shoulder) signal a rank of a thief-in-law. It is only for the captains, lieutenants & kernels. A woman on the chest tells that the bearer has been initiated by the thieves-in-law.
18.
A cathedral means that the bearer is born legitimately as a “thief”. It marks him as a criminal. A grim reaper represents Death—they kill with the left hand, forgive with the right hand. A pirate tattoo (seen on the forearm) means that he has committed robbery. The cat on the hand is an acronym for KOT (Korennoy Obitatel Turmi) which literally means “cat”— tell that he is a native inhabitant. It also represents the bearer as a pickpocket. Forcibly, the bow tie was added to indicate that he has broken the thieve’s laws and sided with the authorities. Today, however, the stigma on this tattoo has faded.
19.
Convicts would get inkings of Stalin & Lenin, leaders of the Soviet, close to their hearts so that the authorities would not shoot them there.
21.
One of the most iconic images in Russian prison tattoos is the “Kremlin” or the Cathedral. With the number of its dome towers equal to the number of sentences served. 6 church domes, for example, convey that the bearer has served 6 sentences.
22.
A spider crawling up (as seen on the convict’s forearm) means that the bearer is a thief. Until he doesn’t get a tattoo of a spider crawling down (which means that the criminal life has ended), it means that the bearer hasn’t stopped thieving.
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