Tat symbols
The geographical location/situation of the wearer has relevance to its meaning, e.g. incarcerated vs. street walker, etc.
Each symbol may have many different meanings.
Non-Russian
1. Teardrop on the face says the wearer committed murder. A teardrop outline says attempted murder [unsuccessful].
Sometimes an outline means a friend of the wearer was murdered and the wearer is currently seeking vengeance. A
subsequently filled-in teardrop means a death has been avenged. If there are initials inside the tear, typically these
are the person who died. 1 teardrop under the eye serves as a reminder to the wearer of a mistake.
In some prisons, a teardrop tattoo meaning on which side of the face it is located. Left eye means the wearer murdered
someone in gaol. Right eye means the wearer lost a family or gang member to murder. Fingers typically mean dealing with
a "personal struggle."
2. Three Dots . . . simple, subtle, poignant. A common gaol tat meaning “mi vida loca” or my crazy life. It is not the symbol of
any one particular gang. Rather, it is a representation of the gang “lifestyle.” Frequently seen on inside of forearm.
3. MS 13 tats are representative of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, a notorious extremely violent gang originating from El Salvador.
If a WG has this, RUN ASAP!! or you may literally be eating your balls raw.
Do NOT get macho with anyone wearing it.
4. A five-point crown tat is allegiance to the Latin Kings, a notorious Hispanic gang based in Chicago.Tat is usually accompanied
by the letters ALKN or ALKQN, which stands for Almighty Latin Kings (and Queens) Nation.
5. Cobweb is typically seen on elbows or hands, a classic example of gaollhouse ink symbolising being behind bars for a really, really
long time. It signifies sitting with your hands or elbows on a table for so long a spider has woven a web on you. Symbolically, cobweb
tats signify being “trapped” behind bars, the same way a spider traps its prey.
Russian
The Russian prison tat system contains a highly intricate, esoteric hierarchy of symbols that may have VERY different meanings
depending on body placement location.
1. Playing Cards mean either the inmate is in prison for gambling or the inmate love to gamble. It can also mean the person sees life
as a gamble, pushes their luck and almost always . . . loses.
The suit is important. Spades represent thieves, Diamonds represent informants and “prison rats”, Hearts signify the person is looking
for love inside the prison, lube optional.
These tats are usually applied in Russian prison by brute force as punishment for breaking
prison codes of honor or if they insult a high-ranking gang member.
2. Cross on the Chest, reserved for the highest echelons of Russian Mafia, is the highest rank a Russian mobster can achieve. It symbolises
being a “Prince of Thieves.”
3. Eight-pointed Star on Clavicle [may be on kneecaps, etc.], reserved for high-ranking members of the Russian Mafia. Denotes the person is
a highly respected member of the Vor, a moniker for the Russian mob.
4. Skull and Crossbones are worn proudly by Russian inmates serving life sentences.
5. Church and monastery tattoos on Russian inmates signify thievery. The number of church spire cupolas signify their number of prison convictions.
6. Compass Rose in the West symbolizes a yearning for freedom or adventure. In the Russian prison tat system, it indicates a person’s hatred for
prison guards and law enforcement.
Outside of the current "fashion trend" and Lil Wayne’s 89 Tattoos & Their Meanings, tats are typically used to tell someone's life story.The Russian
inmate Danzig Baldaev's tattoo project was embraced by the KGB as it established the facts about a convict or criminal, e.g. date and place of birth,
crimes committed, camps where served time and psychological profile," Shortly before his death in 2005, Danzig Baldaev wrote 3 volumes on the topic
in Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia series.
Skulls denoted a criminal authority. A cat represented a thief. On a woman, a penis tattoo was the kitemark of a prostitute. Crosses on knuckles denoted the
number of times the wearer had been to prison. A shoulder insignia marked solitary confinement whilst a swastika represented not a fondness for fascism but
a refusal to accept the rules of prison society. "Grins" (depicting political leaders in obscene or comical positions) were a way for criminal to put two fingers up
at the authorities.Tattooing was illegal in prisons, so prisoners made tattoos by melting down boot heels and mixing the solution with blood and urine. Having
an anti-political grin was a way of saying, 'I'm the toughest guy around.' Most of these guys knew they would never be released from prison, so they couldn't
care less what the authorities did to them.
A criminal with no tattoos was devoid of status. If you wore one you had not earned, e.g. the skull sign of a criminal authority, it was routinely removed by force . . .
translation, removed with a dull scalpel by zealous fellow prisoners.
SUMMARY
If you encounter a WG with any of the above, you may seriously wish to re-evaluate not only the "little head's options" but also your immediate life options.
Some WHs wear 1-2 of those worn by their "boyfriends", the term loosely used. If you are in a HKG Russian run brothel and encounter these, treat the girl kindly
and BE VERY CERTAIN to pay the bill.
