Compass Rose Meaning: History, Symbol and Tattoos

A compass rose is the star-shaped figure on a map or a compass card showing the directions: north, east, south, west and the points between. It is called a rose because, with all its points drawn, it looks like a flower in full bloom.

From wind rose to compass rose

Before the magnetic compass, sailors navigated partly by the winds, and the Mediterranean had eight named winds — the Tramontana from the north, the Sirocco from the south-east, and so on. A wind rose showed their directions.

When the magnetic compass reached European ships in the 1200s, the wind rose was drawn onto the compass card itself, and onto the new portolan charts — sea charts criss-crossed by direction lines. The Catalan Atlas of 1375 includes one of the earliest compass roses on a map.

The 32 points

A full compass rose has 32 points:

• 4 cardinal points: north, east, south, west.
• 4 intercardinal points: north-east, south-east, south-west, north-west.
• 8 more between those: north-north-east, east-north-east, and so on.
• 16 more "by" points: north by east, north-east by north...

Reciting all 32 in order — "boxing the compass" — was a test every young sailor had to pass.

Why north has a fleur-de-lis

On many old charts and compasses, north is marked not with an N but with a fleur-de-lis — the lily of French royalty. It probably began as a decorated T, for Tramontana, the north wind, and grew more ornate with each mapmaker. On some old charts, east was marked with a cross, pointing towards the Holy Land.

What the compass rose symbolises

• Guidance — finding your way.
• Direction in life — knowing where you are going.
• Travel and adventure.
• Returning home safely — the reason sailors carried it.
• Balance — every direction held in equal measure.

Compass rose tattoo meaning

The compass rose is one of the oldest sailors' tattoos. A sailor wore one as a charm to find the way home, whatever the weather. Today it usually means one of these:

• A love of travel — or a specific journey.
• Finding your way after being lost — recovery, a new direction.
• Staying true to your values: a moral compass.
• Connection to the sea and to family who sailed.

It is often paired with a map, an anchor, a ship, or a set of coordinates.

Compass rose meaning in spirituality

In spiritual use, the four directions often carry the four elements and the four seasons, and the compass rose becomes a symbol of wholeness: the self at the centre, balanced between them. The north point, which never moves, stands for a guiding purpose.

A compass as a gift

A real compass, with the rose on its card, is a classic gift for a graduation, a retirement, a new job or a long journey — the wish being "may you always find your way". Engrave a date inside the lid and it becomes an heirloom. How to use a compass.