British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding may be a rising star, but if you ask her, triangles are really more her thing. The 27-year-old has a growing collection of tattoos, and her very first tat was a small red triangle inked on her wrist, which she had done in October 2012, shortly after her second studio album, titled Halcyon, was released. Similar to Lindsay Lohan’s triangle tattoo, which the notoriously troubled actress recently altered to have a more spiritual meaning, Ellie Goulding’s tattoo is simple and is inked in a bright red color on her right arm. Unlike LiLo’s tattoo though, which is inked near her elbow, Ellie’s triangle tat is located on the inside of her right wrist, with the base of the triangle parallel to her hand and the triangle point facing up towards her elbow.
Ellie is apparently a big fan of triangles, and in her song “Wish I Stayed,” she sings, “Why do I always draw triangles instead of the words this paper so deserves?” Her triangle obsession isn’t new though. During an interview with GQ magazine following the release of Halcyon in October 2012, Ellie said, “I got a random tattoo the other day. It’s a red triangle, which makes everyone think I’m arty, which I’m not.” She elaborates: “I used to draw red triangles all the time. It must mean something – maybe I don’t know it yet. But I’ll figure it out.” Let’s try to help her out, shall we? There are many possible interpretations of triangle tattoos, including simple meanings like harmony, creativity, strength and balance, but there are also some deeper triangle tattoo meanings that often represent different religious beliefs.
When asked about her triangle tattoo during another interview in 2013, Ellie says, “It’s like a symbol. I used to draw triangles when I was young, and when I used to go and write songs, I’d draw triangles instead. And I still have yet to find out the meaning of it. But it’s something that sets off a lot of nostalgia for me.” Although Ellie apparently had no specific reason for getting a triangle tattoo, it’s obvious that, subconsciously, triangles hold a deeper meaning for the singer. One of the most common meanings of a triangle tattoo is the representation of a trinity, such as the holy trinity (Father-Son-Holy Ghost) or Power-Intellect-Love, Mother-Father-Child, Past-Present-Future – the list goes on. Regardless of what type of trinity the triangle may stand for, the symbol universally represents three parts making up a whole.
Of course, some people will try to put an Illuminati spin on Ellie Goulding’s triangle tattoo, since she is a celebrity and conspiracy theorists are obsessed with celebrities and the Illuminati. True, a triangle is included in the symbol of the Eye of Providence, or the all-seeing eye of God, which is typically interpreted as the eye of God watching over mankind and is considered a symbol of Freemasonry. However, a triangle can represent a million other things too, including the Tiratna, or Triple Gem, a Buddhist trinity that symbolizes Buddha as the “Eye of the World.” Ellie has another Buddhist tattoo on her other wrist, which features the Tibetan mantra “Om mani padme hum,” meaning “jewel in the lotus.” What do you think Ellie’s triangle tattoo represents?
