A rose and sword tattoo represents a type of yin-yang. A sword means war, destruction, and death. The rose represents live, peace, tranquility, and of course beauty and grace. The rose stops the sword from harming, the sword balances out that by stopping the rose from creating everything on earth to be peaceful. No matter how much we may hate war, we need war to balance out life.

The short answer is male/female genital. Traditional, the sword symbolizes male power, and the rose, female virtue. There are references in some older wedding ceremonies of the male giving the woman his greatest possession, his sword, and the woman giving the man her greatest possession, a red rose or red jewel. From that information, it doesn't take much imagination to work out what the sword/rose tattoos are depicting.

The Sword and the Rose - 1953 is rated/received certificates of:

Australia:G

Finland:S

Sweden:Btl

UK:U

USA:Approved (PCA #16289)

USA:PG (re-rating) (1992)

West Germany:6

The cast of The Master of the Sword - 1915 includes: Madge Kirby as Rose Dare Charles Perley as The Fencing Master

Melissa Rose Marshall has written:

'Russia, between sword and cross' -- subject(s): Christianity, Church and state, Church history, Communism and Christianity, History, Religion and state, Travel

'Russia'