💫💗 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐊𝐎'𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒 💗💫

We already know many things about 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑴𝒐𝒍𝒌𝒐 and today, on his special day 🥳🎈💕, let's take a closer look at the two tattoos he has on his arms, which have a meaning as deep as interesting.✨

Credits: Unknown, Alfred Steffen, Gorazz Tattoo, Harley Weir /edit by Rita

In 1998, 𝐍𝐌𝐄 magazine held a chat with the band where fans sent them many questions. This was one of them:

💫 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆?
🎤𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏: "I’d probably have a little demon tattooed on my shoulder."
▪️𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑏𝑜, 𝑁𝑀𝐸, 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 1998.

It took many years before 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 finally decided to get a tattoo that was completely different from his answer at the time. On May 4, 2012, 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 and 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 attended 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒓 in 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 where 𝑿𝒊𝒄𝒐 gave him his first tattoo, which is a triangle inside a circle.


💫 𝑰 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒐, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖?
🎤𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏: It means a great deal to me. It’s etched into my skin, and it’s a part of me, and I’ll carry it to my grave. It’s an emblem of some kind of commitment. No matter what I do, it’ll still be a part of my identity.
▪️𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑘𝑜, 𝑃𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒, 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 2013.

🔹𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: "Symbolizes the Twelve-Step Recovery Program of A A. The Sobriety Circle & Triangle Symbol, is the symbol used by Alcoholics Anonymous. The equilateral triangle represents the three part answer - unity, recovery and service - to a three part disease - physical, mental and spiritual, while the circle represents wholeness or oneness. The body should be triangular, stable, the mind circular, open. The triangle represents the means for generation of good energy, and is the most stable physical posture. The circle symbolizes serenity and perfection, and the source of unlimited potential. Together they represent the perfect union of mind and body. It has been used in many native cultures. The priests, medicine men and seers of antiquity regarded the circle enclosing the triangle as a means of warding off spirits of evil, and A.A.'s circle and triangle of Recovery, Unity, and Service has certainly meant all of that to those of us in recovery and much more. Love and Peace."
▪️𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒: 𝚠𝚠𝚠.𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍.𝚗𝚎𝚝.

Brian Molko and Tattoo artist Xico, May 2012. Photo credit unknown

Subsequently, on April 21, 2019 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒛 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒐 posted a photo with the following caption:
✨"done for Brian @placeboworld at @goodtimestattoo yesterday - good to meet you bro! 🌑"

🔹𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑡:
https://bit.ly/3pqfSNY


The adage "𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔" became popular thanks to the 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 poet 𝑬𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑭𝒊𝒕𝒛𝑮𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒅 who included it in the fable entitled "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒏" published in 1852, although the phrase had previously appeared in 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 newspapers in 1839. This phrase was also used by 𝑨𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒎 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒏 in a speech before he became president of the 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔. Since then, it has been translated into several languages and we have seen it everywhere, whether in objects, street art, book titles, tattoos, etc.

But the adage "𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔" seems to have its true origin from a medieval 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 legend dating back to the 9th century B.C. and narrated by ancient 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑺𝒖𝒇𝒊 poets, mainly 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒍-𝑫𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒖𝒓 who wrote this legend in one of his poems around the 13th century.

In the poem appears the story of a 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 who wanted to avoid the unhappiness. To achieve this purpose, the monarch asked his wise council to create a ring that would make him happy when he was sad. Based on this request, the servants had the idea of engraving the mythical words “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔” on the 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈's ring. Then the old man said to him:


⭐️ "𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔."

📖 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦:
https://bit.ly/3prXDb9

Photo credit: Radio Vinyle Interview screenshot

As it usually happens with ancient legends that over time several versions emerge, particularly in this case, most of the versions can be found in the 𝑱𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 tradition, in which the unnamed 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 of the 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 legend is often presented as 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒏.

📖 The story tells us how 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒏 lost a chess game against 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒂𝒉, his wisest servant. To give the page a lesson in humility, he ordered him to find a magic ring that could make sad men happy and happy men sad.

𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒂𝒉 began his search, but the jewel didn’t appear. Until one day, without any expectations, he arrived at a small goldsmith shop in the middle of the kingdom.Talking to the goldsmith and entrust him every detail, the old man offered to create a ring with the words “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔” engraved on it.

With the jewel on his hands, the servant went to meet the 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 to show the finding. 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒏, the unbeliever from page success, was very surprised when he could contemplate the beautifully engraved piece. From that moment on, the monarch could feel the positive effect in his kingdom. But he would soon realize that even that happiness could also be something transitory.


📍As you can see, whatever the version of the legend is, the teaching is that everything passes away and nothing is forever. The phrase “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔” helps us to remain positive and find strength in difficult and sad times, while in times of success and happiness, it helps us to remain humble and enjoy them while they last. It's a reminder to cherish the small moments and every minute of our lives, to live in the present - something 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑴𝒐𝒍𝒌𝒐 has talked about in several interviews. So wise and beautiful, isn't it?

So far 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 has not stated anything about his “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔” tattoo. Nevertheless, I believe the following quote can be related to the meaning of this proverb.


🎤𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏: “I see life as very bittersweet and I also believe that a lot depends on your attitude to life. My lyrics reflect this view and also the fact that I believe you have to live in a place of acceptance – that life isn’t always fair. Yes – life can be filled with joy if one is open to it but life is also invariably filled with challenges and sadness. To go through life thinking that we don’t deserve to feel sadness at any point in time is I think, a form of self-sabotage."
▪️𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑏𝑜, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑐 '𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟', 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 2013.

💝 I hope with all my heart that 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 has a very 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 today and even if that happiness is fleeting as well as this day, may his future be filled with even happier days than this one. 🙏💖💕

💫⭐ 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏! Xx ⭐💫

Post by Rita