The shamrock, Celtic cross, Viking images, etc is used by hate groups. Basically any German or Nordic symbol has been “claimed” by those groups. I like, for example, the German eagle but that might be misinterpreted if I had it on my back or chest. The fleur de lis, as far as I know, was never used in a way that promoted something stupid. Some New Orleans gang members might use it but they’re late; the symbol is too widely used and seen for one group to claim ownership of. I don’t think they do anyway.
Many people say I must be a big Saints fan when they see my tattoos – that’s not exactly true but I never get asked if I’m in some sort of hate group. Even the Boy Scouts use the fleur de lis as one of their main symbols and you can’t get any nicer than the Boy Scouts. Haha.
So, after deciding the fleur de lis would be the perfect symbol I did a Google image search and found several that I liked. I copied a few and pasted them onto Word. Once on Word I was able to change the size and color of it. I made the image black because that was how I wanted it to look on me. I then printed a copy out and took it to the tattoo artist. If I could draw I would have drawn it myself. My second one involved a little more because I used two symbols: the U.S. Seal and the fleur de lis. I first found a large image of the U.S Seal and then placed a small fleur de lis within the image. I used Word for this too. I made the U.S. Seal black and the fleur de lis white; I wanted the Seal to be black around the fleur de lis symbol. The fleur de lis was not colored in but it’s clearly seen within the image of the Seal. It came out great with two symbols in one tattoo.
This is a site that has many symbols and their meanings.