When Pierre Marie was just 1 year old, he and his family moved from France to California to accommodate his father’s job. Although he does not remember much about living in France, Marie feels deeply connected to the French city where he was born: Lyon.

This connection is part of why the freshman economics major decided to get a lion head tattooed on his chest.

“Lyon, to me, is a place where my roots are from. I never forget who I am and where I came from,” Marie said.

Lyon is the third largest city in France, located near the Swiss Alps. It has two main rivers that cross through the city, where Marie said one can always find people hanging out and walking.

Despite not growing up in Lyon, Marie still has memories from the French city because he visits once a year. He said he tries to go back during either summer or winter breaks each year to visit and stay with his godfather. Some of his favorite memories are riding bikes around the hills with his godfather and family. And while in France each year, Marie also visits his family living in Paris.

Marie had always been interested in the whole artistic process that is involved with choosing a tattoo. He said he knew when he turned 18, he wanted to get a tattoo that really meant something to him personally.

On his 18th birthday, Marie tattooed a lion’s head over his entire left pectoral, but more specifically, over his heart.

The lion tattoo represents the city that he is from because in French, “Lyon” means lion. But the city was not his only inspiration. When Marie was 10 years old, a rugby coach he really admired told Marie that he had a heart of a lion. Marie explained that a lion’s heart means you protect and fight for the things and people you love.

“I’ve always tried to live my life like that since that moment,” Marie said, adding that he’s very protective over his little brother and friends and family in general.

Said Marie: “It seemed obvious to me to get a lion.”

Published on April 19, 2016 at 12:01 am

Contact: lmeyers@syr.edu