YET ANOTHER 10 MORE TATTOO DESIGN SYMBOLISMS!
Here we are again, with another 10 popular tattoo designs and their symbolic meanings. This is the forth set, and we may (or may not) do another 10 later! We find it interesting to learn the obvious and hidden meanings behind various tattoo designs, and we hope you do to! Let’s get started!
BEES
Bees are a surprisingly popular tattoo! Despite that nasty little stinger, which they will only use if they have to, bees are weirdly cute. Bees are essential to the planet. The help cross pollinate flowers and plants and insure the fertilization for future plants. They help crops grow and plants that produce oxygen. We need bees. Bees are a symbol of determination, cooperation, community, loyalty, commitment and communication.
WINGS
Wing tattoos can come in many forms. They could be a large set tattooed on someone’s back, on the forearms, ankles, etc. They also appear in many styles. From American Traditional, as pictured above, to ultra-realistic. They could be feathered wing, bat wings, bone wings and so on. At their core, however, they all represent the same things. They can mean, ascendence, freedom, spirituality, protection, and moving forward. Wings added to another image in a memorial tattoo often is a reference to that person (or pet) is now an angel.
NAUTICAL STARS
Although not nearly as popular as they were in the late 90s-2000s, mainly in particular social circles during that time period, nautical stars are still a popular choice for a tattoo. Most people that got this kind of design often got them in pairs, such as on both sides of the chest, or both elbows, etc. The nautical star is a symbol of protection, guidance, and finding direction in life.
HUMMINGBIRDS
Eagles being the most common bird tattooed, another rising contender would be the hummingbird. Although there is no rule to which gender gets which bird tattooed on them, it’s mostly men that get eagles, and women who get hummingbirds. Again, tattoos are genderless, so get whatever you like no matter if you’re a man or woman. Hummingbirds are a symbol of transformation, immortality, protection from evil, renewal, and resiliency.
CATS (DOMESTIC)
Another popular tattoo is the common house cat. It makes sense considering they are one of the most popular pets, only second to dogs (in the USA). Cats, however, are more popular globally. To be fair to dogs, two reasons cats are more popular internationally is due to their relatively small size compared to most dogs and they are good at keeping vermin away. It was very common in early sailing days to have a cat to two on board the ship to hunt mice. Of course, dogs have always had their job of being a reliable guard for home and for your livestock.
Cat’s have been symbolized and even worshipped as early as the ancient Egyptian times. Cats are symbolized by independence, grace, intelligence, cunning, curiosity, magic, rebirth (9 lives), and intuition.
SUN & MOON (IN THE SAME IMAGE)
The sun and the moon tattooed together are another of these images of polarity, much like the Yin Yang or the angel/devil concepts. Sun tattoos and moon tattoos, on their own, have always been a tattoo staple, and they have their own symbolism (which we may cover in another installment). The two joined, however, have a whole new meaning. They often represent good/evil, life/death, masculine/feminine, conflict, unity, cooperation, beginning and the end, rebirth, and mystery.
PHASES OF THE MOON
A phases of the moon tattoo is done in some form and fashion to show all eight phases of the lunar cycle. The two most common ways this is seen in a tattoo are linear and circular. You may see the phases done in a tattoo going linear down the spine, or in a big circle on the back. Of course this can be done in many other places on the body. The symbolism of this tattoo is dream, magic, eternity, mystery, change, time, and purity.
ANCHORS
Anchors have been a popular choice of tattoo since at least World War I. Early on, it was just a symbol of being a sailor, and the pride of the navy. Over time, the anchor has come to mean more than that. To some, the anchor tattoo can represent being grounded, commitment, hope, safety, and stability.
MJOLLNIR (THOR’S HAMMER)
Of all the Norse style tattoos out there, Mjollnir is one of the more popular designs for both men and women get. Nordic tattoos are absolutely beautiful to behold, and many of the artists at Lucky Bamboo Tattoo are very competent at the style, and everyone enjoys doing it. One of the great things about it is that nearly always your tattoo will be unique since each one (here) is designed for each individual person. Thors hammer often represents strength, power, protection, blessing, consecration, and might.
PLAGUE DOCTOR
And finally, another great tattoo design is the dark and mysterious plague doctor. The plague doctor was a figure, often an actual physician, who wore a bizarre protective outfit from head to toe to protect themselves from the black plague when examining both the sick and the dead. Rumor is that the shape and design of their mask was to keep aromatics in the “beak” area to mask the horrible smell of decay. Both the plague doctors and tommyknockers (those that went around knocking on doors to collect the dead) worked closely together.
Although an actual figure in history, the plague doctor has become something of a myth or legend, and even though a being of good, it’s often represented in evil. The true symbolism of the plague doctor tattoo is fate, death, mystery, finality, doom, and loss. Their symbolic meaning makes sense considering they were usually the last person a dying patient would see.
Well, that got dark! But no need to whitewash the past and gloss over historical fact.
If you’d like to read our previous installments of the meanings of tattoo designs, click the links below!