Egyptian Tattoo Designs – Symbols from an Ancient Culture

The popularity of Egyptian tattoo designs is unmistakable. They are popular around the world and this popularity is owing to their inherent beauty, the fact that the history of Egypt dates back thousands of years and that their accomplishments are still unparalleled, and their know-how unrivalled. Many of the symbols from ancient Egypt are instantly recognizable by nearly anyone the world over.

Egyptian tattoo designs have a wide range. There are ones that are very specific copies from ancient Egypt, and there is an ever-growing database of images that are derived from the original designs. Form and color, detail and size are all elements that are interesting to play with. You can design something unique, but which is still unmistakably Egyptian in origin. This is thanks to the powerful imagery the Egyptians had and the way that Egyptian history and design has permeated our own culture. Seeing Egyptian images is very common in every day life, we are taught their history, we travel to their lands to take in the magnificence of their temples, pyramids, and Sphinx. Movies, books, art, and documentaries on ancient Egypt abound and are amongst the most enduring in popularity.

In addition, there are powerful, symbolic meanings behind the images. What we know and recognize as hieroglyphs was actually their written language. Ancient Egypt has a lasting mystique and has permanently captured our imaginations and sense of wonder.

Finding an Egyptian image that speaks to you is important. Knowing the representation of the different Egyptian tattoo designs is important. You will be asked about the meaning behind the image, and you don’t want to just say you liked the look of it. You want to understand what it stands for, and then choose something that suits you, appeals to you, and speaks to a part of your personality or goals for getting the tattoo.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

* Ankh – the Egyptian symbol of life or immortality
* The Eye of Ra/The Eye of Horus – depending on which way it’s facing, it can mean the sun and protection or the moon and protection
* Scarabs – a sacred image of renewal
* Isis – Egyptian goddess of fertility
* Osiris – the Egyptian king and judge of the dead
* Bastet – cat/lioness solar and war goddess, defender of the pharoah
* Amun/Amun Ra – the Egyptian sun god
* The Mask of Tutankhamen
* Phoenix – consumed itself by fire, later rose from the ashes
* Various birds and cobras

The popularity of Egyptian tattoo designs is one that will endure. Just as humanity’s fascination with their rich history, monuments, art, mummies, tombs, excavations, and stories continues, so will movies, books, documentaries and yes…tattoos. Having Egyptian tattoo designs can tie you to this ancient culture and speak to ancient, powerful meanings. The ancient Egyptians themselves were proud wearers of tattoos for body ornamentation, as well as religious and social reasons. You can choose your own.

Eagle Tattoo Designs

Eagle tattoo designs are another example of tattoos with enduring appeal. Animal designs have been popular since humans first started to ink themselves. It’s a way of capturing the spirit and powers of that creature for yourself. Eagle tattoo designs are very popular amongst American patriots, the military, environmentalists and bikers, amongst others. The eagle is associated with power and freedom and has played an important role in history in numerous countries and in a wide variety of emblems.

Ancient Egyptians worshipped eagles, in Norse mythology eagles were associated with the god Odin, who stood for wisdom, and the Greeks held the eagle as a symbol of Zeus. Native American cultures revere the eagle for its free spirit and they give their feathers as signs of friendship, security and pride. In modern day eagle tattoo designs are very popular amongst firefighters, police officers and others who serve. They can also signify animal rights protection, and the autonomy and freedom that should be respected in the natural world. With this long and varied history, eagle tattoo designs will never go out of style.

There are many aspects to consider in the selection of eagle tattoo designs such as whether you want to depict the eagle standing or in flight, with its wings spread or down. A very common practice in eagle tattoo designs is to have them accompanied by a banner with words. This is used for memorials or tributes to a special someone, or to express an ideal such as liberty, freedom, strength, enduring spirit, honor, or loyalty.

Some of the more common places that eagle tattoo designs are placed are upper arms, shoulders, as well as upper and lower back areas. The upper back is especially great for large tattoos depicting an eagle with its wings spread. This is a very striking choice for men in particular. Having a tattoo that is large enough allows for intricate detail on the feathers, giving it a more realistic appearance.

Other ways to design an eagle tattoo, is just depict the head or have the bird tattooed completely in black, like a tribal style. Eagle tattoo designs can have a number of different poses, have natural coloring, or for the more patriotic choices, have red, white and blue be the prominent colors. You can also have your eagle tattoo made into an arm or legband, or as part of a larger design. As with many animal tattoos, depicting the creature in an element of its natural environment is a popular enhancement. Trees, mountainous backgrounds, and other forms of wildlife can be incorporated. You can play around with the eagle’s expression, adopting a fierce gaze, or a wiser, more knowing expression. You can choose eagle tattoo designs that have the bird in full flight, sharp talons extended, as if swooping down on prey.

Eagle tattoo designs are a great choice for the tattoo enthusiast either on its own or as part of a larger scene. You have a wide variety of ideas to choose from that can be personalized to taste.

Dragon Tattoos – a Strong Choice

Dragon tattoos are a striking and strong choice for both men and women. Dragons have a long and storied place in legend and fantasy lore. They are mythological creatures that are known for their strength and often a sense of honor.

The choice of dragon tattoos is vast and they are highly customizable. Being a creature of myth, means they are not rooted in a specific look or color pattern. You have a great deal of freedom in choosing everything from the pattern of the dragon’s scales, its facial expressions, wings, body size and shape, and its eyes. You can also decide whether you want your dragon to be breathing fire, to have smoke coming from its nostrils, to be displaying the forked tongue of a reptile, to be in flight, about to take flight, standing or sitting, or protecting something precious. The reptilian body of a dragon lends itself particularly well to tattoo designs that wrap themselves around the body. The scales can evoke an undulating feel, making it seem alive and breathing with your own breath.

Dragon tattoos are a great way to let one’s imagination soar with flights of fancy. They can have fierce or ferocious expressions, look sneaky and convey a false innocence. People often use dragon tattoos to express an inner strength they feel or want to tap into. They can make the otherworldly a part of oneself, and speak to a sense of timelessness, and of something ancient and powerful. They are a beguiling and strong statement for the tattoo enthusiast.

They look amazing across the back, winding around a torso, or on the upper arm. Another popular place is the back of the calf. Smaller dragon tattoos look great on wrists, hips, ankles, the tops of feet, and necks. With dragon tattoos, people often customize the wings. Size, color and patterns are all fun to play with, as wings lend themselves to a high degree of creativity. Dragon tattoos look striking with a combination of bold, primary colors, whatever their size, or in tribal fashion with a predominantly grey and black design. Dragon tattoos can also easily be made part of a landscape as your dragon lights a fire, soars over the treetops, across the moon or amongst the clouds, perches on a mountaintop or is depicted with other creatures taken from mythology.

Dragon tattoos can also have a cultural significance. Chinese dragons typically symbolize unity, conformity, and wisdom and are a symbol of good. In European tradition, they often symbolize fear, power, and sometimes evil. In each instance, the dragon has a long, sometimes snakelike body, and will often have horns. Japanese dragons have three claws, and Chinese dragons have five. These often have long, wingless bodies. If you want your dragon tattoo to have specific meaning from a culture, do some homework to know what elements to include and how a small change can bring about a different meaning.

Dragon tattoos are elegant, strong, bold, and powerful symbols that command respect. Unleash your own inner dragon with a dragon tattoo!

Choosing a Shooting Star Tattoo

When you are choosing a shooting star tattoo, you are tapping into one of the most ancient symbols humanity has focused on. Since the beginning of time, human beings have been gazing up at the stars in wonderment. We searched the heavens for meaning and guidance, fixed on stars to guide our travels, constellations guided the building of magnificent structures, and our horoscopes have been told based on the constellations associated with our birth. In biblical times the appearance of the star of Bethlehem pointed the way to Jesus for the wise men. Stars have always been significant symbols in our history.

A shooting star tattoo can represent enlightenment and new beginnings. Shooting stars can also be symbolic – a way to express the desire to reach one’s ultimate destiny. It also symbolizes the idea of wishing upon a star, of looking for positive change in one’s life, and hoping for the fulfillment of one’s most cherished dreams. Ships guided their courses by a star, hoping to set a safe course and to find their way home. For many people, seeing a shooting star can be a sign of good luck.

If you have considered selecting a shooting star tattoo, there are many to choose from. These tattoos can be attractively placed in various areas of the body such as arms, shoulders, along side of the ribcage, behind the ears, the back of the neck, ankles, feet or wrists. A shooting star tattoo is a popular choice for both men and women. It is way of expressing what you believe about yourself, what you want for your life, and what you aspire to. A shooting star tattoo can also represent a particularly meaning time in your life, one that was amazing, or that you don’t expect to come around again.

When you are working with your tattoo artist, don’t just check out the designs on paper, also have it drawn on the part of your body you intend the tattoo to go. That way you can see how the tattoo will appear with the curve of the area, whether it will be visible enough, whether you want the outlines to be thicker, etc. You can choose three or five stars, or a specific number that has special meaning for you. You can depict a meteor shower, have them in a starburst, or a have a trail of stars following your name. Shooting stars can also take on a military significance or indicate a desire to explore space. Typically shooting star tattoos start with a larger star followed by progressively small stars.

Shooting stars have always, and will always, capture human imagination, hope and wonder. Choosing a shooting star tattoo can be just as personal as any other tattoo, with its size, placement, color and intricacy. Like people, the designs are always evolving. There are many generic styles out there, but personalizing it is a great way to make it special and unique, just like you.

Celtic Tattoo Design

Celtic tattoo design is becoming an increasingly popular choice amongst many people, especially with those who have a Celtic heritage. They are very distinct, attractive and recognizable tattoos.

Some of the choices in Celtic tattoo design include symbolizing the tree of life, which represents all of the stages of life from the beginning to the end, in a continuous circle – the continuity of life. Celtic crosses are very popular, with their knots or loops, also representing the circle of life, and the Celtic Thor’s Hammer. All of these things have the Celtic knot as a prominent feature.

To appreciate the appeal of Celtic tattoo design, it’s helpful to consider Celtic history. The Celtic people worshipped an array of gods and goddesses, the animals, and land. As their exposure to Christianity grew, they incorporated and morphed their own images into stars and crosses, to avoid conflict with the beliefs of the Christians. The Celtic cross was one of the early images to connect Christian and pagan religions. The cross itself was based of the holy cross from Christianity, and the Celtic version, which contains interwoven lines circling a tree trunk, intertwines that with a circle – a representation of Sun worship, denoting the eternal, no beginning and no end.

This symbol, the Celtic knot, which looks similar to interwoven vines, has a profound meaning as a representation of eternity and infinity – that our world carries on without beginning or end. It also represents the cycles of our seasons and nature’s complexity. These knots can be adapted into various shapes such as hearts or complex star designs. Another element of Celtic heritage that can be included in Celtic tattoo design, including crosses, is the triskel. This image is made up of three spirals, symbolizing the layers of the human soul, or the earth, sea, and sky – three essentials of our existence.

Regarding Celtic knots, the number of knots in an image relate to specific parts of Celtic lore. The number three is often seen represented in various ways. The number nine is a sacred number, and tripling it to the number twenty-seven is believed to increase its power. The number five is also important – it often stands for family unity. Another important number is seventeen, which represents the cycles of our visible moon.

In Celtic tattoo design, many people include animals, which had a great importance to the Celtic people. These include butterflies, which were considered very beautiful, and dogs, which stood for loyalty and good luck. Horses were considered sacred, as they were linked to magic and mystery. Bears often represent power, while dragons are linked with both magic and power. The animal portion of a Celtic tattoo design may be the main focus, or a background element.

Celtic tattoo design is frequently seen as arm or wristbands, and on the lower back. These tattoos are nearly always done in black ink, and the thickness of the lines varies. Celtic tattoo design is a deeply meaningful choice for both men and women, and is a nod to an ancient world.