Archive for Butterfly Tattoos
An Overview of Butterfly Tattoos
Posted by: | CommentsToday tattoos have become more popular than at any other time in recent history. More than 30% of people between the ages of 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those ages 26 to 40, have a tattoo and in many cases more than one. (Wong, 2003) With all of these tattoos being performed, does it seem strange that butterflies are the most common tattoo found on women? Not really, if you look into the history of the butterfly symbol and its importance in human history.
There have been many variations of the story of butterflies in human mythology. Some cultures believed that each time a butterfly left its cocoon, a human soul was formed. Other cultures see butterflies as the souls of the dead waiting in purgatory while other cultures show butterflies as symbols of joy and happiness. Many Native American tribes had specific ideas about the butterfly symbol. They believed that they symbolized everlasting life and considered them to be the transformers or changers of life. (Michilak, 2010)
The butterfly symbol is primarily used by women in today’s modern society but that has not always been true. Augustus, an emperor of Rome, used the butterfly to symbolize his power, and the male priests of Mayan culture also used the butterfly on their clothes to symbolize their sacred fire. (Hemingson, 2010)
The reasons why butterflies have become a more feminine symbol in today’s society are not known but considering modern society’s obsession with beauty, it seems to make sense. Butterflies symbolize beauty just like they did in the past yet they are still considered a symbol of change or metamorphosis. (Hemingson, 2010) So, if a woman is trying to decide what picture she wants to have put on her body for the rest of her life, it makes sense she would want something that was once a horrible ugly bug but became a beautiful butterfly. The woman who has this tattoo may feel that she will be metamorphosed after she gets her butterfly tattoo.
The idea has been purported that because the butterfly is known to symbolize death and rebirth that perhaps women choose the butterfly tattoos when they feel like things are too tough. The idea of bad things ending and starting over could be something you want to keep on your body for the rest of your life. Most likely a butterfly just symbolizes something beautiful to many women and they choose it solely for aesthetic reasons.
The butterfly has also been chosen as the symbol for the transgender community and has become the logo for the Butterfly Coalition International. The idea that the butterfly symbolizes metamorphosis for many people was the reasoning behind their choice. (Coalition, 2010) Obviously women and men choose butterfly tattoos for all sorts of reasons. But, whatever the reason, the placement of these tattoos can be as important as the tattoo design itself. The most popular area seems to be the lower back with the ankle coming in a close second. The shoulder area is also popular. Selection of these areas probably means that, more than likely, the person wants other people to see their tattoo. In some cases, a person will choose a hidden place because the meaning of their tattoo is for their loved ones as well as themselves.
There is no best way to find a butterfly tattoo but visiting as many possible tattoo design sites on the internet as well as real life tattoo shops is a great start. The designs range in size, color, and shape which makes the choice difficult but allows for so much more individuality for the seeker of a butterfly tattoo.
Works Cited
Coalition, B. (2010). Home. Retrieved March 27th, 2010, from Butterfly Coalition International: butterflyco.org
Hemingson, V. (2010).Ttattoo Designs and Symbols. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from the vanishing tattoo: vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols.htm
Michilak, J. (2010). Need To Know. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Butterfly tatoo: tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Butterfly_Tattoos
Wong, N. (2003). Think Before You Ink. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from tattoo facts and statistics: tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Butterfly_Tattoosvanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_facts.htm
The Symbolism Behind Butterfly Tattoos
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most popular tattoo designs are butterfly tattoos. A lot of people get them because they are beautiful, but they don’t know that there is a lot of symbolism behind butterfly tattoos. Here are some of the popular symbolism behind butterfly tattoos and why some people decide to get them.
New Beginning or Life
One of the popular places that people have butterfly tattoos is the lower back, and when they place their tattoo there, it usually means that they are going through a new beginning or a new life. After all, when a caterpillar goes into the cocoon, it is born again as a butterfly. Some of the cultures think that butterflies are insects that are acting themselves. It doesn’t feel ashamed of showing the pride that it has itself while it’s flying. Therefore, people who have butterfly tattoos are acting the way that they are.
Situations
Another thing that people usually use butterfly tattoos for is when they are dealing with something in their life or in their family. It might be an illness that they are fighting themselves or it might be an illness that someone else is fighting. Something else that a butterfly tattoo might do is to make a woman more attractive to men. To women, they represent beauty and they think that maybe they will look more beautiful if they have the butterfly on their skin.
New Path
A person who has started down a new path in life, such as a new job or getting married might decide to get a butterfly tattoo to show everyone that they are doing something new in life. Some cultures say that butterfly tattoos represent love that is fleeting.
Stages
Finally, there are three more things that butterfly tattoos symbolize: life, death, and spirit. There are three stages that a butterfly will go through before it dies. To a lot of people, it can symbolize the cycle of life that mankind has. It symbolizes growth, both in the mental and physical sense, the completion of one’s life, and a human’s life cycle. Butterflies are insects that are very unique, as they are beautiful and they are only alive for a short time. They go out and live life to the very fullest, and that may be why some people choose it for a tattoo.
There are four meanings that people have found to be for butterfly tattoos, but the meanings that are there are different for everyone. Just like people decide to get tattoos for different reasons,, people decide to get butterfly tattoos for different reasons. If someone enjoys butterflies and they are afraid to get a tattoo because of the fact that someone might think that it’s for a reason that doesn’t apply to them, that isn’t a reason to change their mind. Butterfly tattoos are something that make everyone beautiful and they are something that just about anyone can use to symbolize what they believe in. it’s easy to see why a butterfly is so popular as a tattoo.
Butterfly Tatoo Patterns & Symbolism
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Classical mythology associates butterflies with the soul. Psyche is often represented as a butterfly. Sylphs, invisible female spirits of the air whose voices are heard in the wind, are named from the Greek word silphe, which means “butterfly” or “moth”.
The Aztecs associated butterflies with women who died in childbirth and warriors who died in battle. In some Chinese stories butterflies represent dead women’s souls, but they more often symbolize Summer, Joy, and Longevity!
For many Native American tribes butterflies symbolize the souls of the dead but also Transformation, because the insects emerge from the chrysalis. They also associate the butterfly with Beauty.
The butterfly signifies Fire to the Aztecs while in Celtic solar festivals the firebrand that rekindled the hearth fire after it had been extinguished was called the “Butterfly.”
From the bland caterpillar to the fantastic winged creature of astonishing beauty, the butterfly has become a symbol for transformation and hope, rebirth and resurrection, the triumph of the spirit and the freeing of the soul over the material world.
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