Some ancient cultures in places such as Minoan Crete and Toltec Mexico believed in butterfly goddesses. They were believed to be the embodiment of certain butterflies that were symbolic of love, beauty and the spirits of the dead – quite the opposite of the other meanings huh? They were a symbolic reminder of all those women who died in childbirth and warriors that were killed in battle. Another symbol in stark contrast to love and beauty was the butterfly goddess of ancient Mexico – goddess of war and human sacrifice.

In ancient Greece, the human psyche was represented in art with wings of a butterfly. The caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly is the symbolism used in Greek mythology to represent the earth bound human being that later transforms into the aerial human soul that flies to the wondrous beyond. Many cultures used butterflies as the symbol of regeneration, transformation and flight. They believed that the butterflies carried the souls of the dead to heaven. Some believed that the butterflies were the souls themselves returning to earth.

The ancient Roman emperor, Augustus, adopted the butterfly design as his personal symbol. Some ancient warrior priests of Mexico also wore the butterfly symbol on their breast plates which also symbolized fire. Early Japanese culture (even before the golden period) used butterflies as symbols for their warlords and Samurai. So you see, the butterfly design is not exclusive to women!

In the Japanese culture, the image of a butterfly spreading its brand new wings – after its long wait in the cocoon – is a famously symbolic of young girls. It represented the surfacing of beauty and grace which regarded change as blissful and not distressing. Similarly the Native Americans used the butterfly as symbolic of guidance during change. The Chinese viewed it as a symbol of marital bliss.

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

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.

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.

See also:

Most Popular Free Tattoo Patterns: Butterflies

Symbolism

Butterflies often represent:

• rebirth
• renewal
• perseverance
• rejuvenation
• the soul

Tribal tattoos often represent:

• a person’s identification with a cultural heritage, belief, or practice.
• an allegiance to a specific social group or culture.

Although you may see phrases like Polynesian tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Japanese tattoos, Filipino tattoos, or Maori tattoos, they all fall under the category of Tribal Tattoos. Tribal tattoos tend to be abstract in form and black in color however due to their recent popularity many of them are now applied in different colors.

Tribal butterfly tattoos are some of the most interesting tattoo designs available because of the artistic nature of the design. When viewing a tattoo of this nature your eyes are automatically drawn to the central image of the design, the butterfly. Some of the designs are so abstract that you may not recognize the butterfly at first glance. This makes the tattoo more interesting and by extension, often draws attention to the wearer!

Like many butterfly designs, tribal butterfly tattoos look great in the lower back area. However, unlike regular butterfly tattoes, tribal ones look good on both men and women.

As with all tattoo designs it’s important to follow the guidelines below:

• Start with an image that has clean, clear lines.
• Make sure the image has smooth curves.
• The curves should not be too close to one another otherwise the tattoo artist may have trouble applying the design to your body.
• Get a Xerox copy of the image in the exact size you want it placed on your body. This is very important because a design that looks great in a large size might not be appropriate as a smaller tattoo because the image may lose too much detail.

UPDATE: Attached below are tattoo flash sheets of tribal butterfly tattoos. Feel free to use them as you see fit:

1. Click on any image to open it inside a blank window.

2. Print.

For photos and more information on Tribal Tattoos see:

Lower Back Tribal Tattoos

Different Types of Free Tattoo Patterns

1. Celtic cultures consider butterflies to represent rebirth and growth. Since butterfly larvae transform within the cocoon and emerge as a beautiful creature people who have gone through tough times and emerged better and stronger may choose these tattoo designs.

2. Butterflies represent the soul.

3. In Chinese culture, two butterflies flying together represent undying love.

4. They can also represent luck and upcoming fortune.

Because most celtic butterfly designs are small they are good candidates for tattoos on the upper arm, ankle, or shoulder. However Celtic butterfly images can also be used in lower back tattoos if they are combined with Celtic designs outside the wings.

Celtic Knot Butterfly Tattoos

Celtic knots are intricate and sometimes asymmetrical designs that usually have no beginning or end. They were originally used by Celtic monks while praying to help them focus. As monks bowed in prayer they would rub their fingers along the knots to maintain their concentration.

Celtic knots were also used to symbolize Christianity. A popular three-pointed Celtic knot represents the Christian Trinity.

There are many ways in which Celtic knot butterflies are formed:

• Take a Celtic knot design and shape it to resemble the image of a butterfly.
• Fill just the body of the butterfly with the image of a Celtic knot.
• Fill both the body and the wings with several Celtic knot designs.

Before getting a Celtic butterfly tattoo it’s important to start with a clear image with clean lines. Your tattoo artist will then outline the tattoo onto your skin before filling it in. Celtic butterfly tattoos usually don’t take too long to apply because they are usually comprised of a series of lines with minimal filler.

Here are some examples of Celtic butterfly tattoos:

For more information on butterfly tattoos see:

Butterfly Tattoo Patterns & Symbolism