Butterfly tattoos meanings:

  • The everlasting life, stemming from it's various stages of life: Birth (the caterpillar), Death (the chrysalis), and finally, Resurrection (the butterfly)
  • Transformation, regeneration, change or flight - The metamorphosis of a butterfly from an egg, to a caterpillar, to pupa and then to a beautiful adult butterfly can be symbolic for someone that has had a drastic change in their lives. Having a tattoo of a butterfly symbolizes a new life, a new beginning after having gone through some rough times.
  • Spiritual Evolution - In stage one the caterpillar spends its time totally engrossed in eating, this stage is compared to our physical stage of life where, like the butterfly, we eat and keep moving. In stage two the cocoon represents the cloth people were wrapped in after death, and the final stage is the emergence of the butterfly, the butterfly represents the resurrection into a new state of life, free of any material worry.
  • Freedom - Since butterflies are aerial beings and love to fly, it can also be a sign of being free.
  • In some cultures it means good luck when a butterfly lands on you. An Irish blessing goes: "May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun, and find your shoulder to light on To bring you luck, happiness and riches today, tomorrow and beyond."
  • Marital bliss and harmony - In China it is believed that they will bring happiness to married couples
  • Joy and happiness - Asians keep many pictures and paintings of butterflies to have a happy home
  • Delicate beauty: a butterfly is small and very delicate, but also very colorful and full of beautiful details. On the other hand, it is not so delicate like most people think: contrary to the widespread belief, you can't kill a butterfly by touching its wings.
  • For some people a butterfly means peace
  • Beauty and grace - In Japan they are a popular symbol for young girls who are emerging into beautiful young women
  • A human soul - In Christianity a butterfly stands for the soul that has escaped the confines of the flesh while in Greece a human soul is born each time a butterfly emerges from its cocoon
  • Sleep and dreams
  • In some cultures the butterfly is the symbol of the female fertility and is thought to be the bringer of children

Related posts:
Butterfly tattoo: location, size, design and colors
Butterfly tattoo

Butterfly tattoo: location, size, design and colors

Butterfly tattoo: colours

While getting a butterfly tattooed you can use a wide array of colours with no restrictions, as a butterfly is associated with colours and life. The individual can pick the color combination of their own choice as it will add to the uniqueness of your personality and creativity. One thing to be kept in mind is that you should not use clashing colors. Follow a definite line of choosing a base color first and then the other colors you want to incorporate. You can also take help of the professional tattoo artist to help in choosing colors which compliment each other. Some butterflies look better in black because it accentuates the area in which it is placed, especially if it's on the lower back or the stomach.

buterfly tattoo design / floral tattoo design
Butterfly tattoo-design. If you like this image and want to see it in a larger format (600x500 px) you can find it on my website, seiza.ro

Butterfly tattoo: tips about design

Different methods are involved to make the butterfly tattoo more intricate and beautiful. The main focus is laid on the designing of its wings with intricate patterns that makes each butterfly unique and special. The patterns are changed keeping in mind the personality of the individual and they may also include different signs, words, symbols, flowers, hearts, scripts, letters, crosses - or everything else.

Butterfly tattoo: tips about size and locations on the body

The butterfly is one of the most beautiful metaphors that can be symbolised as a tattoo on the human body. Many individuals like to have colourful butterflies applied to many differing parts of their body. The basic quality of a butterfly tattoo is that even if you place it at any part of the body it always appears to be delicate and attractive. These tattoos also vary in sizes depending upon the body part you want to get it tattooed, like an ankle butterfly tattoo is smaller while the back butterfly is bigger in size. Most of the professional tattoo Artists have the know-how on this one and you have to ask them the best body part on where to put your very own butterfly tattoo if you are not sure about its placement. Lower back butterfly tattoos are usually larger, more stylised butterfly images that stretch across the lower back, one of the most popular places to get a tattoo nowadays (but also known as a tramp stamp). Actually, butterfly tattoos lend themselves very well to this location. The butterfly image is very symmetrical, so the middle can easily be lined up with the spine, the wings extending on either side. This makes the butterfly wings longer and more stretched out than they would be in nature, but the image can be very attractive.

bracelet tattoo design / butterfly tattoo design
Butterfly tattoo-design. If you like this image and want to see it in a larger format (600x500 px) you can find it on my website, seiza.ro


Related posts:
Butterfly tattoo

Butterfly tattoo

Butterfly tattoos

The butterfly has always been admired for their beauty, as one of the most magnificent creations on Earth. A wide variety of butterfly tattoo designs are available at the professional tattoo parlor which can be altered according to your desire and need. The main reason is the human/butterfly connection that has existed for centuries and recanted in the mythologies of many ancient civilisations. It's a widely held belief that butterflies are the physical symbols of the human soul and just as the night butterfly is attracted by flame, the human soul is attracted by heavenly truths. For many peoples the short life of the butterfly is symbolic of the different stages of life that a human being goes through. It also symbolises the change to a heavenly body from an earthly one. There are more than twenty five thousand different types of butterflies in existence so there are plenty of designs to choose from - certainly enough of them to express your own individual style.

lower back tattoo / butterfly tattoo
Butterfly tattoo-design for girls and women. If you like this image and want to see it in a larger format (600x500 px) you can find it on my website, seiza.ro

My tattoo-designs: The japanese word for "human emotions"

My tattoo-designs: the japanese word for "human emotions" (喜怒哀楽, hiragana: きどあいらく, reading: kidoairaku).






The original tattoo-design. For more Kanji-tattoo-designs visit my website, seiza.ro.


Kanji meanings (from left to right): 1. 喜 Joy, delight. 2. 怒 Angry. 3. 哀 Sorrow, grief. 4. 楽 Good mood, comfort, pleasure. taken together, these four kanji mean "human emotions".

If you use any of my tattoo-designs as a model / inspiration / starting-point for a tattoo you might consider sending me some photos of the tattoo once it's complete. Thank you in advance.

Grim Reaper Tattoos – Good, evil or neutral?

Grim Reaper Tattoos – Good, Bad or Neutral?

Some people think that Death is saddened by human suffering and reaps the souls of those dying in order to relieve their pain. In this case, an Angel of Death rather than the diabolical Grim Reaper will be the main character of the tattoo. Anyway, this is not a widespread conception and consequently there are only few tattoo-designs on this theme. In these tattoos the Angel of Death is portrayed with an earnest or saddened facial expression.

Other people think that Death is only a psychopomp. Psychopomps - from the Greek word "psuchopompos", literally meaning the "guide of souls" - are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to provide a safe passage. Because Death has no feelings and simply does his job as he has been eternally damned to do, his face appears expressionless or neutral in tone.

However, the most popular grim reaper tattoos are those of evil nature. These tattoos feature Death taking souls for pleasure as he reveals an evil smile, laughs or gloriously stands over his trophies (human skulls and bones).

Related posts:
Various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo: skulls and skeletons (1)
Skulls and skeletons tattoos (2)
Death tattoo - various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo
Death tattoos: the main depictions of the Grim Reaper
Death Tattoos / Grim Reaper Tattoos: themes and meanings
Death tattoo - various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo - animals
Grim Reaper tattoos - coloured or black and white?

Grim Reaper tattoos - coloured or black and white?

Many grim reaper tattoos are created using only black ink and intricate shading to make various shades of grey; however, monotone tattoos are not for everyone. On the other hand, if you decide for a coloured tattoo, you should inform yourself about tattoo colours and tattoo inks, because there is no such thing as "universally-good-tattoo-colours"; in fact, when you decide for a certain colour for your tattoo, in the first place you have to consider your skin tone. Besides that, remember that some tattoo colours are difficult to maintain and they have the tendency to fade faster than others (in this post you might find out some useful information about this subject). Anyway, if you like coloured tattoos and you really want to incorporate some vibrant colours into your Grim Reaper tattoo, here are some suggestions that might help you:

  • Blue and cyan are probably the most common colours used in the Grim Reaper tattoos, excepting, of course, black and grey. You can use blue and cyan to fill with color the schyte's / sword's blade, the night sky, the clouds and the moon, the mist (if the Grim Reaper appears surrounded by mist) and even the Death's robe.
  • Brown: one could hardly find another colour that suits a Death tattoo. Because brown is the colour of the wood, there are lots of elements which can be filled with this colour: crosses, coffins, dead trees, old books and papyri, etc. Anyway, a brown tattoo isn't appropriate for any type of skin, so you'd better ask the tattooer before choose the brown colour for your tattoo.
  • Red: a powerful and violent colour, red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with war and violent death, danger, strength, power, anger, etc. There are many elements which can be coloured in red in a Grim Reaper tattoo: the Death's eyes; the flowers (the red roses, as a symbol of the ephemeral are very common in Death tattoos); the Grim Reaper's robe; the drops of blood dripping down the Death's scythe.
  • Green (especially the so-called "poison green" or the pale-green): when Death is depicted as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (as mentioned in the Christian Bible) Death is riding a pale-green horse
  • Purple: This color is commonly associated with royalty. Death is sometimes portrayed as the King of the Underworld, so you can use this color for the Death's robe.
  • Silver: the blade of the Death's scythe (or the blade of the sword, if the Death is depicted as the Angel of Death).
  • Yellow and orange: these two colours are not so popular in the Death tattoos. Anyway, there are some elements which can be filled with orange and yellow: thunders, flames (the Flames of Hell); sometimes Death is riding a fire-horse; the fire in the Reaper’s eyes; the Moon; the light of the Death's lantern.

Related posts:
Various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo: skulls and skeletons (1)
Skulls and skeletons tattoos (2)
Death tattoo - various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo
Death tattoos: the main depictions of the Grim Reaper
Death Tattoos / Grim Reaper Tattoos: themes and meanings
Death tattoo - various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo - animals

Skulls and skeletons tattoos (4)

Click on the links below if you want to read the previous posts:
Various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo: skulls and skeletons (1)
Skulls and skeletons tattoos (2)
Skulls and skeletons tattoos (3)


As it can be seen from the previous posts, a skull / skeleton tattoo could have various meanings: