Skull Tattoos About Our Lives

Skull tattoos do not actually summon up the idea of death as you might think.  Instead skulls can represent many different important things we should not forget as we go about the business of living.  Skull tattoo designs can be found in just about every tattooing style or type from the almost cheerful Jolly Roger type skull and crossbones to the dark gothic type skinned head dripping blood.  It is important to remember the finality of existence as we go about our day to day matters and skulls help us do that while being fascinating to study.

It is only natural we would want to look at a skull naked of human flesh and bone. This is after all one of us and all of us.  We want to know what who we really are under the all the hair and skin.  We see the skull and know it was one of us at one time.  We know this is ultimately how we too will one day appear.  The human skull is remarkably symmetrical.  The bleached bone is white and the eyes so much larger than they were in life are now dark holes set in the ruined grinning face. This face is our true death mask.

What makes it great art and a great tattoo is how we view the skull.  In Christianity the skull is seen as symbol of eternity, human vanity and repentance.  Here is our reminder that we will one day meet our maker.  In the art of medieval Christian painters, we see the skull used to the effect of reminding how time moves on.  There is the ancient symbol of a serpent crawling through the eye sockets of the skull to symbolize knowledge and immortality.  The paintings of saints contained skulls to remind those who viewed the paintings that living a virtuous life was important.

Skulls can symbolize victory over an enemy.  After a battle, skulls might be stacked in piles around the entrance to a city to warn other attackers off.  Heads were left on spikes until their flesh was pecked away by birds as a warning to thieves and murders.  Skulls have been the emblem of the just and the unjust throughout the ages.

Skull tattoo designs can be all these things as well as an attractive tattoo. Skulls can be placed anywhere and be anything from scary to humorous.  A skull with flames can decorate an arm band while a cigarette smoking skull can mock health rules.  A small skull can fit on the ankle or a large skull and crossbones flag can be splayed across a chest.  Skulls also work well as background images or by serving as the background to more complex tattoos.  For instance, the forehead of a skull is roomy enough for a lipstick stained kiss or a drawing of another skull.