Dagger tattoo designs are recurring themes that encompass many genres and culture imagery.  A knife or dagger can be tattooed as a singular object or incorporated in with other tattoo design.  Every culture throughout history has used daggers in its art.  They can symbolize death, rebirth, strength and power.  In some ancient cultures, such as the Aztecs, daggers represented the power of the Gods, and were used in sacrifices.

Dagger tattoo designs are not for everybody, as some people associate them with violence and negativity.  But that does not take away from their popularity.  They can represent the positive as well.  For instance, dagger tattoo designs are popular with soldiers.  While commonly not thought to be as sophisticated or noble as swords, daggers are still held in high regard nonetheless.

Daggers and knives also represent an assassin.  This is because they can be used to kill swiftly and silently.  They are not loud as guns, and unlike swords, can be thrown quite a distance.  Some people think of ninjas when they think of daggers and assassinations—silent, yet deadly.  When used as a close range weapon, daggers and knives can be savage and ferocious.

Keep in mind that dagger tattoo designs represent far more than violence.  They can also symbolize survival.  Without the blade, human beings would have never been able to hunt, skin or fashion shelter.  Indeed, knives have always been used as tools and cooking utensils.  They make up an important part of our history, and represent our survival and evolution over the ages.  Daggers that were used in ceremonial practices were usually beautifully crafted, and featured jewels and beads.  Today, many people still use this type of dagger, called an athame, for spiritual purposes.

As far as dagger tattoo designs go, their symbolism is expressed in the way they are drawn.  For instance, a dagger or knife design with dripping blood symbolizes a willingness to take action, and maybe even aggressiveness.  This image is intended to strike fear into the hearts of enemies.  A person with this tattoo is someone who does not like to be taken lightly.

A dagger going through a head was common for soldiers during World War II after the Pearl Harbor attack.  These days, those tattoos are considered to be racist, so if you want to get a dagger through a head tattoo design, make sure you do so in a modern context.

Dagger tattoo designs that feature a blade going through a skull symbolize death.  In some cultures, it is believed that having this tattoo will protect one from harm and death.  In some prisons, however, such a tattoo can represent a prisoner who has committed murder.

One of the most popular dagger tattoo designs feature hearts.  This can symbolize betrayal in love or a broken heart.  Sometimes people get this type of tattoo as a way to show cynicism toward romance.

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.

For many people, the image of a skull makes them think of death.  Perhaps it’s the skull and crossbones that for so many have been used as a warning on bottles containing life-threatening poison.  Or perhaps it’s the images for Halloween or the Day of Dead celebrations carried out the next day in which pictures, drawings and sometimes even real skulls are displayed.  In many cultures, the grinning visage of a skull is used either to frighten or to remind the living of the inevitability of death.  The skull tattoo can be seen in the Kabalistic tree of life, and to show her in an angry state, the Hindu god Kali is pictured with human skulls.  That’s not to say everyone wanting a skull tattoo has death on the mind. Some religions see the skull as being related to knowledge and immortality. A skull tattoo can be a good reminder to celebrate life every day you have the opportunity.  Skulls are also linked with the idea of rebellion and rebirth, and some gamblers think of skulls as lucky.

While not so long ago only bikers thought of the tough-looking skull tattoo as something they’d want on their body for life, as the popularity of tattoos has surged so has the number of people getting this tattoo. Anyone from any walk of life can be seen sporting a grinning head nude of flesh as they play guitar or quietly complete a day’s office work.  The skull tattoo isn’t as popular with women as it is with men, but a younger generation may change that bias.

The skull tattoo works well as part of a larger tattoo, with a complex background, or as part of a background.  Because of the symbolism attached to it along with its natural dramatic appearance, the eyes of anyone seeing such a tattoo are automatically drawn to the skull.  Depending on the artist’s skill, the skull can be made to look menacing or merry, frightening or flirtatious, and even scary or sexy.  A very good artist can give something like a skull tattoo many different meanings that you only notice after viewing the art several times.

Skull tattoos can look great rendered very small on a wrist, ankle, inside the arm or even at the nape of the neck.  Larger versions can look amazing on the chest, back, bicep, thigh, lower arm or stomach.  Placement might depend only on your preference, but you also need to consider that if you want an extra background or if anything is to be drawn with the skull such as a snake, moon, crossbones or flag, you’ll need a placement with lots of room for all the detail.  When you visit the tattoo shop, remember to look at other similar art first to see if the artist can accomplish what you want.