Meanings Of Heart Tattoos – The Heart Tattoo

Heart tattoos can have several different meanings.  One of the most common meanings associated with the heart, is love.  Friendship and devotion are also commonly associated with the heart.

The heart was believed in the past to be the location of the soul.  It also has different meanings to different religions.  The Christian faith sees the heart as the center of emotion.  The Islamic faith believes the heart to be the spiritual center.

Heart tattoos are common among both men and women, and is one of the most commonly requested tattoos.  They can be incorporated into larger pieces, or simple single heart designs.  Hearts also look great in arm bands.  Some people choose to have the heart accompanied by cupid, daggers, and ribbons.  The design possibilities are endless.

Some of the most commonly requested colors for heart tattoos include; red and purple.  Red is a symbol of love and romance, while purple is a symbol of passion.

Some of the most common heart tattoos include:

The Sacred Heart

The sacred heart is often used as a religious symbol.  These tattoos are usually depicted as hearts surrounded by thorns, blood, and fire.  It symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus made, and his love for all mankind.

The Winged Heart

Winged heart tattoos are also a common request.  These are sometimes associated with a free spirit.

The Ribbon Heart

Heart tattoos with a ribbon displaying the name of a loved one are also very common.  Some common choices for the name on the ribbon include; a spouse, mom, the name of children, and even the name of a loved pet.  These tattoos are seen as a tribute to the one whose name is displayed in the tattoo.

The Broken Heart

The broken heart tattoo is often used to symbolize the loss of a love or loved one.

The Celtic Heart

The Celtic heart tattoo is a beautiful design usually done in black ink that consists of Celtic knot work.  It is also referred to as the love knot tattoo.

The Pierced Heart

The pierced heart is usually depicted as a heart being pierced with arrows.  Cupid often comes to mind, and these tattoos also symbolize love.

Heart tattoos are as popular today as ever, and with the variation of designs and sizes available the heart tattoo is a perfect choice for someone’s first tattoo.  They can be applied almost everywhere on the body.

Broken Heart Tattoo Designs Can Start The Healing

How can you mend a broken heart?  Looking through a few broken heart tattoo designs to commemorate the events that started it all might be a good solution.  The first step to moving on might be getting the broken heart on your chest over your heart or on your arm as one way of telling yourself and the world that yes, it is finally over.  This tattoo is popular and common, but subtle changes or personal touches can make it your own.  Getting a broken heart tattoo puts you in company with many people who loved and lost long ago and those who are still looking for love today.

The broken heart is a fairly common metaphor for the agonizing pain you feel when you break up, lose a loved one or go through one of life’s difficult changes.  Rejection hurts. Love can sting, and death can be cruel. Any one of these events can make you feel that your heart is literally being cut or broken in half.   Having a broken heart is even documented in the bible.  Psalm 69:20 says “Insults have broken my heart and left me weak.”

It might not seem real to others who are not going through it, but having a broken heart is very real and can be extremely painful. People can actually die after suffering great loss.  It is called broken heart syndrome and is most common after the death of a spouse after a long marriage. After living through the pain, getting a tattoo to memorialize the pain seems an obvious choice.

If you want to go for a broken heart tattoo design with a humorous vein, you might try a variation of the heart with wearing a Band-Aid or being propped up by crutches.  You can also go for the infected looking heart that looks as if it has gangrene or is having a hole blasted through it.  There are many funny cartoonish ideas that would work for the broken heart including representations of shooting, stabbing or clubbing the poor thing.

Simple designs include the shape of a heart with a wavy line running part way through it to indicate a break.  This can stand alone or as part of a larger motif.  You can also put the start and end days of the relations in lettering or in a banner underneath to mock a commemorative or ‘in memorial’ tattoo.

A real commemorative or memorial tattoo will of course look much more serious.  You would be looking for thick, bold lines and heavy reds for the heart.  The break can be a rip or tear either at the top pulling away a segment of the heart or a break running down the middle.  In the case of a genuine memorial tattoo for a loved one, their picture or name could be added to a stylized banner under the heart.

The heart is, without a doubt, the most well known symbol in the world.  As such, it is not surprising at all that heart tattoo designs are so sought after.  Sometimes it can be drawn as being broken.  Some designs even feature half a heart.  If you are thinking about getting a heart tattoo, you need to realize that feelings change with time.  What you feel today about an individual will probably change with time, for better or for worse.  Either way, you should think long and hard before getting a heart tattoo.

Of course, hearts can symbolize other things than love or unrequited love.  They can also represent joy, happiness, fulfillment and even a love of life!  Some people choose heart tattoo designs because they have a love for life and want to display it proudly.  There are countless choices where hearts are concerned, so you should get a design that will give you something to think about whenever you look at it.

Hearts do not necessarily have to be red, either.  While men usually go with a red heart tattoo, many women choose pink.  These are the two most popular colors, although a heart can be any color, or even a mixture of colors.  It can also just be an outline, with the skin still bare on the inside.  Very seldom do heart tattoo designs consist only of a heart.  There is almost always another symbol or two accompanying it.

For instance, a heart and a rose together represent romantic love, while a heart with a knife going through it can symbolize unfaithfulness.  If there is a certain animal, creature or symbol that you feel a connection with, you can combine it with your heart tattoo.  If you love dolphins, then choose a design with a cute dolphin jumping through a heart.  If you love butterflies, then get a butterfly and heart tattoo.

If you want something more masculine, you will have plenty to choose from as well.  You can choose to get a heart surrounded by flames, a heart outlining a skull, heart shaped American flag, a black heart and so forth.  Despite it being a symbol for love, the heart icon can also represent life or death.  In some cases, it can also represent charity and goodwill, and some religions associate gold hearts with God.

The heart can be associated with so many things, so make sure you get one that has meaning to you.  Some people choose to get a heart tattoo as a memorial to a lost loved one.   Heart tattoo designs can obviously help people get through rough times, and to get one in honor of someone important to you who passed away is the ultimate representation of love.

Look online for images and heart tattoo designs.  There are thousands to sort through, so you should visit a gallery that will allow you to narrow down your search.  If you already have an idea about what you want, you should not have any problems with narrowing down your choices.