Dragon Tattoo

Meaning of Dragon Tattoo

Posted in Dragon Tattoo on June 16th, 2010 by Forrest – Be the first to comment

Dragons were perceived as powerful, protective, fearsome, and they were valued for their warlike appearance. They were often treated as protectors of treasure, and from this they can be symbolic of a most valiant defender.  Due to these facts, dragons are the most popular mythological creatures and commonly used as realm of criminals and the mafia.

Dragon tattoo designs are usually categorized into Eastern, Western, Chinese, and Japanese dragon tattoo designs. Each and every of them brings different and unique meaning in their own terms.

Eastern Dragon Tattoos

Eastern dragons symbolized luck, positive energy and friendly. They are characterized by beards with two backward horns, whiskers, long slender body and four short legs with sharp claws. Generally, eastern dragon tattoos are colored in red or green.

eastern dragon tattoo
Western Dragon Tattoos

Unlike the eastern dragons, western dragons have cruel, wicked, and malicious characteristic. They are imagined as fire-breathing dragons, which bring damages to the villages, abduct women and children. Western dragons are characterized by four strong legs, a wedged shaped head, pointed teeth and large wings, which gives them the ability to fly high and travel fast.

western dragon tattoo
Chinese Dragon Tattoos

Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and have special powers to control over water, rainfall, and floods. In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is yang (male) and compliments a Chinese phoenix as yin (female). Historically, the dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China, while nowadays many Chinese people often use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” as a sign of ethnic identity.

The Horned Dragon is considered to be the mightiest. The Celestial Dragon supports the heavens and protects the Gods. The Earth Dragon rules all of the earth. The Spiritual Dragon controls the wind and rain. The Treasure Dragon is the keeper of precious metals and gems. The Winged Dragon is the only dragon with wings. The Coiling Dragon dwells in the ocean. The Yellow Dragon is a hornless dragon known for its scholarly knowledge.

Chinese dragon tattoo
Japanese Dragon Tattoos

Japanese dragons are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon. It symbolized of freedom, power and kindness. The Japanese dragons are characterized by serpent-like bodies, small legs, three toes, four claws and wingless.

japanese dragon tattoo

In general men tend to get dragon tattoos to represent Courage, Strength, Protector, Raw Power and Force. Some see themselves as guardian over love ones, therefore dragon tattoo fits perfectly for the choice of selection. Meanwhile woman get dragon tattoos to represent Creator, Protector of Life, and Strength. Due to woman give birth to new life, and have the instinct of protecting the child under any circumstances.