If you want to have a tattoo that have various meanings or interpretations, go for skull tattoos. The skull is a universal symbol that has been used for religious, tribal and other cultures since it can represent death or even new life depending on how it is used or drawn.
In the past, skull tattoos are amongst favorite of bikers, gangsters or other trouble makers of society. Nowadays, the skull design is more accepted since the design and it’s symbolic meaning have changed throughout the years.
Skull and Cross Bones
This is probably one of the oldest and well known design for skull tattoos. In medicine, the skull and cross bone universally signifies poison. In the past, pirates proudly display their skull and cross bone flag to inflict fear to other ships, petrifying the crew, making it easy for the pirates to board and loot.
Today, this tattoo design is very popular among men because of its masculinity. The skull also signifies death, a very good reminder that death can happen to anyone at anytime.
Sugar Skulls
In Mexico, sugar skulls are mask or drawn on temporary altars used during on “Dia de los Muertos” or All Saints day and All Soles Day. The skull design are usually whimsical and brightly colored.
As a tattoo, the sugar skull design is used to commemorate a loved one who passed away.
Grim Reaper
We all know the fear inflicting image of the grim reaper. Well we should be afraid because the grim reaper, a hooded skeleton holding a sickle is a personification of death. So why would someone get a grim reaper tattoo? Well because a grim reaper tattoo looks really cool, it’s the best tattoo to inflict fear to scare away your enemies. It also represent that death is true and it can happen at any moment.
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