Flower tattoos are increasingly common these days. In the West, flower tattoos were traditionally thought of as being for women. Odds are, if you think about flower tattoos there’s a good chance you are imaging them on women. Over time, as appreciation for the meaning of flower tattoos has grown, these tattoos are increasingly common on men as well. Of all of the native tattoo traditions, Japanese flower tattoos are among the oldest and most prominent. Like many things in Japanese culture, flower tattoos are imbued with meaning which is a major contributor to their resurgence in popularity.
Flower Tattoos: Defining Their Meaning
Before we dive into revealing the traditional meaning behind many of these tattoos, we should note that the meaning can vary from culture to culture. A flower tattoo meaning in Japanese tattoo art may be quite different from its meaning in Mexican tattoo art. We’re going to try to cover all of our bases, but we highly recommend doing your own research to make sure that you get the tattoo you want, the meaning you want, and are ok with any possible additional connotations a certain flower may have.
There are almost as many meanings and symbols represented by flowers as there are flowers in the world. For you non-horticulturists out there, that’s a whole hell of a lot. We couldn’t possibly list all of these meanings here. What we can do instead is give you the meanings behind a number of the most commonly used flowers in tattoo art. We hope this will give you some insight into creating your own tattoo ideas or designs and that you’ll be able to make an informed decision about which flowers you decide to have tattooed on you and their meaning.
Symbolic Meanings
Scientifically speaking, flowers are the reproductive organs of the plants. Because of this, it is known that flower designed tattoos have something to do with unity, growth, birth, togetherness, and love when it comes to meaning. The tattoo itself will also affect its overall meaning. In other words, a simple flower tattoo may change its meaning depending on several factors like the following:
-Placement of the tattoo
-The arrangement
-The Color
-The associated number on the flower design
-The flower combinations
They are also common to women, since flowers are typical symbols of femininity. Even so, this does not mean that men can no longer choose flower designs. In case you are among those men out there who want to get tattooed with flowers, make sure that you incorporate some more designs that will lessen the femininity of the design. You can also choose bolder colors, to emphasize masculinity. This goes to show that being careful enough in choosing flower designs for your tattoos is extremely important. Moreover, you can take into account your own personality and characteristics.
Significance
Flowers, in general, stand for love, togetherness, birth, growth and unity as these make the main reproductive organ of a plant. Every flower relates to a different symbolic meaning and also the arrangement, number and combination of these flowers have an impact on this meaning. The symbolic language of flowers is rooted in the Victorian Era, when symbolic meanings were associated with different kinds of flowers, which have been carried forwards into flower designs. Additionally, the symbolic meanings of flowers used in tattoo designs change as we talk about different cultures. When one picks up a flower design, one needs to know about its deeper meaning so that they can choose the right kind of tattoo to match their personality and attitude.
Here are some of the most common flowers used in tattoo art, along with their symbolic meanings:
Rose Tattoos:
The rose tattoo is a popular flower tattoo. While it is less common in Eastern tattoo art, the rose tattoo is a staple of traditional American tattoo culture. The rose tattoo is generally regarded as meaning love, or beauty, due to these same qualities being associated with the flower itself. But the rose tattoo has much deeper meaning and a very long history in tattoo art.
The rose tattoo is also believed to mean balance, symbolize an undying love, hope, and new beginnings. Adding the stem with thorns can provide additional, contrasting meaning such as defense, loss, and thoughtlessness.
Peony Tattoos:
The peony flower tattoo is a common staple of the Japanese style of tattooing. In Japan, they are referred to as the “King of Flowers”. This flower tattoo symbolizes elegance and wealth. Though often colored red, the peony tattoo can be a wide range of colors.
Orchid Tattoos:
The orchid holds a broad range of meaning in numerous cultures. To the Japanese, the orchid was said to represent bravery to warriors. It’s associated with power and strength in ancient Aztec culture. In China, the meaning of the orchid flower is tied to prosperity, fertility, and refinement.
The best part of orchid flower tattoos is the sheer number of options. There are over 25,000 kinds of orchid flowers, which means that your odds of finding one that suits your purpose may be easier (or harder) than you might expect. Keep in mind that the meaning of an orchid flower tattoo can be tied to the type of orchid you choose and the part of the world in which that orchid naturally grows because the meaning is usually defined by the culture that lives closest to the flower.
Hibiscus Flower:
Another popular choice among flowers used for floral tattoo designs is the hibiscus, which again relates with diverse symbolic meanings in different cultures of the world. The Japanese culture recognizes this flower as the gentlest of them all, while the Hawaiian culture relates it with power and royalty, which is the reason that this flower was used to adorn the kings and the queens of the island. The meaning of the hibiscus flower, this changes according to the culture in which it is being used. This tattoo is usually done in a vibrant yellow or red color and is a popular choice among both, men and women.
Lily Tattoos
The lily is a popular flower worldwide and appears in many cultures for many purposes. For this reason, it has some of the most varied meaning of any flower tattoo.
The meaning of lilies is traced back to ancient Greece and the Madonna lily, a white lily native to the area. They believed it sprang from the milk of Hera, Queen of the Gods. For that reason the lily in Greece was understood to represent the Divine Feminine. It also commonly means virtue, perfection, and purity. Compassion, understanding, and mourning are also associated with lily flowers.
A lily flower tattoo can be completely open to interpretation, or, if you choose, other design elements can help assign the flower to a culture to direct the meaning of the lily flower tattoo to something you specific wish to symbolize.
Poppy Flower Tattoos:
Poppies are another flower that grow in all different parts of the world. Despite this, and unlike other flowers with broad geographic origins, the poppy flower does not have a widely varied meaning. Its meaning is surprisingly limited.
In the Greek and Roman tradition, the poppy flower is associated with death in the form of eternal sleep. Sleep is a universal meaning for the poppy flower, but it can also mean peace. Both meanings make subtle reference to death. Another, more modern meaning assigned to the poppy is remembrance for those who have died in war. This meaning comes from the poem by John McCrae “In Flanders’ Fields”, a WWII era poem about the war and those lost to it.
Dogwood Flower Tattoo:
The meaning of the dogwood flower varies from culture to culture. A commonly accepted meaning of dogwood flower tattoos is “love undiminished by adversity”, meaning the wearer’s love can withstand anything. Dogwood flowers are often confused with cherry blossoms in tattoo art due to their striking resemblance to one another.
Another traditionally accepted meaning of the dogwood flower is pity or empathy. This stems from Christian folklore. The story goes that the dogwood once was a large tree like an oak tree and as such, it was the tree chosen to make the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The dogwood didn’t want this to happen and felt great pity for Jesus. As a reward, God made the dogwood grow small so that it couldn’t be used for such a cruel act ever again. The dogwood can also symbolize rebirth, or rejuvenation, as it blooms in the spring.
In addition to the flowers mentioned above, several other flowers have been used in traditional and modern flower tattoo designs. The beautiful and delicate flower sweet pea stands for pleasure. Similarly, violets represent modesty and irises reflect passion. A popular notion about forget me nots aka (Scorpion grasses), is that the wearer is never forgotten by his loved ones. Pansies too stand for remembrance, but of those who are not physically present but have rather left us for their heavenly abode. Camellia is a flower of passion and perfection, and when included in a flower design, this one reflects one’s longing for his beloved.
So before you tattoo any kind of flower just search for the meaning behind it so it can give your design a deeper meaning and THINK BEFORE YOU INK!!!
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