The meaning of a bird tattoo (specifically a bluebird or a swallow) is that it is an old sailors tatoo. When a sailor had officially sailed 5000 miles on a ship he would traditonally tattoo the bird on his chest. If he hit 10,000 miles he would be able to get another!
Patricia McLeanHamilton, ONCanada
I'm not exactly sure the answer to this, because I've been trying to find out myself. Well there may in fact be more than one meaning or symbolism behind it. One thing I do know is the peacock was used as an early symbol of the resurrection by Christians in history. Each time the peacock sheds his feathers, the new feathers far surpass the old ones in their beauty. From what I know about the Peacock in art it symbolizes eternal life. Peacocks are notoriously protective of their young. When i left my ex husband and the father of my two children I had a tattoo of a peacock feather on my hip. To me it represented how protective I felt over them during a difficult time. It's really pretty too!
A songbird, swallow and/or sparrow pretty much symbolizes the same;
1. in the old days, sailors would get one swallow for every 50.000 miles they had sailed.
2. for a sailor, the tattoo symbolizes finding land. long before people even started tattooing, sailors noticed that when they were out at sea (which they could be for weeks), there would be few birds (naturally, birds do not have anywhere to land out at sea), and a swallow is one of the birds able to fly the longest off shore. so; when they saw a swallow, the knew that they were not far away from land (I'm not sure how far a swallow can fly without landing, sorry), meaning that they could go ashore, feel the firm ground under their feet again, and do what sailors do when they're in port (drink, have sex with prostitutes, gamble, and so on)
a typically male design that crosses over a significant number of tattoo genres, and the influence of the eagle in American tattooing cannot be underestimated. A significant number of military and patriotic service tattoos prominently feature eagles. The eagle is a very ancient symbol, generally regarded as solar. For the Greeks and Persians the eagle was sacred to the Sun; with the Egyptians, under the name of Ah, to Horus, and the Kopts worshipped the eagle under the name of Ahom. It was regarded as the sacred emblem of Zeus by the Greeks, and as that of the highest god by the Druids.
Religion
See the Related Links for "Tattoo Design and Symbols" to the bottom for the answer. Wings as a tattoo design can often have inspirational or spiritual symbolism. Wings, often associated with birds, represent speed, elevation, freedom and aspiration. Wings associated with angels are spiritual, symbolizing enlightenment, guidance and protection - to be taken under the wing - and inspirational. Hope this helps!
In Ireland the wren symbolizes greatness and cunning. It is considered the king of birds, as shown in a fable about the eagle and wren soaring up tosee who could fly the highest and surely be greater. The eagle soars higher and higher all the time saying" I will fly higher than any other before me,higher than my father or any other." once he was as high as he could go he streched his wings to rest a bit and out flys the wren. as he is well rested he begins his flight up higher and higher. The eagle has since tired ,and although he has returned with frost on his wings, it is the wren who flys the highest and returns with snow on his. Cleverness can prove better then strength and braun.
Often, tattoos are put onto people's bodies because of the symbolism they represent. For instance, a tattoo of a wren might represent agility, creativity, or a free spirited nature.
The basic meaning of dagger is death. It also represents ferocity, tenacity and quickness. The eagle represents a vast combination of meanings like strength, wisdom, masculinity, dominance and freedom.
A dagger tattoo symbolizes death.
A black swan tattoo can symbolize man different things. It could symbolize that the owner of it is peaceful and graceful. Swans are mainly known to symbolize grace.
There are an unlimited number of things that a butterfly tattoo on the left shoulder could symbolize. It could symbolize peace for example.
A butterfly koi tattoo can symbolize a great many things. A butterfly koi can symbolize faith, trust, hope, and love.
Purple is a color of royalty. Dragonflies symbolize good luck. A purple dragonfly tattoo is therefore a very good tattoo to have.
A Scales tattoo could symbolize justice, or the person with the ink could believe in astrology and be a Libra.
Moon tattoos often symbolize motion and change. A tattoo of the earth can symbolize many things, however, it best symbolizes life.
A fish bone tattoo symbolizes high status. The fish bone tattoo was popular among Native American tribes to symbolize their ranking.
A tattoo crown symbolizes authority and loyalty
A tattoo crown symbolizes authority and loyalty
Death.