Snake Tattoos
Snake Tattoos: Friend and Foe
Snakes have been a large part of legend from even
before the written word and figure in many tales including the
legendary story of Adam and Eve. While in the legendary
Christian tale, the snake was a source for sin and evil he’s
just as often a source of good will in other cultures. The
snake is a being of duality; their traits find them as both,
agents of the underworld as well as agents of fertility or
life. They also represent wisdom and strength.
Oroborus Snake Tattoo
The oroborus is the familiar image of a snake
devouring its own tail. An ancient Egyptian symbol that
represents life’s cycle, eternity and rebirth, this snake
tattoo is usually worn in deference to this cycle and nature
itself. Those who wear the Oroborus, acknowledge the change and
pull of life.
Caduceus SnakeTattoo
Depicted as two snakes twined around a staff and a
pair of wings attached to the staff, the caduceus snake tattoo
is most often associated with medicine both in the military and
in commercial medical companies. Today it stands for healing
and transformation but once it stood for the power to harm as
much as the power to heal.
Rattlesnake
The rattler represents the male aspect of creation
because of its phallic shape. It also represents transformation
and death because its venom takes those it bites to the edge
between worlds (the time between life and death) and either
pushes them over into the underworld or brings them back,
forever changed by the attack. Those who wear the
rattlesnake are often attempting to embody its strength,
courage and virility but may also be marking a major event in
their lives which proved their strength in some way that might
have crushed others.
Don’t Tread on Me
These tattoos are currently being used to
represent the views of American “tea parties” fundamentalists
who are protesting against the government on the pretense that
it no longer represents their views. The tattoo features the
figure of a coiled rattlesnake ready to attack based on the
revolutionary war era emblem of the same type.
Cobra
This snake is one of the most revered in many
cultures. It’s the King cobra who is believed to have given man
his divine spark and represents wisdom, fire, magic and the
power of transformation. Like all snakes, the cobra is also
associated with rebirth and eternal life. When the snake is
shedding its skin it is a symbol of reincarnation. These
elements in tattoo form can represent change, a new beginning,
power and the unknown.
Snake Zodiac
Those born in the years 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965,
1977, 1989, or 2001 all fall under this animal of the Chinese
zodiac. Snakes are believed to be wise, romantic, charming,
perceptive, and penny pinchers.
A snake tattoo can convey many things for many people. For good
or bad, the snake is a creature both good and evil just as the
human being ultimately is. The way you choose to represent the
snake is as much about your own impression of self as it about
the myths and legends about this unique creature. Selecting the
right tattoo should take careful consideration in addition to
careful research into what the snake stands for and how it
relates to you.