Great tattoo ideas can be found almost anywhere. In nature, history and even through our literature. But, there is probably no source of tattoo ideas that is more inspirational than native American folklore. It’s here that you’ll find mighty heroes, epic quest and powerful creatures of nature. And it’s the legends of not one people but hundreds of separate communities that offer a rich and diverse selection of mythology for us to use in our tattoo designs. And one of the most exciting tenements of this mythology was their use of animal totems.
Animal totems can be compared to Jung’s archetypes, which work through the subconscious mind. They may be messengers, guides or protectors. One doesn’t choose an animal guide, nor does one take one on the advice of others. Only through the Creator does a spirit guide visit the individual. And these include hundreds of different animals which range from eagles, hawks and owls to coyote, fox and dog totems. So, the next time your trying to reach for that next great tattoo idea then take a closer look at Native American folklore. It’s rich diversity and belief in shaman magic provides a fertile ground for us to find our next great tattoo.
Everybody who gets a tattoo has to face a time when they are trying to come up with tattoo ideas. Some people find them quickly and some take a long time, but they all go about pretty much the same way I think. You look at a lot of artwork and try to figure out what you like the best and what you think would look the best on your own skin. In this image we are looking at several tattoo ideas. They are apparently all tribal in style but varied in their own right.
They start with several versions of dragons, then there are some spiders, some tribal sun tattoos and some tribal body tattoos. Twenty four of them in all. I think when a person really makes up their mind to get a tattoo, that at that precise moment they usually have a very, very good idea of what they are going to get. They may still need to look as tom tattoo ideas on paper until they identify it for sure, but for the most part they already know. Myself and my friends didn’t have to look at anything. We just knew and we went to the tattoo shop and had it done. |
15 Sep 2008
