While the butterfly is still a bit more popular than the dragonfly tattoo, the dragonfly is quickly shooting up the ranks. As you’ll see, they do share some tattoo meanings, but there are some dragonfly tattoo meanings that set it apart from the butterfly. On this page we will take a look at reasons why the dragonfly has become so popular in recent years and some of the most used dragonfly tattoo meanings.
Dragonflies are a type of insect with ancestry that dates back hundreds of millions of years, originating before the age of the dinosaurs. Their presence on Earth is ancient, leading to a significant presence of dragonfly symbolism within human cultures all over the globe. And that makes the dragonfly tattoo that much more special to owners of one of their many designs since it is an old species with meanings that mean as much today as they did centuries ago. Even if you only use one specific dragonfly tattoo meaning, you can be sure that others out there now and many generations ago understood why you chose to use that meaning.
Dragonflies are an ubiquitous sign for contentment and peacefulness as their brightly colored wings and bodies are commonly a welcome sight. This is especially true during hot summer days that bring hordes of annoying mosquitos which serve as a food source for dragonflies that are more than happy to gulp down the pesky insects. For those same reasons, dragonflies are both literally and figuratively a symbol of peace. If you were looking for a great tattoo design that you can look to every time you want more peace in your life or to remind you to not take things so seriously, the dragonfly tattoo might just be the perfect tat for you.
Harking back to ancient Chinese beliefs, the dragonfly is a symbol for good luck and is believed to bring good fortune to whomever it chooses to land upon. Tattooing the image of a dragonfly is therefore an eternal, permanent icon signifying the coming of peaceful days. These designs are often placed on the shoulders and some people like to add in a shadow to make it look like a realistic dragonfly is permanently perched on them. What’s great about this dragonfly tattoo meaning is that no meaning is lost regardless of how you get the dragonfly designed, but you can certainly add in more meaning depending on the colors you use and other images surrounding your dragonfly.
Additionally, the dragonfly is believed to hold restorative properties and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. This dragonfly tattoo meaning is great for those who made some bad decisions in their lives but want to return to their glory days. The image of the dragonfly can be used to motivate people who do not want to repeat past mistakes. As with most of the other dragonfly tattoo meanings on this page, it really doesn’t matter how you design this tattoo since the dragonfly itself holds the meaning.
Along with this, dragonflies’ spring and summer hatching cycle represents renewal, the idea of change, blooming of spring and inevitably, dragonflies. The aura of summer is enhanced by their vibrant hues of sometimes metallic blues, yellows, greens and reds. This makes for an eye-catching tattoo especially considering the gorgeous texture of the insect. This “renewal” meaning is exactly what people are looking for when they are ready to make big changes in their lives. They can look at their dragonfly tattoo to remind themselves to keep working towards becoming better people and to strive for great things.
The majority of the thousands of species of dragonflies out there fulfill their life cycles close to bodies of water and are an appropriate symbol for those who feel a connection to lakes, rivers, sea or ocean. Most people think of anchors and fish when they are trying to come up with a way to symbolize their love for the water, so that makes this dragonfly tattoo meaning quite unique. Most people won’t recognize the meaning, so if you want it to be obvious you could easily add in other images that show off your love for those different bodies of water. Even having a dragonfly flying over some water could make the meaning hit home a bit better.
With a complete full range of motion, dragonflies soar effortlessly above the water in order to hunt but also hover and dance in order to attract mates. Those are two very different and very distinct meanings, but there are definitely people out there who can use both, making this the perfect dual dragonfly tattoo meaning. These are meanings meant for people who take pride in being self-sufficient and aren’t afraid to show that they have a strong sexual side to them. Of course, you could use just one of those two meanings with the exact same dragonfly designs.
Their ability to fly always portrays freedom as well as an easy spirit soaring through the sky. This is yet another excellent dragonfly tattoo meaning since it is both specific and very motivational. If you are a free spirit, then the dragonfly might just be the perfect way to express that to everyone who sees your tattoo. If you take pride in being able to move from place to place and still fit into crowds, that is yet another reason to get a dragonfly tattoo.
Dragonflies are incredibly precise and agile in their flying ability which appears as a natural and easy grace. There are a lot of great tattoo designs that you can get to represent your gracefulness, but the dragonfly might be a great choice simply because most people don’t think of it when they are choosing between different design ideas. Plus, you can put a little more detail into the dragonfly to show off that excellent texture on its wings, which you can’t do with so many other “grace” tattoos.
The dragonfly projects tranquility and a comfort within nature, a desire to be carefree and liberated. This is a desire that plenty of us have, so people looking to get a tattoo design that can be a regular reminder to loosen up a bit more might just love this dragonfly tattoo meaning. The fact is that even if this is the primary tattoo meaning that you want to use, it might just have that effect on you anyways since the dragonfly is such a beautiful insect.
After you’ve come up with at least one great dragonfly tattoo meaning to use, then it comes time to design one that makes the meaning(s) come to life on your skin. Sure, you could just take a standard dragonfly image from a book and tweak it a bit, but it’s usually better to make it your own. Think about the meaning that you’re planning on using and try to come up with a way to make that meaning obvious to outside observers. This would be a great time to sit down with an artist since they are used to attaching meanings to images.
Once you know what your design will be, then you’ll want to come up with the perfect place to put it on your body. Dragonfly tattoos look great just about anywhere, but you’ll need to make this decision based on the size of the design and whether or not you want it to be a private tattoo. If you are getting a smaller dragonfly tattoo and you want to share it with the world, then you could easily find a way to make it look fantastic on your forearm or wrist. If you want it to be private, it might be better to get it on your back or your leg.
There are a ton of great dragonfly tattoo meanings out there, so even if you only come up with one that works for you now, there’s nothing wrong with attaching new meanings to your dragonfly later on in life. The key thing is to come up with at least one dragonfly tattoo meaning that makes you happy and then get a design that enhances that meaning.