When trying to determine the kind of tattoo you want to get, there are a plethora of options. I couldn’t even begin to get into the options as everything you see or hear on the planet can be transformed into a tattoo that has a great deal of meaning to the person wearing it.
In this post, we are going to be talking about a specific animal that is often recreated in the form of ink on the skin. This is the ram tattoo and the ram is a meaningful symbol for many reasons.
The ram is a strong symbol that looks great anytime, but it looks better as the centerpiece of a section of tattoos. Many might not know but a ram is just a male sheep. When we think about the ram tattoo or the image of the ram slamming their skull into each other, we often think about the male bighorn sheep. These animals are very strong and big and therefore have a lot of symbolism related to power and strength, however, we will get into that soon.
In this post, we plan to talk about the ram and why it is such a popular and cool-looking option when getting a tattoo. Outside of the obvious aesthetics of the ram tattoo, it has a great deal of desirable characteristics and symbolism that most of us would be proud to take on as our own. We will also discuss some of the different variations of the ram tattoo and talk about their meaning. By the end of this post, we hope you are more informed on the subject of the ram.
About the Ram
They are also known as male bighorn sheep. They live in the mountains and often settle their disputes by ramming heads into each other. The ram should not be confused with the mountain goat as rams are recognized by their long fur, long curved horns and split hooves. These fascinating animals are related to cattle, goats, antelopes, buffalo and bison.
Typically, the ram ranges from five to six feet tall and weigh between 260 to 280 pounds. However, the bigger rams can grow to over 300 pounds. One fun fact about the ram is that the Rocky Mountain bighorn have horns so big, that they can weigh more than the rest of the bones in their body combined. The Ewes, or female bighorn sheep weigh around 30 to 40% less than the males.
Bighorn sheep reside in the North American Rocky Mountains. This ranges from Canada, down through the western U.S., all the way to Mexico. Because of their split hooves with rough surfaces, they’re able to balance on boulders. The ram can stand on a ledge that is only 2 inches wide because of this. Not only can they stand on these tiny ledges, they can jump up to 20 feet to climb up the sides of these mountains.
During the mating season you will see what we all know the ram for; smashing their heads together over and over until one of them gives up. They also fight to determine who the leader of the pack will be. During this fight, the ram will rear back charge into each other and sometimes get up to 40 mph. This process of duking it out can take hours.
They are able to do this so much without being injured because they have flexible horns that absorb almost all of the shock from colliding with each other. Secondly, there is a mechanism in the ram that slows the blood flow from the head back down to the body. What this does is create a layer of protection. In addition, because most rams live at high altitudes, the fluid in the cerebral venous system increases.
Ram Tattoo Meaning
Now that we know a bit about the ram, let us talk about what the ram tattoo means by talking about the symbolism of the animal itself.
The ram is a prominent figure in many cultures and they have long been a symbol of initiative, action, leadership and determination. In addition to symbolizing those fine traits, the ram is Aries symbol which is a symbol of rulership in the astral realm. It is the first sign of the zodiac and happens to reinforce qualities of the ram like authority and leadership.
The Aries symbol, as the first sign of the zodiac, also represents virility, fiery force, impetuous fervor and renewal. This specific sign takes on the return of the sun’s warmth as the march equinox comes upon us. On top of the traits we just spoke about, the ram is symbolic of drive, energy, power, force fearlessness and protection.
When you look back into ancient mythology, there are many gods associated with the ram. Cernunnos was a Celtic god that was depicted as a ram. Some other versions show him accompanied by a snake with a ram’s head to symbolize power and renewal.
The creator god of ancient Egypt, Amun-Ra was always pictured as having the head of a ram. In addition, Thor was close to the ram and was said to have rams that pulled his chariot. Other gods that had associations with the ram were Baal and Ea from the Middle East, Agni and Indra from India, Apollo and Zeus from Greece and the Roman god, Hermes.
Ram Tattoo Variations
This leads us to some of the variations of the ram tattoo. Many of these ram tattoos will have special meaning to the person with the tattoo. Your best bet in finding out what they mean is to ask them but when talking about variations of the ram tattoo, we have seen a few.
Aries Tattoo
The Aries Ram tattoo is one that is very popular. With the zodiac and constellations behind such a popular subject, many choose to get the ram tattoo in this form.
Ram Skull Tattoo
The ram skull is also a very popular choice. There is a lot going on in the ram skull and the ability of the ram to stay conscious when ramming skulls at up to 40 mph should tell you the symbol is one of strength and endurance.
However, these are just a couple of examples of the ram skull tattoo and there are many more out there. If you have the idea of getting the ram tattoo, sit down with your tattoo artist and let them aid you in coming up with a variation that works for you.