Skull and Snake Tattoo Meaning, Design & Ideas

We don’t always feel like seeing butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes we feel a bit darker Sometimes it is just one of those days and sometimes we need reminders of those bad days, so we can appreciate the good days more.

When getting a tattoo to represent your feelings, you see a lot of positive imagery out there. Things that represent traits that you aspire to invoke or try to work into your life. Those other times we might want that darker tattoo and that is where the skull and snake tattoo comes in.

Both images, to the unknowing, represent the darker side of the world. Things that make you think of death or things that are scary. Both the skull and the snake have those things going for them. However, you might be surprised if I tell you that not everything about the skull and snake is negative or evil.

In this post, we are going to talk about the combination of the skull and snake tattoo and what it means to the people who have this tattoo. In many cases, these images might represent the darker parts of this world, but we will talk about what each symbol represents and by the end of this post, we hope you have a better understanding of the skull and snake tattoo and what it means.

Before we get into all that, let us take a look at some examples of these tattoos to give you a better idea of the imagery.

Skull and Snake Tattoo Meaning

The skull and snake tattoo have a lot of meaning for those that wear it but let us investigate what each image represents on their own.

First, you have the skull. Many will look at the image of a skull and assume the worst. In fact, many people get the skull tattoo to represent death and horror. We have seen skulls in movies and books our whole life and it generally revolves around scary things.

Some people will tell you that their skull tattoo represents something completely different. Many believe the skull represents our mortality. It is a realization that we have a finite amount of time on this earth and we should take this time to make sure we spend our time wisely and appreciate what we have and who loves us.

The other side of the skull and snake tattoo is the snake. The image of the snake has a double meaning as well. Many might not know this, but the snake represents fertility in some cultures. An example of this comes in the form of the Hopi people in North America who perform a snake dance annually to celebrate the union of Snake Girl and Snake Youth.

This means the spirit of the sky and the spirit of the underworld unite to renew Nature’s fertility. Live snakes are handled in these ceremonies and released into the crops to ensure a good harvest. The snake also symbolizes the umbilical cord that connects people to Earth.

On the other hand, many believe that snakes represent death and decay. Their venomous bite has been known to kill those who are unfortunate enough to walk in the path of a snake. They can quickly end your life or your livestock’s life.

All this being said, it leads us to believe this tattoo has a double meaning. In one sense, these symbols combined in a tattoo represent death and decay. Passing through this world and onto the next journey. However, we also believe it goes back to the skull meaning and being aware of our mortality and making the most of the time we have on this Earth.

In most cases, your best bet will be to ask the person with this tattoo what it means to them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is the skull and snake tattoo meaning. We love images like this because the meaning can be whatever you want it to be. The fact remains, no matter what this tattoo means to you or to others, it is a pretty great-looking tattoo when performed with the right hands.

Skull and Snake Tattoo Placement

The nice thing about the skull and snake tattoo is that it can be placed in most places on the body. The size of this tattoo is up to the person being tattooed. We seem to think this looks better on places like your shoulder, calf, or other places with rounded edges. This is simply because the skull and snake tattoo don’t have defined edges.

Skull and Snake Tattoo Variations

When getting your skull and snake tattoo, the possibilities are endless. There are a lot of creative things you can do with this tattoo to make it look really cool.

One way to differentiate your skull and snake tattoo is to add different species of snake. There are different meanings connected to different snakes. For example, the symbolism of the cobra is different than the symbolism of the boa constrictor. We have also seen a lot of coral snakes wrapped around skulls when tattooed and these are some of the most poisonous snakes on the planet.

We also see people decorate the skull and snake tattoo with flowers. Flowers are always fantastic filler for a tattoo because they look great and they all have specific meanings. Flowers vary a great deal as far as symbolism. If you spoke to people from ten different cultures, you would probably find they all connect with ten different flowers. Some countries adopt flowers as the symbol of their nation based on the symbolism surrounding that specific flower.

When getting your skull and snake tattoo, you have a lot of directions you can go in and many ways to make this tattoo your own. It is important you find an artist that makes you feel comfortable and is willing to work with you on the design you want to use. If you need help, most artists will offer their creative opinions but if you are having trouble finding an artist that works for you, reach out to us. We would love to help so all you have to worry about is enjoying your new tattoo.

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