Together, butterfly and flower tattoos have some of the most distinctive, vivid, and imaginative designs today. Butterfly and flower tattoos also hold very powerful and emotional meanings among those who have butterfly and flower tattoos or those looking to incorporate the two designs together. Let us look at a brief overview of both butterfly and flower tattoos, examine what they can represent, and how they can be incorporated into the same tattoo design.
Depending on the culture you consult, the butterfly has many meanings, but one of the most common themes for this delicate, elusive creature is that of dreams. To some, the butterfly is our dreaming self, to others it is the dream itself. Still others feel that the butterfly is love- fluttering away from us when we chase too hard, and coming to land softly upon our shoulders when we least expect it. No matter which, the butterfly is seen as delicate and yet strong, ever moving and elusive.
For women, especially those who are getting their first tattoo, the butterfly can be a formal, visible declaration of new found independence. A recent survey found that a butterfly was the tattoo of choice among newly separated or divorced women. The color may depend on the style of the butterfly or simply the taste of the one getting the tattoo.
Flowers may mean several different things as well, also depending on style and color. Roses for one have a whole lexicon of meanings for the many colors. Pink is the symbol of new, delicate love and red is for passion. Yellow can mean friendship or apology and white is the symbol for purity. Those same colors can be employed for a tattoo, or adapted to suit the situation. Roses, although the most common, are not the only flower depicted in tattoos by far. Tattoo artists can depict nearly anything found in nature or dreamed up in your mind.
Most people do not envision butterflies without flowers, and most also agree that flowers are more beautiful with a butterfly or two nestled among them. Legends abound about the meaning of certain flowers with certain butterflies- such as this one: The orange and black Monarch butterfly is symbolic of dignity, the black rose of death. The story further says that if you get a tattoo of a Monarch butterfly fluttering away from a black rose; it will wordlessly declare the end of a relationship and the return of dignity.
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