The mermaid is one of the most mysterious and mystical characters that have long been used as a tattoo. Many different legends have been folded around her, and the very origin of the mermaid is still covered by mystery.
Since ancient times, tattoos with a mermaid stuffed sailors as a sign of longing for the beautiful sex and waiting to meet his beloved.
Today, this tattoo is also common among ordinary people. But, of course, most of all mermaid attracts men. Before doing a tattoo with her image, it is worth knowing what value this tattoo has.
Tattoo mermaid: meaning
The image of a beautiful nymph, combining the beauty of a woman's body and a fish tail covered with scales, has long been shrouded in mysticism and mystery. Some legends described this creature as an ugly old kimora, others described women of extraordinary beauty, which lured men to their charms, and they disappear without a trace, while others called mermaids dead unmarried girls.
Each nation has its own legends, so the meaning of the mermaid tattoo can be completely different. The first who began to adorn her body drawings of mythical heroines, which together blended the power of the water element, sexuality and erotic connotations, were sailors. A tattoo with a mermaid for people who linked their life with the marine element, acted as a certain protection against dangerous sea creatures and inclement weather, meant the favor and favor of the lord of the sea.
In the culture as a whole, these creatures are given a special place, because the combination of man and fish in one person, makes the symbol borderline, thanks to which mermaids are endowed with the ability to travel between the world of the dead and the living. Among the modern popular interpretations of the mermaid tattoo are romanticism, cunning, captivating dream, charm, freedom, sexuality, lightness and rebirth, and this is not the whole list.
Folk representations of mermaids
The mermaid is one of the popular characters of Slavic mythology. She is depicted as a beautiful girl with long green hair and a fish tail. According to legend, mermaids live at the bottom of reservoirs in crystal castles. After Trinity they come out on dry land and look for willow trees to spend time there until autumn. It was believed that a young girl who had not married during her lifetime, or an unbaptized child who had died, could turn into a mermaid.
Our ancestors were wary of mythical beings, so on Midsummer Week it was forbidden to sew, go to the woods, bathe in the river and sweep up the house. The undead souls who lived in the bodies of beautiful women went out at night to comb their luxurious hair. They hypnotized, lured, and tickled to death anyone they met on their way. If someone managed to escape their grasp, he could go mad or lose his mind from fear.
Scandinavians and Germans called mermaids sirens. The external image of the latter corresponded to the Slavic, but the place of residence of these mythical creatures was the sea or the ocean. Myth says that the sirens sat on a rock and lured sailors with their beautiful singing. Bewitched by the music, the men steered their ships toward the nymphs and soon crashed on the rocks. The Norwegians and Vikings thought it was a bad omen to see a mermaid on the sea. It meant trouble and death.
Tattoo of a mermaid for women
This pattern on the woman's body represents the owner's desire to conquer and gain the opposite sex, emphasizes sexuality, reveals beauty and accumulates feminine energy. Young ladies often have a mermaid tattoo on the open to the surrounding skin, and choose the more rounded places to emphasize their femininity. The Little Mermaid Ariel from the famous Disney cartoon, also very often becomes the heroine of the tattoo, and is popular with young people.
Who fits the tattoo
The mermaid tattoo for women symbolizes the desire to conquer and conquer the opposite sex. Skillfully using its beauty and sexuality, the owners of the tattoo often use men for selfish purposes, and achieving his, throw. They do not seek to create a family, preferring the role of femme fatale, collecting a collection of broken men's hearts. A pessimistic and gloomy tattoo sketch can denote loneliness and bereavement. Perhaps the girl was disappointed in life or lost a loved one.
In men, the image of a mermaid symbolizes excessive amorousness and the desire to please. The owner of such a tattoo by nature a romantic, who is ready for desperate acts and grand gestures, only to win the heart of a beautiful woman. As a rule, it has a passionate temperament and charisma. Sometimes, however, the picture just shows a man's fascination with myths and legends.
In most cases, a tattoo with a mythical creature does not have the negative connotation that it had a few centuries ago. People have started to take superstitions more easily, so a skeptical attitude toward mysticism is no longer uncommon. With the advent of cartoons and works of fiction, the mermaid has become a nice, kind and sympathetic character (for example, the heroine of the fairy tale of the same name by H.H. H. Andersen or Ariel from the Walt Disney cartoon).
On the zone, the mermaid tattoo's meaning depends on additional details. For example, a lonely nymph on a rock speaks of the desire for freedom and is a good luck charm. Mermaid, chained to an anchor, means that the person is in a hopeless situation. Prisoners with such a drawing have no hope of returning to a full life. Nakolka also indicates that the offender is serving a sentence for child molestation.
Picture of a mermaid in the technique of realism
A feature of this technique is the maximum accuracy of transferring the image to the body in the smallest details. In this option, it is better of course to give preference to large and colored compositions, which is the place on the back, chest or other parts of the body. Smaller drawings are simply not capable of fully conveying the subtlety of the work. But this does not mean that monochrome compositions are less beautiful to look at.
What is the best way to depict a tattoo?
Tattoo in the form of a mermaid is undoubtedly very beautiful. If we talk about girls, it is applied to rounded parts of the body, which symbolizes femininity and eroticism. Men wear such an image On the forearm, shoulder or chest.
The maiden fish is depicted in several hypostasis. "European" mermaid is distinguished by her insidious facial expression and defiant, mocking gaze. Her Slavic sister, on the contrary, has a calm and even timid beauty. Sometimes the tailed maiden is depicted with wings, but in this case the imagination of the artist, fascinated by the fantasy genre takes over.
Watercolor tattoos with the image of a mermaid
Tattoos in the style of watercolor are always colorful and contrasting images, characterized by soft contours. The mermaid in such a design looks very advantageous. Sweat and a slight blur of saturated colors will only successfully emphasize the rich palette of the sea abyss. The watercolor will beautifully show the heroine's fluttering long curls and the fishtail's openwork curves.
To sum up
The beauty of mermaids has driven many men crazy, in many cultures they have left their mark in both myths and children's fairy tales. Due to its mystique and halo of mystery, a tattoo with a mermaid can cause conflicting opinions - this is exactly what fans of mysticism, as well as lovers of living bright, beautiful and passionate.
In folklore texts, they have a lot in common with kikimoras and other demonic characters. Their appearance is repulsive, and their habits leave much to be desired.
In Slavic legends mermaids were dead young girls who did not have time to marry, or unbaptized children. There were also young mermaids, but so rare that there is little mention of them.
Most of the maidens lived in the forest or in the fields. The Slavs were afraid of mermaids, and on Mermaid Week they preferred not to sew ("lest mermaids stitch up their eyes"), not to sweep in the hut ("lest mermaids sweep up their eyes") and not to go into the forest.
The image of mermaids in Slavic folklore is mostly negative. They can both "tickle", and spoil a crop, and scare a lot. Since ancient times, the Slavic maiden with a tail was a symbol of the forests, rivers and lakes.
Inhabitants of Scandinavia "settled" the mermaid in the sea, endowing her with character traits inherent in other mythological characters, in particular, sirens. The most famous of these characters was the mermaid, who had a deep urge to go to the sea and cast a spell over a sailor.
In modern culture, the image of the maiden fish is quite relevant. Tattoo with the image of a mermaid found in both sexes and a variety of subcultures. Apply a picture of the prisoners and. Alone sitting on a rock, nymph with a tail is a a symbol of good luck and freedom.The symbol of luck and freedom, but chained to an anchor, it is a symbol of disappointment in people and loss of the dearest things. The mermaid tattoo is often found among sailors and fishermen. According to European legends, many representatives of this profession did not mind to visit the sea beauty.
The image on the body of a young lady symbolizes sexuality and the desire not so much to create a family as to dominate the man, to subjugate his will. Alluring beauty and hidden danger - these are the main meanings of this image in this case.
If a picture of a mermaid put a man, it means that he has a passionate temperament, loverly and capable of a beautiful act in relation to the conquered him a beauty.
Color variants of tattoos with a mermaid: original examples and photos
Colored tattoos with a mythical nymph are equally popular with men and women. Modern equipment allows the use of such a variety of colors and shades that sometimes the tattoo is a real work of art. Color tattoo allows you to convey in a story all the details of the picture, which is important in the image of our so mysterious creature. Also colored tattoos attract more attention and allow you to emphasize your individuality as much as possible.
In the weaker sex.
Over time, the mermaid tattoo became popular among women! The owners of such tattoos as if tell the surrounding people about their sexuality, seductiveness.
Tattoo is designed to accumulate female energy, to reveal the natural beauty and attractiveness. What woman is not dreaming to seize the will and mind of men, to make them submit to his beauty!
Tattoo is applied on rounded areas of the body, in the place of appetizing curves, in order to emphasize your sexuality more than once. Such a tattoo is also suitable for modest women who, for whatever reason, cannot openly demonstrate these qualities, but can only hint at them with a tattoo.
Mermaid in black
In many cultures around the world, black symbolizes emptiness, silence, night, and even death. Infinity and magic are associated with this color. Black tattoos do not always symbolize the above "dark" meanings, in today's world it is often just one of the discreet and original techniques. Although, the mythical past of the mermaid so covered with secrets that many give preference to the sketch in this color in order to fully emphasize the belonging of his character to the tales and legends. A realistic portrayal of the mermaid in black, in which the smallest details are traced, looks very beautiful. No less interesting is the graphic drawing, distinguished by simplicity and austerity.
In places of deprivation of liberty
In the underworld, tattoos depicting mermaids are quite common. Therefore, people who have decided on a fashionable tattoo, it is worth carefully examine the meaning of your favorite image. Thus, for the "sitting" mermaid symbolizes the desire for freedom, attracts good luck.
But this is in the case if it is drawn sitting on a rock. There is another version of her image - chained to an anchor. This tattoo has a dual meaning. It suggests that its owner was disappointed in life and lost something dear. But there is also a negative interpretation of the mermaid tattoo.
This picture as if to brand a convict, served his sentence for indecent assault or rape. The place of application on the body: chest and back. This is the meaning of the tattoo.
Mermaids in a tattoo are very beautiful and versatile drawings. After all, this mystical creature has a superb, unique appearance, so the beauty of such a tattoo is ensured, and at the same time it is associated with many mysterious stories and myths, which gives it a deep symbolic meaning. The first such tattoo began to apply the sailors.
Mermaids are fictional mythological creatures, half-woman, half-fish. But in different countries they were described in different ways: from beautiful young girls, to ugly terrible old women. Mermaids are usually depicted naked, with beautiful long hair, sometimes with a mirror or sea pearls. According to Slavic tradition, young drowned men and the souls of unbaptized children turned into mermaids. Who would then come out of the rivers at night to brush their green hair, and if they met a man, they would lure him to themselves and then tickle him to death. Our ancestors, by the way, with great respect and awe related to the image of the mermaid as the patroness of vegetation and crops. They considered her to be a symbol of rivers and forests, she brought good luck and bad luck..
Mermaids were accused of that they entangle the network fishermen and spoil the dams millers. The meaning of the mermaid tattoo expresses feminine energy, unique beauty and hidden danger. In Greek mythology, mermaids were the daughters of the gods, their images symbolized love and sexuality.
The peoples of Scandinavia and Germanic tribes were well known blond sirens, mermaids, who sat on the sea cliffs and lured sailors to their death, or in a whirlpool by their singing. To the Norse and Vikings, mermaids were a bad omen and meant that trouble was coming.
In prisoner tattoos, the mermaid is also not uncommon. If it is portrayed alone in the sea or on a rock, it symbolizes the The desire for freedom and good luck.If it is drawn chained to an anchor, it is a sign of of disappointment and the loss of the most precious.
In today's world, mermaid tattoos are equally common among men and women. But for a girl, such a tattoo seems more peculiar, it can be a subtle hint of eroticism and desire to subdue men with her beauty. And for men, this image means love and passion for beautiful women. And this is not surprising, because the songs and beauty of mermaids often drove sailors and fishermen crazy in many cultures, and those, in turn, were not opposed to be in the lap of the mysterious beauties. Today, the attitude toward the mermaid has changed, she has almost lost her danger and mystique, has even become a cartoon character.
Mermaid tattoo is best suited for dreamy and freedom-loving people who like to live bright and beautiful.
The first idea of the mermaid most of us got as a child from the cartoon of the same name. The beautiful, faithful, witty and friendly mermaid did not evoke any sexual connotations in those years.
However, it is not for nothing that the mermaid from the cartoon is depicted only in one garment - a bra in the form of shells, because since ancient times she has been the embodiment of sexuality.
Who, if not mermaids - sirens ruined sailors, who, if not they seduced men and lured them to their abyss? The unique beauty, mystery and alluring sexuality made mermaids a symbol of femininity.
Miniature mermaid tattoos
Mini tattoos always find their fans and are the choice of those who do not seek to draw attention to themselves. Tiny images of a mermaid are very cozy on any part of the body. They can be colored miniatures or neat monochrome images. The small size of the sketch does not allow you to convey all the details, and often these tattoos have a slightly simplified design or even a contour drawing.
Tattoo mermaid on the back
The back is a favorite place of lovers of large and narrative images. Such a large "canvas" allows you to apply the tattoo to the whole back, as well as to any part of it. The picture of a mermaid can be beautifully painted on one of the shoulder blades, can be located along the line of the spine or completely decorate the whole area with a whole picture. It can be colored, bright subjects or no less original monochrome images.
Tattoo with a mermaid on the leg: ideas, photos
The area of the thigh, buttocks, ankle or the top of the foot are also in demand for the application of a tattoo with a mermaid. On the hips are mostly printed colorful and three-dimensional images, which are especially popular among women, because they are due to their graceful curves perfectly emphasize the figure. Smaller tattoos are relevant for the ankle. Miniature mermaids look very beautiful on the feet.
In the stronger sex.
Tattoos with mermaids first appeared in sailors. And this is no accident. In distant expeditions, it is very difficult for sailors to be away from people, especially women. In such circumstances, young lads might have dreamed of the image of a naked beauty, beckoning into their arms.
At the time of the great navigators tattoo "mermaid" had its meaning - they were stuffed exclusively on the bodies of men, symbolizing the desire to subdue the beauty and to seize the unruly mermaid. For modern guys, this tattoo has acquired a neutral meaning - the mermaid demonstrates the loveliness of his master and the desire for adventurism.
Picture of a mermaid on the arm
No less relevant places for the application of tattoos can be called the shoulder and forearm, which allow you to choose large and medium-sized images, as well as demonstrate to others a colored or monochrome sketch. On the wrist beautifully look more neat subjects or quite miniature drawings. In any case, a tattoo with a mermaid must impress others.
Mermaids are also chosen by women!
Mermaid tattoo is designed not only for men. Today, the mermaid means a hint of hidden sexuality in women, the desire to be beautiful and find confirmation of this in men.
Women's energy sometimes can not sit inside for long, it asks out. If for some reason a woman can not openly demonstrate their sexuality, she tattoos in the form of a mermaid.
Also, the mermaid means a desire to conquer and dominate the man, to make him a hostage of his beauty.
If a modern man has decided to get a mermaid tattoo, it may well signify his commitment to and adoration of the beauty of women, as well as his amorousness. That is, men do not mind being in a pool of passion and being seduced.
What to choose a sketch: tips and recommendations
If you stopped your choice on the mermaid tattoo in the first place it is worth to listen to the opinion of experts and decide on the sketch of the image. Attract looks and fascinate will only work, to which attached a lot of imagination. The image of mermaids has only two traditional positions - standing or sitting, which is deprived of any dynamics. Therefore, it is necessary to start from the fact that our heroine is an inhabitant of the water element, and the plasticity of sea animals should be the basis of the sketch.
The flexible, streamlined body is capable of taking a variety of poses, the tails gracefully complete the composition, and the fabulously long hair accentuates the slight sexuality.
Much attention should be paid to the surrounding details and traditional paraphernalia. Seascapes look great with anchors, compasses, ships, amazing sunsets and surf. Starfish, seashells and rocks can also be companions of a mythical creature. Most styles of tattoos are used to perform such a drawing.
Unforgettable and vivid image will make realism, graphics or watercolors. A new and original direction - linework, combines classic and modern elements. Your sketch can be colored and reflect the abundance of colors, and may have very little size or performed in one color. It's up to you to choose.
Today, the image of the mermaid has long lost its danger and mystique. Such a sketch is ideal for freedom-loving, dreamy and slightly mysterious individuals. Be sure to analyze the pros and cons before going to the tattoo parlor, because this image stays with you not for one day.
What do the myths say?
Myths paint these creatures in different ways. Some portray them as young, fresh and appetizing girls, and some as hideous old witches. One thing the myths agree on is that they are half-woman-half-fish almost or completely naked, adorned with incomprehensibly long hair, pearls, and the occasional mirror.
Who are the mermaids? It is believed that they turn into them drowned suicides and deceased unbaptized children. They also inspire fear in various ways:
- Sometimes they lure men by singing;
- Sometimes they mislead men and show them the wrong way, luring them in;
- sometimes they can even tickle you to death.
Or they may simply go ashore and brush their hair. They have been accused of sinking unwanted ships, messing up innocent fishermen's nets, and damming dams. They "work" at night; they cannot be seen during the day.
For all the fear they put on the people, they were honored and applauded. They were reverently deified and considered the patroness of the harvest. On certain days, they brought gifts to the rivers and the sea, and on other days they did not go near the water.
