If a couple of decades ago, tattoos were associated with places not so remote, with pirates or with the African tribes, now to pad the picture on the body may be anyone. Moreover, body art patterns and symbols can even be considered a separate type of art. Equipment and techniques are improving, which allows you to create amazing tattoos with the most different level of elaboration. Particularly popular are tattoos with birds - in particular, with a raven. What such a tattoo means, and where it should be stuffed - read below.
What are tattoos with a raven?
Most often the tattoo with a bird is performed in black, less often - with small colored fragments. The most suitable place is the shoulder, forearm, shoulder blade or rib cage.
The image looks no less spectacular on the leg or on the back of the neck. The choice of location will depend on your wishes and on the technical complexity of creating a tattoo. Sometimes there are atypical, interesting options for placement - for example, a miniature raven can "sit" on the finger of the hand.
Tattoo with a raven
It happens that people do not stuff the entire bird, but only certain characteristic parts - wing, beak, foot. Important nuance: a raven and a crow are different types of birds. If you intend to depict exactly a crow on your skin, carefully study their difference.
Video on the topic
What does the raven tattoo mean? About the meaning of the tattoo in the video:
It is always worth remembering that a tattoo is not just a beautiful decoration, but also an energetically charged symbol that cannot be removed overnight or on any particular day. Whether your tattoo will be hidden under clothing or not - it is always with you, so it is important to take maximum responsibility in its choice.
Birds have always been identified with the free flight of the soul, enthusiasm and dreaminess. Therefore a special place in the art of body art belongs to birds. Great popularity today is the tattoo of the raven, the meaning of which for men is becoming mystical in nature.
Crow and raven are two separate concepts in the art of tattooing, in the first case it is about motherly love and care, in the second it is more about dark, mystical, nocturnal meanings. But we can say unequivocally that the raven always evokes admiration in conjunction with fear. The exact deciphering depends largely on the place of application, symbols and details.
Symbolism of a tattoo with a raven
If you have chosen a bird, you need to understand what this drawing communicates. Despite the prevalence of this type of drawing, its meaning is not as simple as it seems. The history of raven symbolism stretches back through the centuries and varies depending on cultural tenets.
The meaning of the raven cannot be called either negative or positive - it would be more accurate to state that one of the meanings is endowed by its bearer himself. It is also important how the raven is depicted.
Raven can represent totem animal - a bird that brings good luck and protects, reflecting the inner world of man and symbolizing his animal form, or may become a helping spirit from the higher world, which protects against other extraterrestrial forces. Possible and magical connotation - the cleverest of birds, the raven from ancient times is associated with witchcraft and black magic. Also the reason to choose this representative of fauna can be the artistic appeal of this particular image - when you just like the picture, that's all.
Symbolism of a tattoo with a raven
Do not forget about the importance of the whole composition of the image, not just the main object. If there are other tattoos on the body, it is worth considering their location and symbolism.
Strengthen or weaken the emphasis of the raven in the picture can be symbols or details. For example, a raven of black hue, but with white flecks is a symbol of good luck. A raven with an arrow or other aggressive symbols can give the owner strength, but contribute to some cruelty of temper and denote inner loneliness.
Magical talisman and totem
How to use?
A good amulet can be obtained from the feather of a bird.
Most often, practitioners recommend using the following magical amulets to get power and help from the bird:
- a metal pendant;
- A feather from a live bird;
- image or embroidery;
- a black stone figurine;
- dream catcher with feathers.
Magical Impact
The wise bird helps to change thinking, find non-standard solutions from difficult situations and rethink the experience. Appealing to her help, you can learn to calmly relate to the dead and the events of the past, using the knowledge gained for good. A magical talisman in the form of a bird is especially useful for people who are going through old insults and cannot move on, but in order for the mystical creature to help, you must be ready for changes and want them. The raven favors those who want to improve themselves and develop spiritually.
Practitioners who regularly seek help from the blackbird become more prudent, discover the gift of foreseeing the future and develop intuition. The magic creature often communicates through dreams, and it is important to correctly interpret the symbol that appears. If before going to sleep, you wear an amulet dedicated to a magical creature, you can learn to control your dreams. And so that nightmares no longer disturb, under the pillow is placed a matte black feather.
Practitioners warn that the feather from a dead bird is suitable only for the inoculation of spoilage and the manufacture of underlays. Therefore, find plumage in the house should be immediately swept with a broom over the threshold and burn.
Many defects of speech are cured if a person wears a medallion with an image of this bird.
Medallion with the animal will develop oratorical abilities, cure stuttering, pronunciation disorders and other speech defects. If you wear a talisman to a speech or business meeting, the arguments will sound more convincing. The talisman helps to remember large blocks of information, increases concentration and intellectual abilities. That's why practitioners recommend to install the black stone statue on the child's desk. Despite the close connection with the afterlife, the magical sign will not bring misfortune and will not harm health.
The raven as a cultural concept
There is an opinion that any symbol has no energy, as long as it is not endowed with it by the adherent and the bearer. Objective meaning can only be given to the tattoo by the person wearing it. The raven has different meanings in different countries of the world.
У Celts
Raven has always been endowed with a magical halo. It was Celtic culture that made the bird a symbol of dark forces. In many legends, it appears as an associate of death itself and assistant to the gods of war (for example, Morrigan - the goddess of battles).
In Celtic culture, the raven has always been endowed with a magical halo.
В Ancient Greece
In Ancient Greece Ravens were associated with longevity and fertility, and this meaning was not negative. The bird was known for its foresight and ability to foretell the future. In ancient culture, this bird acted as an assistant to all travelers and a messenger to the Greek deities, Apollo and Athena.
В Egypt
Raven had a negative meaning and was associated with death, pestilence, chaos and destruction. As we worshipped the Egyptian raven, we saw it as a symbol of unpleasant events, great losses, and pain.
African culture
refers to the bird as a sign of unity, community of people and mutual assistance in the face of adversity. To kill a raven meant previously to bring rains or severe drought on the tribe, to lose crops and cause other troubles to the settlement. Ravens in this region became the helpers of shamans and elders.
The ancient Romans
also had a relaxed attitude toward the raven. The bird's cry reminded them of the word "tomorrow," so its appearance became a harbinger of important events for the empire.
The Japanese
regard the image of the raven as a tribute to family, love and loyalty, finding nothing gloomy in it.
Chinese
see in the raven a lot of power and strength. According to ancient Chinese legend, a sacred raven lives in the sun, which is responsible for the rising and setting of the luminary. The raven became the Shui dynasty as a sign of divine light.
Scandinavian mythology
tells of Odin, the father god, who was always accompanied by a raven, a faithful friend in battle. With the Norse, the raven is a symbol of memory and intelligence. By the way, Odin's two personal birds, Hugin and Munin, are the embodiment of mind and memory.
Scandinavian mythology
У Eskimos
the raven is the progenitor of all humans.
Myths and Legends of the Slavs
During the pagan period in Kievan Rus, it was believed that the raven was a faithful companion and messenger of the majestic deity Varuna, who governs human destinies. After death, it is the raven that accompanies to the gates of Irian, the Slavic paradise, and tells about the true destination of everyone on earth. If the deceased has left life too early, the black bird would bring him back to Yav, giving him a living water. Outwardly it looks like an awakening after clinical death or a sudden exit from a coma. The man who woke up often retained the knowledge received from the bird, albeit at the level of intuition, and therefore changed his way of life and fulfilled his true destiny. According to other Slavic beliefs, the prophetic bird is the grandson of Stribog and serves as the embodiment of the wind. On the mighty wings it bears night storms and hurricanes.
In Slavic tales, the symbol of messenger Varuna is associated with dead and living water, as the bird acts as a keeper of these two magical sources. Only the worthy allowed the raven to drink or draw the liquid. Sometimes the divine creature warned the heroes of impending misfortune, but more often it opposed them. By taking on human form, the raven would kidnap loved ones, sisters or mothers, most often for the purpose of marriage. Tales ended in different ways: the hero's death struggle with a mighty raven or gaining kinship.
Raven in the Slavs: the meaning
Christians do not honor the raven, because it is associated with the devil and black witchcraft. It is a raven in Russian fairy tales - an associate of Baba-Yaga, kikimora and leshih. He is the spiritual adversary of the dove, which symbolizes good and light. Often the raven also acts in a positive-neutral light, as a wise bird and savior of travelers.
As you can see, the image of the raven is ambiguous and very suspicious. The reason for this is the ancient myth that these birds live about 300 years, but in fact their average age is about 60-70 years at best. The lifestyle of the bird (solitary) and food behavior (crows eat carrion) also fuel the prejudice. Despite this, the raven is still a desirable image for a tattoo.
How to choose a tattoo sketch in relation to the place on the body?
In choosing a tattoo sketch and place on the body an important criterion will be proportionality. Take into account a few tips beforehand:
- back, chest, forearms, arms and legs - Here you can depict large drawings of a raven of plausible scale, the bird can be supplemented with a background, symbols, other characters;
- shoulder blades, hips, shoulders, hands and arms - most often a medium-sized raven or just its wings and head; a moderate number of characters and details are welcome
- fingers, wrists, neck, back of the head - a small space contrary to the large drawings with details, here are appropriate symbols, drawings in the style of minimalism, graphics.
The meaning of the tattoo with a raven in prison culture
It's no secret that the prison context gives the tattoo a special meaning, including the drawing with a raven. There is little emphasis on mysticism and symbolism in places of incarceration, and here everything is much simpler: a raven means one thing - "thief-on," that is, a thief. Sometimes such a tattoo can denote the inmate's lack of affiliation with any group. And often such a drawing is a sign that the prisoner is particularly fierce and unprincipled.
The meaning of the raven tattoo in prison culture
What does a tattoo in the zone mean?
In such places pay little attention to the mystical or magical symbolism of the bird. Here everything is much simpler: the main carrier of meaning will be exactly the word itself, which when divided into two parts becomes quite clear - "the thief he".
Tattoo with the image of a raven in the zone most often do those prisoners who are serving time for theft of another's property.
Also common is the following transcription based on the first letters: "Thief - He was born of One Hate". It is believed that such a tattoo made to a particularly dangerous and aggressive criminals, whose behavior in the zone stands out for its unpredictability. In any case, the tattoo of the raven in the zone has only a negative connotation.
Frequent drawings with the meaning
The devil is known to be in the details, so insignificant details can affect the perception of the final drawing.
- Raven on a branch - immersion in the inner world, a return to the roots of his personality.
- Raven + skull. Lethal threat, a feeling of constant danger, intrigue and malicious intent.
- A flock of crows - turmoil, confusion of thoughts and actions, the rush, unexpected changes.
- Raven and roses / raven in the nest - harmony, happiness of belonging to a social group (e.g., family), love and loyalty.
- Flying raven - a bird with open wings represents freedom of thought and opinion, serious ambition and inquiry about life.
These are the most common subjects, which can vary depending on the client's wishes and the place where the drawing is applied. A talented artist can create a unique sketch with the elements that are most important to the customer. After all, a tattoo is a way of self-expression and translation of the inner world.
Tattoo is not just a beautiful drawing, but also a powerful energy talisman, which stays with you forever - it cannot be removed and redone, and tattoo will still affect you, even if you hide it with clothes. Before deciding on the procedure, study the symbolism depicted and relate it to your inner guidelines and worldview. This will save you from an annoying feeling that you and your tattoo do not match, as well as from further remakes or laser resurfacing to remove the unsuccessful drawing.
Men's and women's tattoos
It is worth admitting that girls are more often interested in such tattoos than men. Some experts believe that the meaning is different for men and women. In general, if you go into the specifics, the raven itself is both a masculine and a feminine sign. It represents the dark feminine side, the yin.
The male side of the symbol is wisdom and awareness of mystical secrets, the ability to see what is inaccessible to the eyes of ordinary people.
Raven is a strong bird, but rarely engage in open confrontation. First of all, it is a scavenger, waiting for its prey to be "ready". He always senses when and where the next feast of flesh and blood will be. Consequently, it has the gift of foresight, or the strongest intuition.
Girls often choose sketches with flying birds. They also like options with trees, old houses, the moon, candles, or a lantern, a pocket watch. In a trend such as steampunk, a raven can wear a watch, clothes, hat and monocular by itself.
Lovers of ethnic drawings are found among both sexes. It is a style reminiscent of drawings of the Celts, tribal, Romans, ancient themes.
The meaning of the image of a tattoo in different poses
The meaning of the tattoo can change somewhat from the position of the raven. For example, a bird in a nest or with nestlings symbolizes the desire for constancy, family happiness, love for loved ones.
Negative meanings may be carried by the sketches of the flying raven tattoo. Most often, this picture means power, the desire to discover the weak to attack (by analogy with the behavior of the bird, when it seeks carrion), cunning, aggression. Similar symbolism are the sketches with a flock of birds or the wings of a raven in the tattoo. They signify turmoil, haste, aggressiveness and constant readiness to fight. In the case of a flock also attacking smaller birds, the drawing symbolizes power over people, superiority and even seriousness of intent. A raven and a skull are a constant symbol of destructive action, danger that can be expected from a person.
In the case where the raven itself, without other birds, sits quietly on a branch, the tattoo indicates the depth of feeling of the tattoo owner, his loneliness, distrust of others.
Two ravens are a reference to the Scandinavian culture and can be a symbol of Odin's ravens tattoo. In order for the meaning of the picture was perceived unambiguously, it is better to do it with a decoration - the Scandinavian patterns. Although a black raven is considered a bad symbol, if you sympathize with this bird, you can stuff it with a white feather. This will not be a bad idea, because such an image can bring good luck, success, and in general is a good sign.
Styles for tattooing
In order to decide on the style of the sketch, there is not even a need to watch a video, how to stuff a tattoo raven or study a whole gallery of photos of the owners of the drawing on the body. It is enough to come to a tattoo parlor, address to the master and study a little bit the catalog presented by him. It is not at all necessary to understand and in what style tattooist uses in his works, you can just choose any variant you like and stuff it. If you are looking for a specific technique, we offer you some interesting options for your sketch.
Realism is one of the most common styles of tattooing. The quality of the master's work is quite easy to assess, you should only compare his drawings with real life. If the sketch takes into account even the smallest details, and the raven is similar to the real thing, you can trust the tattooist.
If the raven tattoo means a symbol of aggression and hatred for anything, then you can't find a better option for the sketch than a thrash polka dot. To recognize this technique among others is simple: it differs in the use of only two colors (black and red), some carelessness and gloominess. There are often a lot of sloppy paint strokes in the sketch.
Those wishing to score a small and neat tattoo can be advised to pay attention to such styles as minimalism, graphics, Dotwork. Such techniques are also often decorated with watercolor elements. Such a combination makes the drawing more vivid and not so sinister. Minimalism is ideal for girls who want to wear a small but meaningful tattoo on their bodies.
Tradition is a style that can be considered individual to each nation. In the world culture, traditional is one of the American primitive techniques. However, one cannot deny that traditional representations differ from nation to nation, and the Scandinavian raven tattoo will be quite unlike the Russian or Chinese "counterpart".
