Dragon tattoos are a very popular choice of tattoo designs. Dragons are mythical creatures, which appear in many cultures throughout the world. The popularity of Dragon tattoos is easy to explain. Dragons are commonly depicted as spiritual beings combining beauty and intelligence with strength and power.
In western culture, dragons were initially regarded as being malevolent The evil beast which the gallant knight had to slay to rescue his fair maiden. Whereas, in China and Japan they could be quite benevolent. It is this fusion of western and eastern ideas which has probably led to dragons still being so popular today. Opinions on dragons have slowly changed in the west. In modern stories the hero is just as likely to have a dragon assisting him, as he is for an enemy!
From an artistic viewpoint Dragon tattoos can be visually striking, highly detailed and very colorful tattoo designs. They give a chance for a skilled tattoo artist to really showcase his talent. Dragon tattoos can also be any size, making it possible to place a dragon tattoo on any part, or area of the body. It is also possible to combine a Dragon tattoo design with other styles. Dragon tribal tattoos can be very striking.
Types of Dragon Tattoo Designs include:
Japanese Dragon Tattoos.Japanese dragons are seen as water deities and a Japanese dragon tattoo design will often include waves and clouds.
They are usually serpent-like and have the scales of a carp, paws of a tiger, eagle claws and long whiskers.
Chinese Dragon Tattoos. Chinese dragon tattoo designs can be similar to Japanese dragon tattoos. Chinese Hanji script can look very effective when combined with a Chinese dragon tattoo design.
Koi Dragon Tattoos. An oriental dragon tattoo design can be very well combined with Koi.
Dragon Tattoos for Women. Dragon tattoo designs are very popular with among girls. With the recent release of the Hollywood take on the Swedish Novel: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, their popularity is sure to continue.
Red Dragon Tattoo. The Red Dragon features on the national flag of Wales and can be a popular tattoo idea for Welsh people wishing to express their patriotism.
Dragon Tattoo Designs for men. Many men choose a large and detailed Dragon tattoo design upon their back. This kind of design can be extremely ornate and visually stunning.
Dragon Sleeve Tattoos. Dragon tattoo designs also lend themselves well to Dragon sleeve tattoos. A talented artist can easily create design to cover an entire arm or leg.
Tribal Dragon Tattoos. Because of their sinuous nature dragons lend themselves well to the tribal design.
History of Dragon Tattoos.
Dragons are legendary creatures, usually of a serpentine or reptilian nature. Dragons feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct types of dragon. Firstly, there is the European dragon, which was passed down in European folk tales and was initially borrowed from Greek and Middle Eastern myths. There is also the Chinese dragon, which has also been borrowed by many other East Asian countries, such as: Japan and Korea. Both kinds lend themselves very well to striking tattoo designs.
The English word Dragon comes from the Greek Drakon meaning a serpent or water-snake of large size. The stereotypical European dragon is a large lizard with wings, which can breathe fire. Whereas, Chinese dragons are more often depicted as large snakes. Both types of dragon are often depicted with human traits, such as intelligence and speech. The early myths of dragons of both types were most likely inspired by the skeletons of whales and dinosaur fossils.
The two traditions probably evolved separately, but have influenced each other to some extent, particularly more in recent times. Despite differences in appearance, in Europe dragons were initially depicted as malevolent and evil, whereas, In the east they could be quite benevolent and helpful. The benevolent dragon has slowly passed across to the west where the dragon is now just as likely to help the hero as attack him. A common motif in western stories is for the dragon and hero to start off as adversaries, but end up as friends.
Dragons have made it onto many flags and have even made it into the bible. In The new testament the devil takes the form of a great red dragon with seven heads to battle the Archangel Michael.
Celebrities with Dragon Tattoos include:
Actress Angelina Jolie has a small dragon tattoo design on her left arm.
Singer, Mel C has a dragon tattoo design on her right calf.
Singer Mel B has a dragon tattoo design on her back.
Singer Lenny Kravitz has a dragon tattoo design on his left shoulder.
Actor Bruce Willis has a dragon tattoo design on his right shoulder
Singer Pink has an Aisan dragon tattoo design on her left thigh
Where on the body can you wear a Dragon Tattoo Design?
Dragon tattoos can be extremely versatile. It is possible to have a Dragon tattoo design on pretty much any part of the body and Dragon tattoo designs lend themselves to pretty much any size, large or small. This means that a talented tattoo artist should have little trouble drawing a really cool design to fit any area on your body you choose. A detailed dragon design can also look very striking over a large surface. For instance, a large and highly detailed dragon tattoo design can look simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring covering a persons entire back.
It is also possible to combine a Dragon tattoo with other style and designs. Many people combine Asian Dragon tattoo designs with Koi and with Chinese Hanji or Japanese Kanji text and writing. If you are thinking about getting a Dragon tattoo you will find a lot of very fine examples of body art to help inspire your tattoo ideas including examples of dragon tattoo flash by searching online.
Other great places to put Dragon Tattoo Designs would be:
Dragon tattoo on arm
Dragon back tattoos
Dragon wrist tattoos
Dragon tattoos on leg
Dragon tattoos on hip
Dragon tattoos on neck
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micaeltattoo and Tattoo_Lovers
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