Stumbling upon dinosaur fossils must have been incredibly confusing for our ancestors, and it makes sense that this would give rise to fantastic legends and tales of huge, fearsome creatures.

Recommended: Don’t miss our collection of mountain tattoos after this. One of the most convincing theories is that dragon myths originate in the discovery of dinosaur remains. There’s no single, agreed-upon explanation as to where the idea of dragons came from, and how come it appeared in so many cultures. Apep was an evil deity associated with the underworld, chaos, and destruction. Many were ferocious, fearsome creatures, and some were attendants to the gods – such as the Mesopotamian mushussu dragon.Īncient Egypt also had its dragon-like beings – for example Apep, the giant serpent that was considered to be the enemy of Ra, the sun god. These ‘early’ dragons were most often giant serpents, often able to fly and breathe fire. The history of dragon-like creatures in legends and myths reaches ancient Mesopotamia. If you’re particularly drawn to a certain meaning that the dragon may be symbolic of in a specific culture, consider adopting a matching aesthetic for your tattoo to underline this connection with its context.įor instance, if the Chinese interpretation of the dragon symbol is what you’d like your tattoo to express, getting a distinctly Chinese-style design or complimenting the dragon with other appropriate, typically Chinese symbols can help to convey the intended meaning. In fact, various mythologies and cultural contexts have associated entirely opposite concepts with dragons – so while they may signify benevolence and protection in one culture, they can be the embodiment of pure evil in another.Īnd there have been countless appearances of dragons in just about every mythology in the world, so understandably the dragon as a symbol has become incredibly complex. This is because as a symbol, the dragon does not have a singular, universal set of meanings. In order to fully explore the meaning of dragon tattoos, it’s necessary to consider dragons through the prisms of different cultures.

We also have a huge hand-picked gallery of dragon tattoos for you to browse – don’t forget to check it out! In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about dragons as tattoo designs.įrom the symbolism and meanings behind dragons as viewed by different cultures, through the history of the dragon as a symbol, to the most popular dragon tattoo designs. These legendary creatures have fascinated humanity since times (nearly) immemorial. Looking for some dragon tattoo ideas? Check out these incredible designs for some tattoo inspiration!įor creatures that don’t exist, dragons sure get a lot of attention.

Tattoo draken