Feather Tattoo Meaning

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Beautiful and filled with meaning, feather tattoos can find a home on any person. Feathers can have a variety of meanings and have been used in a potentially every culture throughout history. They were used to create tools, for art, to denote status and numerous other cultural usages. What follows is a list of feather tattoo meanings that you may find helpful as you determine what kind of a feather based tattoo you desire.

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Feather Tattoo Meaning

1. Pride and Beauty

The feather has been used in many cultures as symbol of pride, status, beauty, youth and other features. The peacock feather is well known for its symbolic association with pride. The eagle feather is known through may cultures, notably the Native American cultures, for a variety of status-based indications. Dove feathers may symbolize peace, while raven feathers may kindle thoughts of mystery or trickery. Feathers were often adornments that were placed in the hair, in necklaces and other places to signify beauty and youth.

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2. Flight and Freedom

A clear reminder of the wings of a bird, the feather may be an indicator of flight, flying, soaring or gliding. Pilots and other people who take to the sky may find a special place in their hearts for the feather. Freedom also finds a home within the feather. Being light as a feather may denote a feeling of freedom and a lack of stress. It may also take on a more literal meaning as featherweight boxers are known for their fleetness of foot.

3. Elements and Spirituality

Air, one of the four traditional elements throughout many cultures, is often signified by the feather. Gods of the sky, their avatars and their messengers may be associated with feathers. Hermes’ shoes were adorned with feathers that gave him the speed associated with his Roman name, Mercury. The Phoenix’s burning feather were also symbols of rebirth and reincarnation. Spirituality and the soul were often symbolized by the feather as well.

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Feather Tattoo Meaning Variations

1. Coloration

Color can provide an array of meaning to a tattoo, and feathers are often vibrant and bold. Black and white can be found as well. The uniform blackness of the raven’s feather can symbolize wisdom, trickery or death. The white and gray shading of the seagull’s feather may symbolize freedom and the open sea. Colors can be found in birds of paradise, peacocks and other beautiful birds to show pride, beauty or youth. Spectral chromatic coloration can symbolize the support of civil rights movements or more abstract ideas of unification of form and identity. You may find that the paring of a white feather of the dove and a green feather of a hummingbird will bring out your feelings of peace and simplicity in a way that nothing else could. Experiment in your thoughts until you determine which colors fit your personality best.

2. Style

The simplicity of the feather may be all that you need. A simple feather floating on a pool of reflective water may be exactly what you need. Perhaps a hyper-realistic feather would better suits your needs. A water color rendition may better accentuate your desire to show the impermanence of the world and all that it in it. A surreal drawing made from hatch marks and dots could reveal a feather restrained by iron shackles.

There is no limit to what you can do to make your feather tattoo your own. Allow your thoughts to inspire a tattoo that is unique to the world. Give it your own meaning and your own personal touch. Be sure to not waste the valuable tool of an experiences tattoo artist, so speak with them about their ideas and thoughts before you begin.