A Mythical Tattoo - The Phoenix, A Start of a New Life

                    The phoenix is a sacred mythological fire bird which is very familiar to most of us. It came from the Greek meaning palm tree. It has a colorful plumage with a scarlet and golden tail. It is said that the phoenix has a life cycle of 500 to 1000 years.

Before it's life ends, the phoenix will build a nest of myrrh twigs in where it will set a fire to itself. The bird and the nest will both burn fiercely and will become ashes. From those ashes, a new young phoenix or an egg will be reborn to live a new life.

The phoenix represented the sun, in both Greek and Egyptian tales; it will die in flames at the end of the day and will rise again every morning. For the early Christians, the phoenix is a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. It leaves the old world to live in a new world of the spirit, will die and rise again to be reborn. It also symbolized immortality, the victory of life over death and Christ's resurrection. The phoenix embedded on Roman coins represents an undying empire. The phoenix was also said to have a capability to sing sweetly.

For the Chinese, the phoenix is the symbol of grace and virtue. It is ranked as second important to the dragon. It also represents the union of yin and yang or the good and the evil. The Empress, who alone could wear its symbol, is associated with this gentle creature. In Japan, the phoenix, along with the sun, is one of the emblems of the Japanese Empire.

Tattooing the phoenix is often associated with the dragon in Japanese. It symbolizes the yin and yang (good and evil). It can also be the harmonious combination of the feminine and masculine virtues.

The phoenix as a tattoo is often associated with feminine characteristics. Each part of its body is a representation of a specific virtue. Some of the less aspects of the phoenix are duty, kindness and reliability. The phoenix's flame represents transformation and purification through adversity and fire.

For some who is interested in getting a phoenix as a tattoo, it can be a symbol of a life that is new-a life that was changed after a long journey of storms, trials and hardships. The phoenix can be a representation of someone's life that experienced a bad past and is now ready to be reborn to put the past behind and start a new life again.

Tattoos Of The Phoenix - Beauty, Endurance And Strength

                      Tattoos of the phoenix symbolize struggle, strife, and victory. The phoenix is a beautiful, mythological bird that incinerates itself, only to rise again, from the ashes, renewed with youth and vigor.

Phoenix bird tattoos require a talented artist. The artistic possibilities are endless, and this makes the phoenix perfect for either a man or a woman. A full-back tattoo design works well for a man; while, a small, stylized, tattoo placed near a hip or on the lower back is perfect for a woman.

This mythical bird lived many centuries ago. Many cultures accept this story; thus, there are numerous, slight differences in the legend. Christians, for example, created artwork of the phoenix to represent Christ. Romans and Greeks produced beautiful drawings, and sculptures of the phoenix, as well.

Designs ideas are easy to find when searching online. First, consider where to place the image of the phoenix on your body. A full-back tattoo may take as long as a year to complete and may cost upwards of $2000. This will require multiple visits to the tattoo artist. A small, stylized tattoo without a lot of detail can run anywhere from $25 to $100. Intricate details, custom tattoos and large areas of the body will involve a higher fee.

A sleeve is intricate and detailed, in most cases. These tattoos are quite impressive. Artists can create a large, stylized, tattoo of the phoenix on the entire arm. For a more dramatic, artsy appearance, tattoos can then spillover onto the shoulders, chest or back.

With a little research online, a reliable tattoo body shop can be found quickly and easily. A tattoo artist should be chosen carefully. Stop by and check out their work beforehand. Speak to previous customers to get a feel for how well these individuals like their tattoos. Ink on the skin, in the form of art and self-expression, is not new; however, with the help of the World Wide Web, a new generation can easily view literally, thousands of tattoos in only a matter of a few minutes time.

Skin is the perfect canvas to many artists. Symbols are some of the most popular tattoos inked today. Peace, hearts, Asian, and zodiac symbols are among some of the most fashionable.

Tattoos of the phoenix have been popular for many centuries. These "works-of-art" are especially meaningful to those who wear it. Custom designs can include many colors, and unique patterns.

Dragon Phoenix Tattoo - Finding Original, Innovative Designs

As you probably know, search engines are one of the best ways to find information about just about anything. If you are like me, you probably turn to Google to solve any question or problems that you may have. Why is it then that Google, Yahoo and all the other search engines are completely useless for finding original, high quality dragon phoenix tattoo designs?

                    Quite simply it is because search engines were built to search for information, not designs and images. So when you do a search for dragon phoenix tattoo in a search engine it will bring you back a list of pages that it thinks will solve your query. The problem is though, that these pages may contain few or no designs, and the ones that are included are likely to be cookie cutter junk that every man and his dog has seen and used. It is the same with doing an image search, because the same images are shown over and over again for years so that by the time that you come across one that you like, it has been seen and used by millions of other people. And that just isn't what tattoos are all about. I don't know about you, but any tattoo that I consider getting has to be original and creative and express my personality.

So where is the best place to look for original and innovative dragon phoenix tattoos online? Well it may surprise you, but the best place is actually some of the big tattoo forums. Some of these places have a huge number of members and are frequented by tattoo artists who share their latest designs and ideas. Also they have links and recommendations to some of the biggest and best online tattoo galleries where you will find awesome dragon phoenix tattoo designs. If you spend a bit of time browsing around these sites I guarantee that you will find some little gems that you would never find through the search engines.

Phoenix Tattoo Designs - 5 Great Phoenix Designs to Choose For Your Next Tattoo

                     Phoenix tattoo designs are highly sought after because the phoenix has a magnificent look and is also highly symbolic. In this article, I'll tell you more about the meaning behind this tattoo and also tell you about 5 different phoenix tattoo designs you should consider before getting your tattoo.

Phoenix Tattoo Meaning

The phoenix has great mythological status in many cultures around the world including Japan, China and the ancient empires of Greece and Rome. Often depicted as rising from flames, it is a powerful symbol of rebirth.

Tribal Phoenix Tattoo Designs

The tribal phoenix tattoo comes in many forms and there are many to choose from. Most feature the bird with wings spread, a small head and a long tail. This accentuates the lines in this style of tattoo. A symmetrical version is often seen on the back or on the lower back.

A tribal phoenix tattoo is very intricate and to the casual observer it might not be obvious that the depiction is of a phoenix. This is something to bear in mind when considering this tattoo.

Japanese Phoenix Tattoo Designs

The phoenix does feature in Japanese culture but not as much as it does in others. It is considered a bird of immortality. Many people choose to get this tattoo done in the Japanese style of tattooing with rich colours and high levels of detail with minimal skin showing.

The striking unique aspect of tattoos of phoenixes in the Japanese style is the colour. Most feature a great colour range, not dissimilar to rainbow. Fiery reds and oranges are used often.

There is no standard Japanese design for this tattoo so expect your artist to have his or her own particular style of drawing one.

Small Phoenix Tattoo Designs

Small tattoos are almost always of the tribal style. This is also handy because they usually look quite subtle. Some good areas to put one of these tattoos are on the foot, the hip, the lower back and behind the ear.

Tattoos Of The Phoenix For Men Or For Women?

Phoenixes can be worn by men or women. They are not generally considered to be either male or female. The major difference is in the location.

Men tend to wear this kind of ink on the upper arm and chest. Women prefer the side of the torso, the back or the hip. There is no "cute" version of this tattoo but it generally does not matter - this tattoo looks equally good on both sexes.

Phoenix Tattoos Are the Best Choice For New Beginnings

The Legend...

In Greek, 'phoenix' means 'palm tree' but to most of us we know the phoenix as the mythological bird of fire. Many ancient cultures contain stories about the phoenix which, like the sun, dies in flames and rises each morning.

Christians came to see this as a metaphor for resurrection and Jewish legends talk about the Phoenix as the one creature that didn't leave paradise with Adam (and so wasn't tempted by 'forbidden fruit'). To the Chinese, the phoenix represents virtue and grace and in Japan the Phoenix is often combined with the dragon. Also, don't forget that the North American Indians have the Thunderbird which is a take on the Phoenix legend.

In short, the phoenix lives for 500 years and then sets fire to its nest and is consumed by the flames, only to be reborn from the ashes.

Today...

Today, the phoenix represents reliability, kindness, duty and often has feminine connotations. If you've been through a transformation because of adversity in your life, then the flames of the phoenix should be special to you. It's a great way to express a new beginning in your life and a symbol of moving on.

The Phoenix Tattoo...

Here are a few things to consider:

1. A phoenix tattoo needs to be quite large to get all the detail to stand out clearly. The back is a great area to have one inked, or maybe the chest. You need a bold statement. This is not a tattoo to wear discretely on your ankle!

2. You need lots of color - orange, yellow and red. However, don't be afraid to use a touch of blue, gold, copper and green to add your own unique touch.

3. Do you want the phoenix to be engulfed by flames or bursting from ashes? How about displaying your phoenix surrounding the globe so that you can portray the passing of time?

4. How about using an Egyptian phoenix design? Here, the phoenix has a man's body but with large wings. This would be different and certainly eye-catching!

As you can see, there are lots of things to consider when deciding on the style and design of your phoenix tattoo. Don't rush the process as this is going to be a big project that you want to be proud of.