The image of the dragonfly sparks the creative power of the imagination. Living in an aura of fantasy, the dragonfly’s fluttering wings inspire thoughts of fairies and butterflies; bubbles and snowflakes. They flit from flower to flower, from tree to tree; settling on dew-kissed leaves and grass. Within sight yet always out of reach, the dragonfly has buzzed itself into the tattoo culture. Dragonfly tattoo designs are landing everywhere – on arms, chests, hips and tailbones!
Now, instead of capturing these enchanting creatures in glass jars or nets, many people have decided to eternally capture them on containers of flesh. Blue, green, or violet; pink, silver or golden; the dragonfly has proven itself a deserving addition to the world of parlor art.
Why Are Dragonfly Tattoo Designs So Popular?
Dragonflies began to see a sharp rise in popularity in the later half of the 90’s. Along with ladybugs, butterflies, fairies and flowers, they witnessed to a rising trend of young women going “under the gun”. Small, demure but incredibly sexy designs began showing up more and more often across the country, and in truth, the world. On breasts, shoulders, hipbones and tailbones, starkly feminine designs like the dragonfly were finding more forms and homes.
But dragonflies have brought with them more than simply an artistic appeal. The more that you learn about this small but very powerful creature, the more you understand that it is not only a testimony to beauty, but also to strength and more importantly, change.
You see, the dragonfly is very similar to the butterfly in two respects: first, they both are flying insects with four wings, and secondly, they both go through a metamorphosis period to emerge as fully formed and functional new creatures. For the dragonfly (and its closest relative, the damselfly), life starts out encased in an egg. These eggs are laid in water, and when the young dragonfly emerges, it is known as a nymph. These juvenile dragonflies are not nearly of the beauty or stature of their adult counterparts. In fact, they can be downright ugly. Their wings are tiny and their jaws are large and extended, to make it easier to find their favorite foods (like mosquito larvae). They can spend three years in the nymph stage, living in water, waiting to truly take form.
The chance that the procedure of morphing from nymph to dragonfly is painful is very high. The first step seems easy enough. The nymph just climbs out of the water to rest on a plant stem or leaf. But then, the process really begins! The skin of the nymph begins to split, with the new head emerging from the ruins. The rest of it emerges, until finally free, its wings have a chance to dry and become strong enough to fly. The process takes about two hours. However, it won’t be fully complete for another day or two, when the beautiful colors begin to fully come in.
Putting the “Dragon” In Dragonfly
Dragonflies were originally given their name to pay tribute to the awesome power and strength of their jaws for hunting and catching their prey. Their diet consists mostly of flies and mosquitoes and the like, which luckily we view as pests. As a matter of fact, their hunting skills are usefulness to us has earned them the nickname of “mosquito hawk”.
Of course, the dragonfly has been around for millions of millennia, showing up many years before dinosaurs emerged. This has given them plenty of time to adapt to their environment and breed in amazing hunting and survival skills. The only real difference between their ancient predecessors and the modern progeny is in the matter of size and wingspan. The ancient dragonflies were considerably larger than even the largest of today’s dragonflies (which has a pretty impressive 7” wingspan).
Through this time, they’ve learned to maneuver like masters, out-flying and out-thinking their prey. They’ve also got amazing eyesight, with eyes somewhat like a spiders, based on hundred of small 6 sided facets which form a grid-like pattern to detect even the slightest movements.
So, what may have appeared as simply a feminine design turns out, in fact, to be quite a fierce natural predator! Much like the people who chose the dragonfly as their emblem, it would be dangerous to judge these creatures based on appearances alone – especially is you’re a mosquito.
The Hidden Meaning of the Dragonfly
The dragonfly’s shell is designed with special facets that reflect and refract their beautiful colors and the light of the sun. This almost sparkling appearance has leant added meaning to the dragonfly’s form. They’ve taken on a mystical and magical symbolism. The dragonfly’s magic is it’s light magic, and all of the wonderful similes, metaphors and clichés that light has inspired. In Japan, the Japanese people have chosen to honor the dragonfly as a symbol of joy and new light.
Thus, the dragonfly has come to be an image that inspires us to not only learn to practice the shedding and mirroring of light in our own lives, but to learn to see when others are doing it too!
Your Dragonfly Tattoo Design
Dragonflies lend themselves to so many other thought, ideas and associations that it’s pretty much futile to limit the possibilities for a dragonfly tattoo design. Any color you like would be appropriate: silver, gold, emerald green, sky blue, grey, lavender, you name it. They can appear on ankles, thighs, backsides, lower backs, shoulders, armbands and breasts.
Additionally, dragonflies certainly aren’t limited to women! In Native American astrology, there is a strong belief that each person has a totem animal spirit which serves as their guardians and guides through certain phases of life. Often, an individual would have many different totems throughout life, some for just a time, some for their entire lives. And one of these totem spirits was the spirit of the dragonfly. It would adopt men and women, young and old. The dragonfly spirit means you must consciously make an effort to express your hopes, dreams, needs and wishes.
The dragonfly spirit is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment; and the communication from the elemental world. Its medicine beckons you to seek out the parts of your habits which need changing. You can turn to the dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation.
Source : http://www.tattoojohnny.com/dragonfly-tattoo-designs.asp
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