Tribal Dragon Tattoo

It is hard to put a finger on the true meaning behind a Tribal Dragon Tattoo, simply because are there have been so many different stories over the years.  For example, everybody knows about how the dragon became a legendary foe in the European culture, as made famous by the epic tale Beowulf.  If we turn to the Middle East, the image of the dragon was based-off of actual lizards who could survive in the deserts rather than mythological or fabled creature concepts. But if we were to turn to Asian folklore, we would find a completely different dragon—not only in terms of aesthetics but in terms of symbolism as well.

In traditional Asian folklore, the dragon was a creature of wisdom and provided predictions were used to protect the townspeople.  Where they were a feared symbol of the West, the East honored the dragon as a god-like creature. In Japanese culture, the dragon is typically considered a symbol of physical strength and a warrior-like skill set as well as determination. In Chinese culture, the Koi dragon—specifically—is indicative of rebirth and spiritual strength where as its traditional dragon image is symbolic of good luck and is believed to be a promise of good fortune.

If you want your Tribal Dragon Tattoo to emulate the wisdom of the Asian dragon, you can find dragon images that have inquisitive looking face or even dragons that have beards. In the traditional Chinese concept of Dragons, Dragons are often capable of flying. In traditional Japanese concepts of Dragons, Dragons are water dwelling creatures who resemble serpents or snakes more than they do a dragon in the contexts of other traditional cultures. Japanese Dragons are slender, lean, and slim—which creates some interesting designs options and conceptual characteristics for a Tribal Dragon Tattoo incorporating a traditional image of a Japanese Dragon.

Various dragon tales have brought various images and concepts of the dragon to popularity in the tattoo world, but it was Celtic tribes that provided the Tribal Dragon Tattoo most of us know and love today.  With a fiercer look than most dragons’, these tattoos feature more of lizard-type creatures for dragons, using the swirls and swerving line patterns to delineate scales and body shape.   Several features that are common to the dragon in Tribal Dragon Tattoo are a forked tongue, small and even wide-spreading wings, as well as the classic image of a fire-breathing dragon.