Temporary Tattoo Blog

What does a Seahorse Tattoo Mean

Thursday, January 29th, 2015

Meaning of seahorse tattoos

We must admit that there are many weird looking animals that nature has given on this planet and the seahorse is certainly one of them. “Weird” might not be the most appropriate word used to describe the seahorse, but rather mysterious, unusual, captivating are good adjectives for this small creature of the deep.

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The mystical symbolism of the seahorse dates back to the Ancient Greeks, European Alchemists and Asians, who interpreted this little creature in different ways.

  • The Greeks and Romans from Antiquity attributed the seahorse to Neptune or Poseidon, the sea god in their mythologies, turning it into a symbol of power and superiority.
  • The Ancient Europeans associated the seahorse with the sailors who spent most of their lives on water, so they considered this little creature as a carrier of the souls of sailors who died on sea, taking their spirits safely to the world of down under.

This way, the sailors considered the seahorse a lucky charm and were happy every time they came across one.

Due to its appearance that resembles a dragon’s, the Chinese thought the seahorse to be some kind of water dragon and attributed the same symbols of power, wisdom and good luck to it.

Observing its behavior, this small animal displays a calm and patient manner, seeming very happy to explore the depth of the sea. They move in an ambling manner, without hurrying and seeming to enjoy every second of their life.

Their body is not built for speed and they don’t need it, proof being the fact that there was no evolution in there structure ever since they were discovered and observed by the human eye.

These attributes of the seahorse bring along analogies with the human world and symbols: resistance, stability, stubbornness, persistence and so on. The way it clings with its tail by anything at reach, in order to avoid being carried away by rapid waters also gives a lesson of power to humans.

A fascinating fact about seahorses is that the male carries the eggs and fertilizes them, not the female. She inserts the eggs into his brooding pouch and he waits for them to hatch.

  • This is a lesson of sharing responsibilities in a couple and how important the connection between man and woman can be in the creation of a new being.

The exoskeleton that seahorses have protects them from predators or from other possible enemies in the surrounding environment, thus reminding humans of their own superficial system of defense which can sometimes be too hard or too soft.

The interesting things don’t stop here. The seahorse has another special ability: it can move its eyes in all directions, thus having a developed sense of sight, allowing it to be aware of everything that happens around.

  • People can also learn from this how important it is to keep an eye open for every detail and observe attentively everything that spins in our personal universe.

There are many analogies and lessons to be learned from this beautiful creatures, so people who choose to get a tattoo with a seahorse on their body have all the reasons in the world to do it. Check our huge collection sea horse tattoos here!

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