Snake Tattoo Meaning
Snake Tattoo Meaning (at-a-glance):
- Renewal
- Protection
- Transition
- Mystery
- Defense
- Magic
- Infinity
- Sexuality
- Hidden
- Grounded
- Transformation
Snake tattoos are classic. Utterly classic. Ok, so I’m biased.
I’ve got quite a few serpentine tattoos. I’m just compelled that way. Fortunately, snake tattoo meanings are as diverse as my own views/moods/persuasions. In other words, theses silky ink-sentinels are so vast in their symbolic potential, that they accommodate my own complexities without fail.
If you’re a diverse soul, and recognize the depth of your own diversity, a snake tattoo might appeal to you too.
Why? Let’s take a look at snake symbolism throughout various cultures.
In Greek myth, snakes are symbolic of health and healing as we see them associated with Asclepius (see the Staff of Asclepius tattoo meaning here), who was a renowned deity of medicine, healing and said to grant regenerative powers. That sense of renewal comes from the snake who sheds off the old (skin) and emergest shiny, bright and new after each shedding.
Snakes in many cultures (African, Chinese, Native American Hopi to name a few) are associated with water, and this emphasizes their connection to healing. Why? Because water is symbolic of healing, cleansing and purifying.
Are you intent on personal purification? Is the concept of healing, renewing and clarifying vital to you? If so, you may owe it to yourself to research this aspect of snake tattoo meaning. The more you research this angle of snake symbolism, the more you may find yourself empowered by it.
Asclepius’ snake is singular, but myth also shows many deities with double-snakes, and these will have powerful meanings of balance, duality, and joining opposing elements for the purpose of unification – even enlightenment. You can learn more about these symbolic concepts of double-snakes on my Caduceus tattoo symbolism page.
Are you acutely aware of the inherent polarities in all life? Do you constantly seek temperance and happy-mediums and balance? If so, you may want to look into some very ancient wisdom about the double-snake symbolism. For example, you can look to ancient alchemy who use the double-snake illustration as a sign-post to denote the conjugation of opposites with a goal for higher (illumined, balanced, advanced) results (offspring/progeny – a union of two causing a birth of something new and fundamentally more advanced). You can also research double-snake symbolism in Hindu myth/legend where you’ll learn about a metaphysical connectionas discussed in the kundalini phenomenon.
Snakes are also protective symbols. They are considered protectors of the underworld in Greco-Roman ideology, and are often seen in funerary art to convey guardianship over burial sites. Countless ancient cultures recognize snakes as protectors of abstruse mysteries, and that’s why we see snakes commonly adorn magical personalities through history. Whether a priestess like Pythia or a sage like Hermes, when you see a snake associated with powerful archetypes of deep (esoteric/occult) wisdom, it is a symbol of protecting sacred knowledge. Let’s face it, the snake can be a pretty intimidating force, and so, it’s a perfect icon for guarding that which is profoundly mystical. Just another aspect to consider while you contemplate snake tattoo meaning.
As you continue your research about snake symbolism, you’re going to find tons of meanings and varying discussions about what this noble creature represents. That’s why I find it so appropriate as a tattoo. The snake is a shifter, and as my own inner landscape shifts, I find my snake tattoos are fully qualified to shift with me. To be sure, snakes can accommodate fathoms of moods, meanings and ideas – and so they make perfect emblems of power.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these scant thoughts on snake tattoo meaning. Check out the links below for more rounding-out of your research:
Snake Symbolism (full-detail article)
Staff of Asclepius Tattoo Symbolism
Uroboros Symbolism (the snake that devours its own tail)
