The bear, in our history and as part of nature has a lot of symbolism. First of all, there are many different types of bears such as the polar bear, black bear, and the grizzly – among many others. Each of these bears have very different personality patterns and habits – that when depicted in a tattoo can present very different meanings. As far as symbolism is concerned, bears rank pretty high on the food chain – literally! Native Americans believe that a bear is considered very special, endowed with special powers. Some of the tribes even revered it as sacred having the power to heal.
On the contrary, the bear is symbolically a gentle and noble creature which can turn fierce when it feels endangered. When weighing the symbolic value of a bear tattoo you may need to consider both of these aspects. Due to the duality of these beliefs the bear has been viewed with awe as well as fear. For example the Europeans and Celts considered the bear to be a fierce symbol of war. Some Christians also endowed the bear with the quality of being cruel.
Some Native American tribes associated the bear with the ability to locate things effectively. The bear for Sioux Indians, signifies the air – an essential part of life. Thereby it is associated with whirlwinds which are supposed to mislead and confuse foes thus helping them win the fight. For many a tribe the bear was about self analysis and pondering the deeper truths within while sitting in silence. Plus the bear was attributed with both female and male qualities. The manly qualities attributed to the bear include bravery, strength, indestructibility and keen observation. The womanly qualities were earthiness and the ability to create.
With so many breeds of bear being there, a person from a certain place may get a tattoo of the bear breed from that particular region as a means of expressing the fact that they belong to that region. Plus having a symbol of the region tattooed on your body allows you to feel that part of that place is always with you.
Going to deeper level a person may decide to get an ursine tattoo to represent one of the many qualities a bear has been attributed with. This could be a quality that the person believes he or she has or could be the quality they are striving for or feeling the lack of in their lives.
Many people get a bear tattoo because they believe it protects them and also provides them with confidence. With bears being fiercely protective of their space and their young ones this gets translated to protection and the confidence to fight for what is theirs. It is also believed that since the mother bear is very protective of its cub, it is also a symbol of things that are great about motherhood.
Now coming to designs of bear tattoos, we believe that the choice is endless. By itself a bear is quite fascinating but you can make it even more attractive visually by adding other elements and things to it. The expression on the bear can also vary depending on what you are trying to portray. For example – fierce to portray protection and soft to portray motherhood.
If you are planning on an entirely different look then you can go for a cartoon version of the bear. Cuter versions could portray a cuddly looking bear. The bear are also significant in sports and the stock market. You may consider this aspect too while you get a bear tattoo.
Go through the images and then decide on where you want the bear tattoo after considering what it means to you.
Some examples of impressive and excellent Bear Tattoo Designs are shown below:
Excelent article, but there is a koala in the second picture of the last list! LOL. Thanks for the fantastic ideas.
Koala “bear”! LOL
And yes my real name IS Bear.