Tattoos that feature daggers or knives in them have a lot of meanings right from direct meanings to mysterious and cryptic ones. It is a fact that daggers in all forms and sizes have been featured in many stories, incidents and anecdotes from the past. As far as being a part of a tattoo motif is concerned a dagger can be drawn on its own or in combination with other objects.
With an object that is so interesting, the possibilities of designs for body art featuring the dagger are endless. This shows in the choice you have as far as a tattoo design with a dagger in them goes. The fact is that the dagger as a subject for art is so fascinating that artists have come up with many creative designs with them. Since the dagger design is almost always drawn with some other objects like flowers, fruits, heart symbol, skulls, mythological creatures like the dragon, feathers etc.
Like the dagger itself which carried many meanings and uses, dagger tattoos can also mean many things. For instance daggers have been worn for decoration, daggers are used to attack others and defend oneself. Daggers have also been part of many ceremonies, celebrations and sacrifices. Over the years past many different cultures have used the dagger in many ways that have meant a lot of things.
Since the dagger is one such symbol whose meaning depends on the usage. For instance the carrier of a dagger could be simply carrying it to protect herself or it could be a weapon of survival when out in the wild. When carried by a warrior it shows his/her fighting spirit, courage and skills at attacking and defending. It could also be a symbol of independence as the person who wields it feels self sufficient having armed himself/herself.
It could become a symbol of sacrifice when worn by a patriot defending his/her country. The meanings and symbolism associated with the dagger and dagger based tattoos can be endless.
We will look at some of the most used dagger based tattoos and what they mean:
- A heart with a dagger stabbed through it: This one is rather obvious as it could mean heartbreak, betrayal or some such tragic event.
- A skull along with dagger: This could be taken as a protective symbol or to mean demise or even a mark of courage. It could also denote freedom
- A dagger slicing through a cherry: Believed to be of oriental origin the cherry represents hope and the dagger with it means eternal or everlasting hope
- A beautiful rose with a dagger: Two beautiful objects which have the capacity to pierce you when not handled properly could mean the harsh realities of life. This means with great beauty comes a world of hurt and one needs to be strong to survive this.
- A dagger along with snakes: This design has its roots in Roman Mythology, more specifically to do with the God Mercury.
- Dagger with a drop of blood: This could denote the way daggers are known to cause bloodshed. Whether in battle of when something or someone is sacrificed during a ritual.
- Dagger with a swallow: This is considered a sign of good luck and when depicted in a tattoo it is to ensure that a person undertaking something has a good journey and reaches his/her destination without any problems.
Since the design possibilities for a tattoo design with a dagger are endless, do take the time to research and find out what your chosen design means and whether it suits your purpose for picking it. In case you feel it does not match your need, then you can always look for other design possibilities.
You can also look at other examples of Daggers or Knives Tattoo Designs.
Trying to find a pattern for my wife’s calf – two hearts with a Naval officer’s sword through it – an American Flag draped over it that will have the names, birth & death dates of her parents – the tattoo is to start on the 8th so any assistance will truly be appreciated