Fairy Tattoos
Fairy tattoos are a fairly recent development and they represent a certain range of interests or way of thinking. A fairy tattoo design can be cute and rather precious, like something out of a children's book, but fairies are not as innocent as they look.
Fairy tattoos have a nostalgic appeal for those who remember childhood fondly and wish to keep the images of childhood part of their lives on an ongoing basis. In that sense, fairy tattoos are a symbol of our youth.
The fairy is a female mythological figure that has magical powers and originates from Celtic mythology. Usually they are small, beautiful creatures with transparent wings, a colorful dress and a human appearance.
They live in wonderland and can take people there as well. According to legend, there is little consensus regarding how big fairies were, and how human-like they were in appearance. The small, Tinkerbell-type fairy is only one interpretation.
The supernatural powers of the fairy include:
- Flying
- Casting spells
- Foreseeing and influencing the future
The origins of fairies are not very clear, there are several beliefs of what fairies really are:
- A popular belief is that fairies are the dead.
- Another belief is that they are a kind of degraded angel.
- Others view them as an intelligent species, different from angels and humans. They used to live on the British islands, but were forced into hiding.
- Yet another belief is that they were devils.
Fairy Wing Tattoo
Like I told you, not all fairy tattoos are as innocent as they look. Fairies have a touch of evil, a dark side – in fact, these mythical creatures are far more likely to be mischievous or even fearsome. Among medieval societies fairies were feared.
According to legend fairies would do things like:
- Steal a baby and leave one of their own in its place (changeling).
- Abduct older people.
- They could poison livestock and ruin a harvest.
- Fairies can even be deadly if a human falls in love with one.
In short, they were to be respected and feared. So while there are some pretty and cute fairy tattoos, there are also evil fairy tattoos that are decidedly Gothic in tone and appearance.
Fairy Tattoo Designs
Tattoos of fairies blend well with other tattoo designs and these can create a delicate and pretty set of tattoo images – very feminine. Here are some of the most popular design combinations:
- Fairy + flowers + butterfly tattoo.
- Moon star fairy tattoos (a combination with a shooting star is also popular).
- Fairy + angel tattoo (or with a cherub).
- A fairy sitting on a mushroom.
- Fairy + clover.
- Fairies blend in well with tribal or Celtic designs. They don't lend themselves well to abstract patterns though.
Cute Fairy Tattoo
The fairy tattoo design appeals to a wide variety of people and they can represent a variety of lifestyles. They are very feminine of course and they add a touch of I'm-cute-but-don't-mess-with-me.
Fairy tattoos can be large or small, black or colorful, happy or sad, cute or evil.
A lone fairy tattoo on an upper arm or ankle is a nice, subtle tattoo. It’s quite unobtrusive, but more individualistic – even quirky - than many other feminine tattoo designs.
When talking about fairy art, it's hard not to mention Amy Brown, a popular American fairy artist, whose watercolor drawings enjoy some popularity as a tattoo design.
Fairy tattoos are perhaps not common enough to be called a trend - but they do have a fair following.
Designs & Pictures
Here's our photo and design gallery. Click the thumbnails for full view.
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Pixie And Tinkerbell Tattoos
Pixies are mythical creatures with pointed eyes and ears, green clothing and a pointed hat.
Pixies originate from Celtic folklore, just like fairies. They like to play tricks on people, by stealing and throwing things at them. There are 2 theories about their origin:
- Theory 1 goes that pixies are people who are not good enough to go to heaven and not bad enough to go to hell.
- Theory 2 says that pixies are druids who rejected Christianity. God punished them by making them smaller and smaller until they accept Christianity as their faith.
J. M. Barrie's Tinkerbell, from the novel Peter Pan, is sometimes described as being a pixie, but she is actually a fairy. Her looks were made immortal by Disney's Peter Pan movie.
Pixie and Tinkerbell tattoos enjoy a certain popularity the last decade or so.
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Celebrities with Fairy Tattoos
- Alyssa Milano: actress from "Who's Your Boss" and "Charmed" has a fairy tattoo on her stomach.
- Britney Spears has got a fairy tattoo on her lower back.
Do you know other celebrities with a fairy tattoo? Let me know if you do...
Have a look at more pictures of fairy tattoos in our Tattoo Photo Galleries...
You'll also love our Peace Sign and Cute Tattoo Ideas...
