The Symbolism of Skulls

photo by Flickr user ragz1138

The imagery of a skull tattoo can be regarded as beautiful, disturbing, angry, rebellious or even devotional. Throughout the ages, the image of the human skull has typically represented danger and the dark, hidden elements of our fragile human life. The empty gaze sees nothing, revealing the common thread that has us woven into the one inescapable journey that we will all eventually take.

The shape and structure of the human skull is immediately recognizable, evoking a sense of humility and power; a knowingness that death is a fate that we all share. Gazing into it’s dark, hollow eye sockets, we are humbled by the realization that we, too, are fleeting. For this reason, skulls have been seen as symbolic of death even though we each walk through our entire lives with our own skulls functioning as the core of our expressive and animated faces. They are the foundation of every smile, every spoken word. To fear the skull is to deny your life, for without it, what would you be?

Perhaps this strange duality is one of the reasons why skull designs are some of the most popular tattoos chosen. Grim reapers are often seen as somewhat demonic and more macabre, leaning towards the understanding that we all will die and garnering an acceptance of that simple truth. But skulls can also be representative of the end of a relationship, or of a phase of one’s life that has come to fruition.

photo by Flickr user miss birdnest hair

Though skull tattoos can be symbolic of endings, specifically the ending of life, they certainly are not limited in the way that they are viewed. They can also represent the new beginning that comes with the casting off of ones physical constraints. Calaveras, as they are called in Mexico, are revered and used as memorials to those who have been loved and lost. Whimsical skulls are created out of sugar and decorated with bright colors and designs. These ’sugar skulls’ are then offered with song and joyfulness to relatives and friends who have made the transition out of earthly life and into the realm of the spirit.

Skull tattoos have taken root in every tattoo style. You will find them in color, in black and gray, simple or complex, with expressions that are as varied as the human emotions themselves. Whether they represent one’s affinity for the darker side of life or have been chosen in honor of someone who has left their physical body but remains firmly embedded in the heart and memories of the wearer, the skull design brings us face to bony face with our own mortality and gives us pause to reflect upon how we are choosing to spend our brief time while we are here.