Butterfly tattoos are growing in popularity all the time and are one of the designs most commonly requested by women. And it's not surprising. Butterflies are beautiful to look at and these designs carry a rich symbolism due to the short yet amazing life of these creatures. And due to the vast range of colors and species available, there's no reason why your tattoo shouldn't be absolutely unique to you.
There are almost 25,000 different types of butterfly and they range in size from an eighth of an inch across to a massive twelve inches in diameter. And then of course there's the color to consider. Many butterflies display the most beautiful range of bright and vibrant colors imaginable.
There are four main stages in the life of this amazing creature. They begin life as an egg, which turns into a caterpillar. At this stage (the pupa stage) they make a chrysalis or cocoon from which they emerge as an adult butterfly.
It's this transformation from an unspectacular caterpillar into a graceful and glorious butterfly that inspired the mythical Greek character called Psych who had the wings of a butterfly. Psych is the Greek word for both butterfly and the soul, hence the deep symbolic meaning of the butterfly tattoo. Many ancient people believed that the amazing transformation of the butterfly was similar to the soul's journey from an earthly body to a spiritual body.
However, despite this long chain of transformations, the final part of their lifespan (as an adult butterfly once it emerges from the pupa state) lasts only two weeks. This brief yet colorful contribution to life has been taken to represent the fragile nature of human life. Perhaps that's part of the appeal of butterfly tattoos.
But due to the vast number of choices available it can be incredibly difficult to find the right butterfly tattoo design. It's often said that finding the right design is as much an art in itself as the actual creation of the tattoo. So here are a few things to bear in mind when searching for your butterfly tattoo.