Phoenix Tattoos

Phoenix tattoos are some of the most visually arresting tattoo styles available. The Phoenix the legendary mythological bird of fire, is probably the most popular of all the rebirth and resurrection symbols.

These mythical tattoos offer tattoo artists a template for exciting designs and a cool-looking form of body art. There are stories and fables that touch on the Phoenix myth in the ancient Middle East, India, China and the Greek and Roman Empires.

The Phoenix is an extraordinarily long lived bird of great beauty and luxuriant plumage often described as golden or red-hued, living five hundred years or more, a fact attributed by one early Jewish legend that the Phoenix refused to eat the forbidden fruit of Paradise.

At the end of it's life the Phoenix would build a nest of aromatic twigs, set fire to itself, and be consumed in the funeral pyre of it's own making. After three days the Phoenix would arise from the ashes, reborn. Phoenix tattoos owe their design to the mythological phoenix bird that rose from the ashes of its death to live again.

In Egypt, the phoenix became an allegory for the resurrection and a belief in life after death, while in Arabia the visual tradition of the phoenix was established with legends of a powerful red bird that lived for hundreds and thousands of years and eventually died in a heap of flaming ashes only to be resurrected immediately into the form of a new phoenix.

As a tattoo symbol, the Phoenix can be found in many tattoo genres, but of the Far East in particular. Phoenix tribal tattoos, for example, are extremely popular with their aggressive black lines and jagged style that is so reminiscent of the neo tribal style. But they don't have to be tribal. Traditional phoenix tattoos are available everywhere. These tattoos have emphasis on flames and visual strength.

Phoenix tattoos have flexibility in their design that allows them to be modified to an individual's taste. In the early Christian Church the phoenix was a symbol of Christ's resurrection and everlasting life. The phoenix represented the victory of life over death. It is a symbol of resurrection, rebirth and regeneration. It also represents purification and transformation through fire and adversity.

The Phoenix was originally a symbol of the cycle of the rising and setting of the sun but over time evolved to become a symbol of human resurrection. On Roman coins the phoenix represented an undying Empire. Like many tattoo designs, phoenix tats have no set template and can be altered to what you like.

Here you can find the collection of phoenix tattoo designs and pictures.

Developed by TDDI, the tattoo designs expert.