All About Demon Tattoo Meanings
Demons are potent tattoo designs, rich with meaning and symbolism. And there are many demon tattoos available to you, depending on whether your looking for a Western or Asian demon. In the West demons are described as angels tossed out of heaven by God for their pride and vanity. In this tradition, demons had a reputation for evil, causing pain and suffering to humankind. They were tricky, sly, and had the power of prophecy, which was very useful when leading poor, weak humans astray. They could enter a living person causing sickness or madness, but could also be driven out.
And they could also be domesticated enough to serve as a force to scare other evil spirits away. The more popular demons come complete with horns, fangs, claws, and open mouths; scary enough to keep evil spirits at a distance. If you would rather have a Japanese influenced demon tattoo like the one depicted in the picture, then there is a whole different symbolism associated with them.
Unlike demons in Western culture, the Japanese varieties, depending on their mood, might actually be sweet natured and helpful to humans, lavishing their protection and guidance on those they take a fancy to. The Japanese typically decorated their homes with protective talismans, including images of demons.
Most demon tattoos show the darker side to this image. These figures are usually shown in monotone colors, but when colored they are frequently seen in bold reds, greens and blues. This demon is normally similar in outline to a filled out version of a skull and bones. The teeth are exposed in a menacing grin, and the eyes are sunken in. Another version of this demon is the large, muscular equivalent.
Unlike its more skeletal brethren, this version has a large, square-jawed face. However, in both cases, these demons sport a very characteristic waggish grin, which is meant to depict the playfully deleterious nature of this particular creature. This variety of tattoo usually features other symbols such as flames, weapons, barbed wire, tears and even occasionally religious symbols.
There is also a call for cheekier demon tattoos. These are quite often seen in a cartoon style, and tend to show a more cherubic depiction of this figure. These images are usually seen as little red creatures with horns and a forked tail, usually holding a pitchfork, and dressed in children’s garb. They also bear a naughty expression, as if on the verge of doing something bad and enjoying it.
Many people also like demon tattoos that show the war between good and evil. You can use a scene akin to classic paintings, which depict a strong, malevolent demon locked in battle with a righteous, winged angel. These images usually show the two characters in a realistic-looking manner, and are generally set in a scene of either a blue and cloudy heaven, or red and fiery hell.
