Grim reaper tattoo designs are for people who have accepted death as a reality of life and respect it as the ultimate leveler or dare to challenge it! I personally have always been intrigued with the symbolism of the grim reaper as a messenger of impending doom and a manifestation of death itself. Today grim reaper tattoo designs have become increasingly popular among people who indulge in body art and like to symbolize what they believe, in the form of temporary or permanent tattoos.
Symbolism Behind Grim Reaper Tattoo Designs
The grim reaper is always shown as a cloaked man with a skull for a face and bony hands and he carries a scythe with him, with which he reaps the harvest of souls. One of the most primordial fears of death is symbolized by the grim reaper. He is the very manifestation of the fear of doom. Since medieval times, this symbolism of the grim reaper has been around in the collective human psyche. He is supposed to be the messenger of death who rips the soul of people and transports it to the destination that it is meant for, which is either hell, heaven or a limbo! Death and especially the doubt whether there is life after death remains a mystery that humanity keeps pondering about.
The symbolism of the grim reaper has equivalents in every culture and civilization that arose on Earth. Tribal grim reaper tattoo designs will be different from what symbolizes death in the European mythology. To me at a certain level, as I understand it, the reaper is just doing his job and he is as helpless as we are! His grimness arises from the sorry job he is assigned which includes liberating people from their earthly bondage, while he himself is bonded for eternity! Read more on grim reaper origin and history.
Ideas For Grim Reaper Tattoo Designs
After that brief foray into the philosophy behind grim reaper tattoo designs and symbolism behind it, let me talk about some popular designs. Here are the ones that caught my attention.
Pensive Grim Reaper Tattoo Designs
The pensive grim reaper with his head down and thoughtful is one of the best tattoo designs that I came across. The reaper contemplating his next move makes for a great tattoo idea. This tattoo design with a message along with it will make for a great tattoo.
Grim Reaper Skull Tattoo Designs
Many people prefer a skull tattoo design with a close up of his grim face with hollow cavities for eyes and a bony hand warning with a finger raised. It can be a very intimidating and scary tattoo to have. Tough guys like sporting such tattoos, to project an aura of toughness! You could have a design portraying a blood thirsty grim reaper with blood on his scythe. That would be scary!
Cartoon Grim Reaper Tattoo Designs
Another option is going for a cartoon grim reaper tattoo design. He could be dressed in a suit instead of a cloak with scythe in hand and called the ‘Trim Reaper’, or he could shown to be relaxing on a beach taking a holiday! Cartoons can be crazy and you can have all sorts of funny ideas.
This exploration of the symbolism behind grim reaper tattoo designs may help you decide whether you want it as a tattoo. The grim reaper tattoo design is an tribute to our mortality and a reminder about limited time that we have here. It need not be a pessimistic attitude towards life. The reality of death and its inevitability helps us realize what we should really value in life. It can change your priorities for better. The end is inevitable, so you might as well enjoy the ride for now and value the time you have, rather than be afraid of facing it! If all this sounds very morbid to you, grim reaper tattoo designs are not for you.
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