Skull Tattoos

What does a skull tattoo mean?

A skull tattoo looks like a statement about death, yet its range is far wider. The Latin memento mori, "remember that you will die", was a call to live deliberately, and Dutch vanitas paintings of the 1600s set skulls beside wilting flowers to make the point. The Celts regarded the head as the seat of the soul. In Mexico, decorated calavera sugar skulls honor the dead with color during Día de los Muertos on November 1 and 2. In Tibetan Buddhism the skull cup (kapala) stands for wisdom and the reality of death, and biker and punk culture turned the skull into a badge of fearlessness and belonging. Companions change the reading: a skull and rose pairs beauty with decay, a skull and snake sets transformation against permanence, and butterflies bring in renewal. Calavera designs deserve respect for their Mexican roots.