In modern lives, tattooing has already been considered a method of body beautifying. However, those who intend to get a tattoo often think about a memorable moment, a painful event, a meaningful quote, or an image that exemplifies their lifestyle before going to the tattooist.
As mentioned, each tattoo has its idea of significance, which tattoo artists may explain before doing their job. And if you want a dagger image permanently printed on your skin, read the following content for dagger tattoo meaning before making a decision.
What Is A Dagger Tattoo?
Daggers are a kind of weapon that appeared in ancient history and is still used by most armies. It looks like a peeling knife in a kitchen but has a two-sided blade, an extremely sharp tip, and a crossing guard between the blade and the handle.
Daggers are primarily used in assassinating and melee combats. However, some countries use them as ceremonial and decorating objects.
Based on the above definition, a dagger tattoo often symbolizes meanings involving risks and threats from those who have it or in their daily lives. Therefore, people who intend to get a dagger tattoo may aim for the following ideas:
- Death
- Heart pains
- Aspiration
- Challenge, defiance, or fearlessness
- Life danger
- Betrayal and intimidation
Moreover, a dagger tattoo can be a combination of a dagger and another object or even an animal to have various meanings.
Where On The Body Can We Get A Dagger Tattoo?
A dagger is slim and thin, and even when combined with another object, it doesn’t form a large image. Therefore, you can tattoo a dagger on your arms and legs or stretch it from the neck to the upper back.
You can also choose to have one on your chest or central area of the back, but combine it with large objects or other tattoos to fill the around space and enhance the appearance. Moreover, a finger is ideal for putting a minor dagger tattoo as it is thin and long.
For detailed descriptions of popular dagger tattoos, continue to read the content below.
Traditional Dagger Tattoo Meaning: What Do They Stand For?
Although tattoo artists can add numerous objects to a dagger tattoo, there are several combinations with traditional ideas of significance as below:
Simple dagger tattoo
A simple dagger tattoo is an image of a tattoo solely without any accompanying object. This simplified dagger often symbolizes loyalty, sacrifice, or bravery. However, some people get it with a negative meaning like betrayal and deception they got in their lives.
Heart and dagger tattoo
The heart in a tattoo represents love, and it plays the same role when accompanying a dagger. The most popular pattern for this kind is a dagger piercing through a bleeding heart, illustrating the person’s heart pains. Those who have this tattoo may have broken their love, especially their first love, lost their most beloved one, or even their pet.
Moreover, some may use this tattoo to show that they have no more belief in love, but others want to honor eternal love through this image.
Dagger and rose tattoo
The design of a dagger and a rose is pretty popular in America, especially for those who love old-school styles. This tattoo represents duality in lives: the rose stands for positive aspects such as love, inspiration, or truth, while the dagger symbolizes opposing sides, including betrayal or deception.
Stabbing dagger tattoo
Those who want to reveal fearlessness and determination to overcome any severe problems prefer this tattoo. A stabbing dagger tattoo is a big picture of a dagger piercing through a fierce animal’s head, such as wolves or gorillas. This kind of tattoo is often in black and grey, representing simplicity but a vast spirit.
Some people want to express their colossal determination and choose a big tattoo on their chest or back, but others prefer a moderate one of their arm, shoulder, leg, or even finger.
Dragon and dagger tattoo
Dragon is an imaginary creature that often appears in myths, fairy tales, or movies. The dragon is considered the most powerful monster on Earth with various energy and even magic, making it the most frightening enemy in every tale and movie.
Like a stabbing tattoo, an image of a dagger and a dragon represents incredible ability and spirit to conquer any severe trouble or even disaster in life.
There are two styles for this tattoo. First, the dagger is drawn to pierce through the dragon’s head like a stabbing image. The second style is that the dragon is designed to wrap around the knife to highlight the main object.
In this way, the dragon’s head is often on the handle top, ending of the blade, or middle of the crossing guard, making it look like a part of the dagger.
Dagger and snake tattoo
A tattoo of a snake and a dagger is more mysterious than a stabbing or dragon tattoo. The appearance of a frightening snake may bring a feeling of evil, but the combination between it and a dagger symbolizes the balance of good and evil since no one is entirely a bad person.
Moreover, this tattoo also represents manly guys with cold blood like a snake. It also has the meaning of the ability to overcome harsh situations like a stabbing tattoo.
Skull and dagger tattoo
Many people may think about death when seeing an image of a skull, and indeed it is. This old-school tattoo is very popular in America, forming with a dagger piercing through a skull. However, the skull and dagger tattoo is not created to frighten other people or describe someone having it. Instead, its original purpose is to remind us that our lifetime is limited.
Death can come to us anytime, so make every living day a momentous day, as if it is the last day of our lives.
Dagger and swallow tattoo
Unlike the above tattoos, this style of tattooing symbolizes the most positive aspects of our lives: wealth, luck, and a safe way home.
However, the meaning of a dagger is undeniable in a tattoo. This two-sided knife symbolizes both danger and protection, represents bravery to deal with formidable enemies, and expresses colossal spirit to overcome difficult situations.
Modern Dagger Tattoo Styles: How To Vary The Dagger Image
More different dagger tattoos have appeared and become trendy in recent years, although old-school styles are still popular. The variety of dagger tattoos doesn’t come from the accompanying objects but the shape of the knife. In order words, the traditional dagger was changed to another kind of knife, depending on tattooing customers. These include:
- Curved sword or blade
- The upper part of a katana
- Poniard
- Regular knife
- Chef’s knife
What You Need To Prepare Before Getting A Tattoo
Getting a tattoo is costly and takes a lot of time. Moreover, once the tattoo is finished, you must spend more money to erase it if it does not satisfy you. Therefore, you may need to follow the advice below before going to the tattoo artist.
Get a tattoo idea
You may have many memorable moments, idolize some great people, or get some statements to remember, but choose one that has the most significant influence on you over time. Therefore, you will reduce the chance of regret after tattooing.
Study various kinds of tattoos
Once you get the idea, spend time studying different tattoos to consider which type and pattern represent what you want to express correctly. Any misunderstanding may lead to the wrong expression and cause misunderstanding of other people about you.
Choose a reputable tattoo shop
Not all tattoo artists in your location are reliable, so get advice from your friends or those who already have tattoos for the best shop. Otherwise, you may not be pleased with the tattoo or even suffer skin problems.
Prepare yourself and money
It is hurt when the tattoo artist penetrates the needles into your skin, and a tattoo often takes hours to finish, so make sure you can bear the feelings before deciding to get a tattoo.
As mentioned, tattooing is costly, so prepare a big pocket, including the tattoo cost and tips for the artist.
Listen to advice from the tattoo artist
When you get to the shop, you receive advice from the tattoo artist before tattooing, such as sleeping well, having a solid meal, or bringing snacks to use during the process. These tips help you better prepare and stay comfortable during the tattooing time.
Conclusion
We hope the above content provides sufficient knowledge about dagger tattoo meaning and related information. If you intend to get a dagger tattoo, make sure you remember all the ideas before deciding. And if you feel this article is informative, share it with your friends.
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