Horse tattoo: history, meaning and popular sketches.
The horse is one of the oldest animals tamed by humans. For thousands of years, it has been a natural companion of man both in war, and an indispensable assistant, and a draft animal in everyday life. Almost all world cultures are associated with the cult of the horse. Against this background, it is not surprising that horse tattoos were made everywhere and decorated nobles, priests, warrior-riders and ordinary peasants in the most remote corners of the planet.
Due to the unambiguity of both domestic and military applications, the meaning of the horse tattoo varied little among different peoples. For men, horses were associated with courage, physical strength, endurance and speed. The meaning of a horse tattoo for girls and women was interpreted differently. Since in many cultures a horse was not only a sacred, but also a totem animal(amulet), a tattoo with a horse on a woman's body was designed to protect its bearer from violence and diseases when carrying a child. The opposite meaning was also often found: since wild horses are freedom-loving animals that prefer open free spaces, young girls who have not yet decided on their chosen one made themselves temporary tattoos in the form of a stylized horse silhouette (Scythians, Sarmatians, Pechenegs, later Mongols, etc. peoples of the steppe). This meant "reflection", and it was considered a serious crime to force the bearer of such a drawing to do something. Many peoples also associated horses with beauty and grace, as a result of which only the most beautiful and noble girls were decorated with drawings with them.
The modern meaning of the horse tattoo.
Depending on the gender of the carrier, it is now customary to interpret the drawing of a horse as follows:
- For men, horses symbolize courage, nobility, superiority, physical strength, the desire for freedom and power. Such tattoos are suitable for solid independent individuals with a strong character and pronounced leadership qualities;
- On the female body, the drawing is usually interpreted as a display of grace, grace, beauty, loyalty and a calm, peaceful character. Girls who make similar tattoos for themselves are most often dreamy personalities with a rich inner world and a sharp mind.
The most popular sketches of a horse tattoo:
- Celtic style. Most often it is a monochrome stylized image of the Celtic goddess Epona, who was responsible for fertility and sexual power. Due to the complex pattern and the general artistic style, such a drawing looks very impressive;
- Tribal (tribal style). A strong sacred symbol that has its roots in ancient times. These one-color patterns that form horse figures are very popular with various informal people and people associated with spiritual practices. Most often they are stuffed not "for beauty", but as various amulets;
- Pegasi. Winged horses are very popular with creative people. Usually they can be found in a monochrome or natural style;
- Classic art style. It consists of whole canvases instead of canvas placed on the human body. You need to love horses very much to decide on such a large, complex, expensive and very painful drawing. But if the master really knows how to draw and knows his business—on the beach you will be guaranteed to attract the enthusiastic glances of all those present.
