Dove tattoos have become very popular among men and women all over the world, because they can be small or large, making them an ideal choice for any part of the body, and because they can be easily customized, without thus depriving them of their original symbolism.
Dove tattoos meanings
The dove was one of the most used symbols in different cultures of the world. For example, Christians have been associated with the dove since the baptism of Jesus; the dove appeared with symbolic meaning and, since then, it has been used in many religious images, and not only.
However, the dove can mean a lot of things, if imprinted on your skin, and it doesn’t just imply religious meanings.
Here are the main ones:
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Peace and harmony
a white dove with an olive branch has been used by many Christians as a symbol of peace. The color white globally symbolizes peace, and therefore a white dove and an olive branch mean peace and harmony like few other signs;
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infinite love
one of the characteristics of the dove is that once it mates, it will live forever with its partner. In short, the male and the female of the dove fall in love and raise their young together, and this can only demonstrate a constant, infinite love. Starting from this idea, many people have made tattoos on themselves with two doves, male and female to symbolize infinite love;
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Messenger
Religiously, a dove tattoo also symbolizes the messenger. Occasionally, writings in the Bible show a dove sent by God to deliver a certain message to humans. As a result, doves were used to symbolize communication and the transmission of meanings;
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New Beginning
In the Bible, two doves were used to symbolize a new beginning. This meant that doves were used in tattoos to indicate a new restart of one’s life;
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family
this value is closely linked to the infinite love we have already talked about. The two tattooed male and female doves can in fact also be used to symbolize a family. The way of life of the dove shows, by concrete example, what a family should be like, with the husband and wife who should be together in good times and bad, and take care of their children. Doves do not separate until death; the same case should apply to a family;
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success
a dove tattoo consisting of a dove with an olive branch can also be used to symbolize success;
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Holy Spirit
Christians believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit. As already mentioned above, Jesus was baptized and two doves landed on his shoulder. According to Christians, this can justify the presence of the Holy Spirit through doves, and that is precisely why Christians today sport dove tattoos as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Types of dove tattoos
Let’s now share a series of small variations in the types of dove tattoos :
- two doves with key and lock: this is a really captivating design to be able to show the goodness of one’s relationship. It consists of a dove holding a lock and another holding a key, flying toward the one with the lock. The best position to have this design is on the chest, as it is used to symbolize love for a loved one;
- dove with an olive branch – this is another pretty common design. While very popular, it has never become outdated or out of date. As mentioned above, it is used to symbolize victory or achievement and can be portrayed practically anywhere on one’s body;
- Dove Holding a Ribbon: In addition to the meanings illustrated above, dove tattoos can also be used to manifest other symbolisms. For example, a dove holding a ribbon using its beak allows us to write the words we want to draw attention to on the same ribbon. Even this design can be replicated anywhere, on your body;
- a dove holding a yellow rose: mainly chosen by women, the design consists of a dove with open wings holding a yellow rose with paws. This is an original tattoo, chosen mainly because of the blending of colors;
- dove in the clouds: on the other hand, this is a more common drawing among men. Made on the hand, it is a dove flying upwards, drawn in black and white. The clouds give the tattoo a nice artistic effect.