LEGENDS AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE DREAMCATCHER TATTOOS

francinenatalyia865April 21, 2021

1,339 4 minutes read

Tattoos are not the modern-day’s trend. They have been around for years in different styles and forms and have been evolving ever since. Dreamcatcher tattoos are one of the most mystical and intriguing designs having been associated with lots of myths and legends. Tattoos for Men.com has some gripping information for you so keep reading.

Parts of Dreamcatcher Tattoos

The idea of the dreamcatcher is believed to be birthed by the Native American, Ojibwe nation. It is highly symbolic and is valued as an amulet. It is a mesh of threads gracefully crafted to usually hang on your bedroom walls, door, or window and keep the evil spirits and negative energies away. Although the authenticity of this claim is hard to verify as there is no solid evidence yet been discovered but the legends associated with it are so enthralling that one wants to believe it actually works. Before getting into the stories, let’s first understand the construction of a dreamcatcher and the meaning behind it. The traditional dreamcatcher consists of four parts as follows:

The Hoop: The circular hoop or ring means the circle of life. The circle of life is the symbolic representation of birth, survival, and death. There is another opinion regarding the hoop that it represents Sun and the Moon traveling across the sky. The number of hoops can range from one to multiple depending on the design. The most common choice for a dreamcatcher is one big hoop having three small hops dangling from it.
The Feathers: The feathers are believed to help the good dreams and positive energies to penetrate to the sleeping person or you can say they act as a path for good dreams to enter the person’s mind.
The Web: The web catches bad dreams and negative energies and eliminates them in the daytime. It is a symbol of protection.
The Beads: there could be one or more beads but there is no single answer as to what they mean. The most popular view is that these bead/ beads are the spiders trapped in the web of the dreamcatcher. The second popular opinion is that these beads are the good dreams that couldn’t enter the sleeping person’s mind.

Legends Associated with Dreamcatcher Tattoos:

Best-Cool-Tattoos-For-Men

Some interesting stories are linked to dreamcatcher tattoos. The most popular legend is about a ‘Spider Women’, a magical creature, who traveled across the lands of Anishinabe people. She visited the cradles of babies and made webs over their rocking cradles which were believed to protect the babies from bad dreams and only allowed to enter good happy dreams. Nut as this tribe grew in number they had to migrate in search of more land where they could live comfortably but due to this reason, the Spider woman could not reach all the children to protect them from the evil world. So, the women of Anishinabe tribe, in order to help the Spider-woman, started making webs to ensure their babies sleep soundly at night.

Nokomis and the Spider

Another popular myth is regarding an old lady called Nokomis and the spider. The legend says that Nokomis used to watch the spider making a web efficiently in the space right next to her where she slept. She stared at the process with amazement every day. One day as she stared at the spider, as usual, her grandson suddenly entered the room and she saw the spider he ran towards it to kill it but Nokomis stopped him immediately. The little boy wondered why she didn’t let him kill the spider but the grandmother smiled and kept silent. After her grandson left, the spider showed his gratitude towards the old lady but creating a beautiful web across the window that shone silver as the moon rose. Nokomis was struck by amazement as the spider spoke to her saying, “ This is my gift to you. It will only let good dreams through and bad dreams will get trapped and will not reach you”.

Dreamcatcher Tattoo Ideas:

Dreamcatcher tattoos serve the same purpose, they represent protection and safety. Both men and women, nowadays get it tattooed on various parts of their body, the most common of which are arm, back, neck and wrist. The design of these tattoos is also diverse, having traditional elements but with modern touches. There are more then 150 options to choose from and the best thing about dreamcatcher tattoos is that you can customize them according to your liking, be it the colors or the elements such as, animals, leaves, beads etc. You can get one as simple and original or personalize it by exploring your inner creativity. In short, the choices are endless with dreamcatcher tattoos. Some of the intricate dreamcatcher designs include the following:

Eye dreamcatcher: An eye typically placed in the center of the hoop is not an uncommon design. The eyes are considered gateways to one’s soul. An eye tattoo also represents faith, prophecy, and the ability to foretell the future. Together with dreamcatcher it makes a hyper-realistic combination to avoid evil spirits and the creatures of the dark world.
Bird dreamcatcher: A traditional dreamcatcher consists of feathers so incorporating a bird seems a smart approach. The owl is the most common choice, which represents wisdom in Western culture. These two elements highlight the ties of nature and harmonize very well.
Elephant dreamcatcher: An elephant symbolizes strength and power as well as good luck and prosperity. This combination is very popular and is a symbol of positivity and harmony.
Heart dreamcatcher: Rather than a hoop, a heart-shaped is becoming a popular choice these days. This modification does in fact challenges the authenticity of a dreamcatcher and effects its meaning, but this design looks very artistic and interesting on its own.
Deer dreamcatcher: In Native American culture, a deer represents power and is also a symbol of gentleness, intuition, and sensitivity. Usually, the head of the deer is incorporated in the center of the dreamcatcher hoop.

On a final note, dreamcatcher has always been a topic full of fascination. Regardless, if you believe its meaning or not, it is fair to say that it looks very pretty as a tattoo. For more information regarding the history, design, and other concerns related to tattoos do visit our website tattoos-for-men.com for authentic and detailed information.