The tiger tattoo, is and was a powerful symbol across Asia in numerous cultures and has for long been a standard tattoo design. The animal is associated with power, ferocity, passion and sensuality, beauty and speed, cruelty and wrath.
The way the lion is regarded in the Middle East and Europe the tiger is also associated with power and the strength typical of kings or those at the helm of affairs. Probably the symbolism of the tiger would be related to a king’s predicament at watching another predator, who he would see as a potential threat or a competitor.
The tiger tattoo is rich in its historical as well as mythological significance. In Korea it is treated as the King of Animals and tattoo designs originating from this country would often carry depictions of the tiger as seen through their eyes. In India, the supreme God, Shiva or the Destroyer is depicted wearing tiger skin and riding on a tiger – to show supreme power over the world. The animal is sometimes depicted as a symbol of life and death and all things evil.
Likewise, the Chinese version would depict a tiger as warding off evil. That is the reason there are stone tigers placed outside homes and temples. During the reign of the Chou dynasty, images of tigers were hung in pregnant woman’s rooms to protect the unborn baby. In some areas tigers are thought to punish sinners, by attacking them.
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