Many people get starfish tattoos not only because they are beautiful to look at, but also because of the symbolic meaning attached to it. A starfish tattoo can depict tales of hope and the rise from darkness in many different ways depending on what you wish to convey about your own personal symbolism.
Some possible meanings for a star fish tattoo are rebirth, the star being a guiding light in dark times, overcoming great odds, and having faith.
Credit: Instagram
Hope
One of the meanings behind a star fish tattoo is hope. It has been said that when you see a starfish at sea it reminded you that there was life on earth even if your ship was sinking or if you were lost at sea. The lifeline found in the arms of this little creature gave sailors and anyone else who found themselves alone in the ocean hope for survival. When getting a tattoo depicting a starfish one can be reminded to always have hope no matter what happens and where they find themselves in their lives.
Fortune
Another possible meaning for this tattoo comes from folklore where it is believed that if one finds an intact five pointed starfish they can make a wish upon it and the starfish will grant the wish. This idea of having something that can grant wishes gives power to this tattoo design. However, if someone is getting the tattoo only for this reason then it would be wise not to get one inked on an untested location because once your wish has been granted you may end up with nothing but an empty shell instead of a beautiful body art design!
Rebirth
One less common meaning behind the star fish is about overcoming great odds or defeating death itself. In Japan it was thought that when a starfish died they reached heaven and had two choices: they become a new beginning or turn into a demon. This idea of rebirth and death is depicted in the form of this simple yet elegant tattoo design.
Faith
A fifth reason as to why someone might want to get a star fish tattoo is because it symbolizes faith and having faith in what you believe in no matter what happens around you. The possibility that these little creatures can give life and grant wishes or that they were once worshipped by sailors shows that people believed they bring good luck and positive change into their lives. This concept is also represented with the symbolism behind the starfish tattoos meaning. If someone believes in something hard enough than it can come to be, meaning that faith is powerful and believing in yourself and what you do is an incredibly important thing.
Some design ideas
The starfish tattoo design itself has many different shapes it can take. While the most common depiction of a starfish is five points with each arm equal there are variations such as having twenty arms instead of ten or nine point starfish tattoos where the arms are fused together at their tips to make them appear like clover leaves.
Credit Instagram
There are also some people who will get the standard version without points but rather just one whole circle which gives off more of an elegant looking impression for this body art option.
