Butterfly Tattoo Meaning
The butterfly is one of the most searched tattoo meanings in America. Its life — a caterpillar, a cocoon and then wings — makes it the clearest symbol of change people have.
Transformation and new beginnings
A butterfly begins as a caterpillar, closes itself in a cocoon and comes out as something completely different. That is why it stands for transformation, growth and starting again — after an illness, a loss, a divorce, a hard period of life.
The butterfly as the soul
In ancient Greek the word psyche meant both "soul" and "butterfly". In many cultures a butterfly is the soul of a person who has died, and a butterfly that appears after a death is seen as a visit from a loved one. This makes the butterfly one of the most common memorial tattoos, often with a name, a date or a portrait.
Freedom and lightness
Butterflies also simply mean freedom, joy and beauty that does not last long — which makes every moment of it more valuable.
Butterflies and moths
The moth is the butterfly's night-time twin. It flies toward light, so it is often read as a search for truth or faith, and also as attraction to something that can burn. The death's-head hawkmoth, with a pattern like a human skull on its back, joins the butterfly's meaning of the soul with memento mori — a strong subject for dark art.
Butterflies in black and grey realism
Without color, a butterfly is built from the pattern of its wings, the fine veins and the soft shadow it casts on the skin, which makes it look as if it has just landed. Butterflies fit the hand, the neck, the collarbone, the ankle and the forearm, and they are often added to portraits, skulls and religious pieces to soften the composition.
Butterfly Tattoo Questions
What does a butterfly tattoo symbolize?
Transformation, new beginnings, freedom, and in many cultures the soul of a person who has died.
Is a butterfly a good memorial tattoo?
Yes. In many traditions a butterfly is the soul of a loved one, so it is one of the most common memorial symbols.
What does a moth tattoo mean?
A search for light, truth or faith, and sometimes attraction to something dangerous. The death's-head moth adds the meaning of memento mori.