Hourglass Tattoo Meaning
An hourglass shows time in a way a clock cannot: you can see how much is left. That is why it has been a symbol of mortality for centuries.
Time running out
The sand falls only one way and cannot be put back. An hourglass tattoo stands for the limited time of a life and the urge to use it well — not out of fear, but out of respect for every day.
Memento mori and vanitas
In the vanitas still lifes of the 1600s, hourglasses stood beside skulls, candles and wilting flowers to remind the viewer that life passes. An hourglass with a skull carries exactly this meaning.
The winged hourglass
An hourglass with wings is the old emblem of the Latin phrase tempus fugit — "time flies". It appears on gravestones and sundials and stands for how quickly life goes by.
Balance and change
The two halves of the hourglass can also stand for balance: the past and the future, what has been and what is still to come, with the present as the narrow point in between. A turned hourglass can mean a new start.
Hourglass Tattoo Questions
What does an hourglass tattoo symbolize?
Time running out, the shortness of life, and the urge to use time well.
What does a winged hourglass mean?
Tempus fugit — "time flies".
What does an hourglass and skull tattoo mean?
Memento mori: life is short and death is certain, so live fully.