Spider Tattoo Meaning
Spider tattoos are searched almost as often as crosses. For some people a spider is fear turned into strength; for others it is a weaver of fate, a storyteller or a sign of patience.
Patience and creativity
A spider builds its web thread by thread and waits. It is a symbol of patience, persistence and the ability to create something complex out of nothing — a common meaning for artists and makers.
Weaver of fate
In Greek myth Arachne was a mortal weaver who challenged the goddess Athena and was turned into a spider, weaving forever. In West African and Caribbean stories Anansi the spider is a clever trickster who owns all the world's stories. In many cultures the spider and its web stand for fate, the threads that connect every life.
Fear and power
Many people get a spider tattoo precisely because they fear spiders — turning fear into something they carry with control. Dark, realistic spiders, such as the black widow, are also a sign of danger and of a person who should not be underestimated.
The spider web tattoo
A web alone has its own history. In some subcultures a web on the elbow has been linked with time spent in prison, which is worth knowing before choosing that placement. On its own, a web stands for being caught, for fate and for connection, and it often works as background that ties larger pieces together.
Spiders in black and grey realism
A realistic spider lives on contrast: the shine of the body, the fine hairs on the legs and a soft shadow underneath that makes it look as if it is sitting on the skin. Small spiders work on the hand, the neck or behind the ear; larger ones on the forearm, the chest or the back, often with skulls, webs and dark art elements.
Spider Tattoo Questions
What does a spider tattoo symbolize?
Patience, creativity, fate, and sometimes fear turned into strength.
What does a spider web tattoo mean?
Fate, connection or being trapped; in some subcultures a web on the elbow has been linked with time in prison.
What does a black widow tattoo mean?
Danger, independence and power that should not be underestimated.