Sun Tattoo Meaning
Without the sun there is no life, and every culture has known it. A sun tattoo speaks of energy, warmth, hope and the certainty that light comes back after every night.
Life, energy and hope
The sun is the source of light and warmth, so it stands for life, strength, optimism and clarity. Many people choose it after a dark period as a sign that the light has returned.
Rebirth every morning
The sun sets and rises again every day. Ancient peoples saw in this a promise of renewal and of life after death, and the rising sun became a symbol of new beginnings.
Sun gods and myths
Helios and Apollo in Greece, Ra in Egypt, the Aztec sun stone in Mexico — the sun was a god or the face of a god across the ancient world. A sun with a face, or a sun disk with rays, often carries this mythological meaning.
Divine light in sacred art
In Christian art light is the sign of God. Halos, rays behind the heads of saints and the golden rays that surround the Virgin of Guadalupe all come from the image of the sun. Rays of light breaking through clouds behind a religious figure are one of the classic backgrounds of black and grey religious tattoos.
Sun and moon together
The sun and the moon together stand for balance: day and night, masculine and feminine, two halves of one whole.
The sun in black and grey
In black and grey the sun is built from open skin — the brightest areas are left untouched, and the rays are shaped by the shading around them. A sun works as a small symbol on the hand or the neck, as a mandala-like design on the sternum or the back of the neck, and as a source of light inside a larger composition.
Sun Tattoo Questions
What does a sun tattoo symbolize?
Life, energy, hope and renewal — light that returns after the dark.
What do sun rays behind a religious figure mean?
Divine light and glory; the halo and rays in sacred art come from the image of the sun.
What does a sun and moon tattoo mean?
Balance between opposites and two halves of one whole.