What does a moth tattoo means? The complete guide!
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In today’s article we are going to talk about one of the tattoos that is trending worldwide, and it seems that it will continue to add followers: the moth.
Yes, it is surprising because it is not a very attractive animal and, to some extent, has been reviled in some cultures, but the reality is that its symbolism has prevailed over its traditional fame and is more alive than ever.
Therefore, in today’s article we offer you:
- A good number of different designs about moth tattoos.
- A special part about Luna Moth and Death Moth.
- Everything you should know about their meaning.
Some Moth Tattoo Designs
(Hyper) Realistic Moth Tattoos
Hana Carver - Realistic
This tattoo is a realistic blackwork from Hana Carver, tattoo artist from Tauton, in England.
Neotraditional Moth Tattoos
Some more moths on different tattoo styles
Freddy - Dotwork
This dotwork tattoo work is done by Freddy (Fox Trott Tattoo), from Düsseldorf, in Germany.
Justine Wolf - Neo Traditional color
This is a Luna moth tattoo fully colored with an spectacular design made by Morgan LeFay. She is from Tacoma, in Washington (US). Morgan works at Pacific Ave Tattoo.
Luna Moth and Death Moth tattoos
Now that you’ve seen some general tattoos, let’s move on to two options that are being a huge trend, the Luna moth and Death moth tattoos.
Some Luna Moth Tattoos
Luna moth are perhaps the latest trend, but it has a very interesting symbolism as an animal that chases the light, in addition to the nocturnal component of the moon, which gives it a very strong mysticism.
Some Death Moth Tattoos
And we also wanted to show you the Death moth tattoos, which were the first in this field, and are still a strong trend in animal tattoos, because of the great emotional load it has.
Tony Steylen - Blackwork
This big and bold tattoo is made by Tony Steylen, tattoo artist from Sydney, in Nova Scotia, Canada. He works at Heart & Dagger Tattoo Studio.
A.M. - Color tattoo
Something different here, a color death moth tattoo made in the hand by A.M., tattoo artist working at Fantastic Damage Tattoo, in Florida (US).
The meaning of the moth tattoo
It will probably surprise you if I tell you that the moth tattoo has a lot of meanings, but it’s the reality.
The moth is an animal with a touch like a bit of another world that makes it very special, and its nocturnal habits give it the rest.
Here are the main meanings:
The first, personal transformation:
When we talk about moths, as with butterflies, the first thing that comes to mind is transformation, and it’s no accident.
I’m not telling you anything new if I tell you that moths start with an egg from which a larva hatch.
That larva has only one goal in life, and that is to eat as much as possible in order to have enough energy to transform.
Once they have it, they build the cocoon and the metamorphosis begins, which will last for many days during which it will be fully exposed.
When this transformation is finished, the moth’s definitive form will take place, which it will keep until it dies.
This story has a lot of personal transformation and change, always moving forward no matter how hard the road is, so it is the main meaning of this tattoo, but not the only one.
Self-acceptance, the next on the list:
Moving on in this list, the second of the moth tattoo meanings would be to accept oneself.
This is because, normally, moths are compared to butterflies.
And they lose out.
They are not as graceful and their flight is not perfect, but there they are, being fascinating creatures with a ghostly, otherworldly air.
This can vary towards accepting oneself as one is and feeling proud and happy with it, since perfection, like everything in life, is subjective.
In third place, faith
There’s a very cool thing about moths:
They fly in total darkness because they are guided by moonlight.
In itself it is already curious, because being a nocturnal insect to go towards the light what it does is to leave you totally exposed to the dangers.
This titanic effort to stay alive by going towards the light in the dark can be the perfect simile of having faith and not losing it no matter the moment you are living.
And yes, it is quite a life lesson.
Finally, the symbol of death
Moths are nocturnal creatures, some of them don’t eat during their last phase and die of starvation within a week of emerging from the pupae.
What’s more, the most repeated tattoo is the Death Moth, which is quite a statement of intent (fear not, another one that is repeated a lot is the Luna Moth, which is not bad either).
In fact, they are so famous that when a hunter sees a moth resting in a tree, he usually has a reputation that something unexpected is going to happen, whether it is an extraordinary hunt or an accident.
For this reason and more, the moth is, so to speak, a precursor of death in Western symbolism.
Some FAQ's about Moth Tattoo
Moth tattoos are a trend right now, and they are becoming more and more popular since 2019, mainly because the symbolize this animal has.
It symbolizes mainly 4 things: Self-acceptance, faith, personal transformation, and death, with a big emotional charge.
The same that the others (Faith, acceptance, transformation and death), but death moth has a strong symbolism because of the path of the animal, like a skull on its back.
The same that the others (Faith, acceptance, transformation and death), but Luna moth has an special pattern and you can play with the moon too.
4 Responses
I have always believed after my grandma passed that she brings me signs with moths because with my daughter was little she was scared of them and my grandma and grandpa assured her that they were beautiful creatures when never hurt her and they would look after her so I’ve had numerous numerous encounters with moms but never really lifting to their meaning until I just read what you had to say and I just want to say thank you I had already planned on getting a moth tattoo but now I can do it with not only my heart but with my head too.
Hi, Robbie,
Thanks a lot, we are glad to help 🙂
Bests!
I want to get a moth tattoo on my left hand, I’m looking for faqs, so I can have a answer when people ask me what I got it for, I’m thinking my answer is something like peace, and sensitivity, gentle being even tho moths suck. Umm that’s it.
Hi Cesar,
Thanks a lot for your feedback 🙂