So you want to get an angel tattoo? Have you ever thought about why angel tattoos are popular? Have you ever thought about what the history of angel tattoos are and where they come from? Angels have always been the guardians and messengers of both the living and the dead. There form has been cast in stone to guard the worshippers going to church and the dead while they are sleeping. Whether seen as evil or good, angels transcend religion and philosophy as a super being that is in the service of God or some other omnipotent power.

An angel tattoo as body are can signify the wearers self impression of themselves as someone who needs protection in a religious sense or one who sees themselves messengers from God. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all embrace angels as messengers or to carry out the wrath of God. With such a forceful icon, angels have a message of power and something beyond ourselves. Having an angel tattoo on your body may give you a sense of peace or a sense at being closer to your God. Then again, it might be just the opposite. There may be no religious reasoning for wearing an angel tattoo at all. You may just like the picture.

A classic tattoo partnership has been the self-conscious theme. Taken from early cartoons, the body artist will display an angel tattoo on one shoulder and a devil tattoo on the other. The dueling self-conscious theme is supposed to represent your decision in doing something good and doing something evil. Each tattoo is depicted whispering in the ear of their wearer and trying to convince to go down the path to righteousness or down the road to hell. This angel tattoo and it’s evil counterpart has been drawn to either represent the Victorian idea of good and evil or a modern, more sexy, rendition.

Cherubs are a popular form of angel tattoo. They represent the angels that inspire love and romance. The cherub is usually seen with a small bow and arrow that is meant to shoot darts of love into a lover’s heart. Often coupled with the name of the lover, the angel tattoo can also bear the ever popular ‘mom’ underneath. The cherub type angel tattoo can also be a framing for a larger piece of work. One such tattoo has angels framing a large tattoo of death walking through a graveyard. This message may be representation of the duality of love and death or it may have been drawn from the imagination of the tattoo artist. Either way, it is a beautiful way to displays ones convictions or creations of fondness.

Angel tattoos can conjure up images of fantasy and deep faith. Positioned in the right body area, other tattoos can accent the angel tattoo and a story of struggle or of religious conviction can be portrayed. The imagination is the limit and the tattoo artist and their client can find wonderful ways to display angel tattoos whether it is for a religious preference or just for an aesthetic effect.