Here you can find out everything about the meaning of the mirror tattoo. You’ll get acquainted with its sense and its interpretation in different cultures. If you want to make such a tattoo, but you have not decided about its design we offer you these thematic pages including a photograph gallery with some examples of various mirror tattoos.

• Photos of the mirror tattoos
• Sketches of the mirror tattoos

Interesting information about the meaning of the mirror tattoo.

(If you do not want to read – you can listen to the audio version of the article)

As far as you know, since ancient times the mirrors are considered to have different mystical properties. The smooth reflecting surface evokes many strange associations among people. The reflecting surface of a mirror was perceived as a boundary separating the world of the living and the world of the dead. As a result, there are a lot of popular beliefs connected with this mysterious object. Most Slavs shut up their mirrors if there is a dead man in the house. According to one version they do this not to let a dead man come back to this world of the living or not to let him take someone with him to the world of the dead. Most people tried not to look in the mirror at night and in a thunderstorm when a person is extremely defenseless against different otherworldly beings or something supernatural. Pregnant women and little children were not allowed to look in the mirror because of some mysterious forces. People believe that a broken mirror does bring bad luck and unhappy years.

The symbolism of the mirror.

It was common knowledge that the mirror symbolized femininity in the ancient world. The symbol ♀ is the Venus mirror denoting beautiful Aphrodite. It remains relevant in our time too.

And by the way, the mirror has a double meaning in Christian tradition. On the one hand, it is a symbol of the Virgin Mary in which God appeared through his own image. It’s a symbol of wisdom and truth. On the other hand, this object in religious painting is often an attribute of loose women and charmers symbolizing vanity and a vice. And a mirror for a Buddhist is just a reminder that our world and all living things are only an illusion and a reflection of karma. In addition, it is a symbol of the pure soul in the condition of enlightenment – so called samsara.

Photo examples of tattoo designs with a mirror:

(click to see more photos)

You may know that the mirror is a symbol of a fight with human frailties among the peoples of the Far East. The person reflected in a mirror sees his own flaws and can fight them. The mirror is a symbol of the Sun Goddess in Japan. The bronze mirror with jewels and a sword is the Japanese emperor’s regalia. And the square mirror symbolized the earth and the round and oval mirrors symbolized the heaven.

The meaning of the mirror tattoo.

As we can see, a mirror has different qualities and various ideas. So you can give almost any meaning to the mirror tattoo placing it on your own body. Perhaps it will be a symbol of your concentration on self-understanding or a symbol of a deep comprehension of the world around you. Or vice verse, it will be a reflection of your carelessness; this tattoo will emphasize your honesty and show pride and love for yourself. The broken mirror may indicate any great difficulties or heavy losses which you always want to remember.

And we should not forget that the basic function of the mirror is to reflect different objects and things. And this is why there are a great number of different meanings that the mirror tattoo may have. You should agree there is a big difference between the holy angels’ reflection in the mirror and the terrifying demons’ reflection in it. In this case the mirror tattoo is just a decoration that adds a shade to a basic image.

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Prepared: olgag-etxt (Савкина Ольга)