Devil Tattoos – An Overview

A tattoo isn’t so smart.  Why someone would want to use their body as a canvas for pretty bad art is beyond some people.  Then there are devil tattoos that show people have gone to the extreme. But devil tattoos don’t always have a sinister connotation.

The Devil is the ultimate evil.  It’s a concept common to many of the west’s religions.  The Muslims also have a devil called Iblis or Shaetan.  The devil is known by other names such as Beelzebub and Satan. But in demon mythology each of these is a separate being.  And they’re not necessarily evil.  Tattoos feature many of these beings.

Here is the story of the devil in the Christian tradition. The Archangel Lucifer was second only to God in heaven. All angels were considered equal but Lucifer was considered the best among equals. But Lucifer became jealous of God himself. Lucifer thought he should rule in heaven. Lucifer recruited other angels in a revolt against God. God, Michael, and the other Archangels and Angels still loyal to God defeated Lucifer and his forces. The fallen archangel and his minions were cast out of heaven. Many of these elements are often depicted in Devil tattoos.

Devil tattoos trace the root of their name back to Old and Middle English.  More specifically it’s the word devil.  Devil comes from the Old English word deofol which was derived from the Latin diabolus.  They all trace back to the Greek diabolos.  The word means to slander across or to hurl slander.  The term now, in general, refers to a greater meaning of hell.  In some languages the word for angel eventually became their word for devil.  But strictly speaking in the culture from which these languages come, a devil is not the same thing as an angel.    All of these roots can be incorporated into devil tattoos.

Devil tattoo has specific meanings. Someone who wears them is generally a little evil, or maybe even a lot evil. It could also mean mischief, or lewd behavior. It doesn’t necessarily mean the person who wears them as a criminal. But it tells you something about their own self image and about what to expect from them.

Devil tattoos sometimes carry a great stigma with them. Some people believe they are the symbol of the beast. That is, that they denote someone who actually worships or works for the Devil. That’s likely not true.

Leave the devil tattoos to others.