Lily tattoos
Lilies are the wide-spread tattoo designs and are considered to be female tattoos. Lily tattoo has the meaning of purity, beauty. Lily tattoo designs means beauty. White lily symbolizes innocence. Lily of the yellow color has a symbol of thankfulness, light-mindedness and sometimes can become the symbol of cheating.
Lily tattoo designs of orange color (if we speak about the color) in ancient times had the meaning of hate. Water lily is considered as Nymphaeaceae, while lilies and lotus to the lilacs. Water lilies or Nymphaeaceae are the long-term water herbs that can be seen everywhere in the water on the Russian territory. There are white, yellow and rose lilies. All of them can have different meanings in tattoos depending on their color meaning.
Lily tattoos are extraordinary symbols among different flowers. It is identified with Christian religiousness, purity, innocence, but also, according to old customs, is associated with fertility and erotic love because of its phallic pistil and specific odour.
In Christian art white lilies are present, that in 19th century was called “Madonna” according to the association with Holy Mary (lily was also the attribute of her betrothed Joseph and many saints). They are often depicted in vase or in the hands of archangel Gavril in the scenes of Annuciation. Pretty lilies in the valley bear the same symbolism.
As one of more desired garden flowers in antique times, lilies were considered legendary: they were born from the milk of the goddess of earth Gera. Lilies were connected with fertility not only in Greece, but also in Egypt and everywhere in the East where they have always been very popular motif in different ornaments.
Lilies symbolized prosperity and king power in Byzantine Empire and probably this, and not the connection with purity, is the reason for lilacs to become the emblem of France.
Emblem meaning of lily in the depictions of Christian saints comes mainly from the Sermon on the Plain in which Jesus used famous lily fields as the symbol of the honor by god of those, who refused to enrich themselves.
White lilies can sometimes symbolize death, as well as the purity and they often are depicted as the sign of nearest death.
Lily flower is one of most spread and ancient symbols of purity, peace, calamity, nobility, might, pride and innocence. In western cultures lily tattoos can be compared with the popularity of the lotus flower in eastern culture tradition, even their meanings are rather similar. Lily tattoos are considered to be famine symbols and can mean youth, early death and resurrection. Because of the belief that white lilac and white rose occupy among flowers the same place as the diamond among stones, lilies sometimes can symbolize richness.
Lily tattoos means the purity of thoughts, tenderness, might and is considered to be famine symbol. If white lily tattoo is surrounded with thorns or herbs, it reveals the purity of not sinful soul among the dirt of the outer world. Several flowers, depicted on one stalk can be the symbol of immortality, rebirth and can symbolize virginity. Yellow lily symbolizes pride, arrogance and inaccessibility, orange (tiger) one – independence, white one – innocence, rose – tenderness and youth. If lily tattoos of light colors are associated in daylight, purity and clarity, dark lily tattoos are highly connected with night, passion and beauty – they do not have such purity and innocence as white ones. The attitude to such lily tattoo designs is different even today.