91 Sensational Snake Tattoo Ideas To Express Your Hidden Desires

The limbless, bizarre-looking reptilian species may look quite helpless but don’t get fooled by their outer structure. These creatures can inflict venom that can paralyze you within seconds. You may think to outrun them but they will slither and hunt you down with their unique set of locomotive skills. They are like dancers but with deadly set moves and weapons. Because of their menacing aura and tactics, the snake tattoos have become a staple to showcase strength and intelligence.

However, what makes the snake tattoo so intriguing is the duality of the artwork. The venom that lurks inside the snakes can kill and save at the same time. It resembles both a medicine and a weapon. Because of such a yin-yang symbolism, snake tattoos have caused quite a frenzy in the tattoo world.

From their wave-like movement to their razor-sharp fangs, everything about these reptiles intrigues us. As human beings, we always gravitate toward dangerous things. There isn’t anything more dangerous than the snakes. Therefore, it’s quite obvious why people can’t resist the snake tattoos.

The Hunt For The Hidden Meaning: Enigmatic Symbolism Of Snake Tattoos

In many civilizations, religions, and cultures, there have been countless mentions of snakes. These slithering creatures are sometimes considered to be gods. In the Aztec culture, people believed the snakes to be the messengers of God. Therefore, it is quite easy to assume that snake tattoos have a wide range of meanings.

Even if you look at them from a scientific point of view, you will learn many things about them that we can incorporate into our own lives. So, let’s look at some of the most interesting meanings of snake tattoos.

How Snake Tattoos Cautions Us Of Sin And Temptation

It was the serpent that lured Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Since then, the snakes have been associated with temptation and deception. Whenever someone sees snakes, they instantly think that evil things are nearby.

The snake tattoos work as a reminder not to succumb to the dark and malicious thoughts that linger in the back of our minds. If we embark on the dark route, there is no turning back.

An Emblem Of Healing And Growth

This is perhaps the most apparent meaning of the snake tattoos. Snakes may be terrifying beasts that inject venom into their prey. But in the appropriate amount, the venom can be converted into medicine that can fight against many of the diseases.

If we look at ancient mythology, we learn that the serpent wrapped around a rod was known to be the staff that healed people. That’s why the snake tattoos are considered to be a symbol of healing. If you have been brutally scarred, the snake tattoo will help you forget about the pain and inspire you to move on with your life.

The Roar Of Phoenix: How Snake Tattoos Inspire Transformation

The animal kingdom is full of bizarre occurrences. One of the most intriguing ones has to be snakes shedding off their skins. Many wonder why snakes do this. Well, imagine you are wearing the same clothes every year. Will they fit? No, they will not. The same goes for the snakeskin. While the snake grows, the skin remains the same length. That’s why they need to shed their skins.

This occurrence is quite inspiring as it hints at the idea of rebirth. No matter how broken you are today, you can always come back to your strongest version. You just need to believe in yourself.

Striking Snake Tattoo Designs That Will Pump Adrenaline Through Your Veins

According to scientists, there are nearly 4,000 different snake species all around the world. Some of them such as the anacondas can be humongous in size while other species like the thread snake are the same length as your palm. The snake is considered to be the second largest group just after their nearest reptilian brothers called lizards. Therefore, it’s quite obvious that there is a wide range of snake tattoo designs.

Aside from the size, the skin of the snakes can be quite different as well. The garter snake has red, white, and black colored stripes on its body whereas the vine snake is completely green in color. There are even rattlesnakes that are in complete pitch-black color.

Among such different varieties, it can get quite confusing to fix a particular design. Aside from the appearance, each snake tattoo design has their symbolism and meaning. Therefore, while choosing the tattoo design, you need to take every single factor into account. Only then can you get the tattoo of your dream.

Traditional Snake Tattoo

It’s time to slither into the first snake tattoo design on our list. The traditional snake tattoos consist of jarring colors that channel out the inner reptilian spirit in you.

The main purpose of most snake tattoos is to showcase an intimidating pose representing the passion or intensity of the wearer. Unlike the other tattoos, the traditional tattoo does this using a blend of different colors and patterns.

The scales on their body look like diamonds and their tongues appear to be creatures on their own. All in all, this tattoo will surely strike fear in the hearts of your enemies.

Small Snake Tattoo

While we mostly glorify the gigantic snakes with huge fangs, most snake species are fairly small ranging from 3.3-3.6 feet in length. Therefore, it’s much more appropriate to get a small snake tattoo on the body canvas.

According to scientists, the smallest snake ever recorded was Leptotyphlops carlae. This thread snake was just about 4.1 inches in length. They are quite simply the size of your palm.

You can opt to get the tattoo of this tiny snake. As the artwork is small, there is no point in incorporating a wide range of colors or textures. Just a silhouette of the snake is more than to create an amazing tattoo.

Japanese Snake Tattoo

In Japanese culture, snakes are highly respected as they are often believed to be avatars of God. For this reason, people keep away from the snake habitats so that they don’t cause any hindrance to them.

We can further understand the history of snakes in Japanese culture if we look at Japan’s oldest book called the Kojiki. In the Kojiki, there is mention of Yamata no Orochi, who is a god in the shape of a terrifying snake.

The Japanese snake tattoo features this historic snake in quite a terrifying manner. The razor-sharp fangs along with the eerie presence of the snake will surely give you nightmares.

Snake Head Tattoo

While the entirety of the snake species makes them so special, it’s the head that holds the highest significance. From the rattling tongue to terrifying fangs, everything about the head gives you the creeps.

With the head, the snakes can devour prey up to twice their size. You will often see them having gigantic stomachs. This is the result of swallowing such humongous prey.

The incredible postures of the snake head also make it such a jarring tattoo design. In some mythical stories, there is a depiction of a snake man who has the body of a human and the head of a snake. The snake head tattoo also pays homage to this prehistoric tale.

Snake Tattoo On Arm

Arm tattoos have been the first choice for decades for self-expression. The unique symmetry of the arm makes any artwork look twice as captivating. The same goes for the snake tattoo.

As most arm tattoos symbolize strength and masculinity, it’s only imperative to elevate the imagery even more with a jarring snake tattoo. These artworks are incredibly realistic therefore they may be the cause of some heart attacks.

To create a realistic image of the snake, you need to be a maestro in some advanced tattooing techniques such as shading and highlighting. Proper shading gives the tattoo much more depth whereas highlighting makes the snake look real on the body.

Sword And Snake Tattoo

You will often see the sword and snake symbol in many of the hospitals and medical services. Have you ever wondered why this symbol was there? Well, the sword and snake is called the Rod Of Asclepius.

Asclepius was a Greek god who was often associated with healing and medicine. His staff, which is a rod intertwined with a serpent, was believed to heal people with just a swing. Hence, it became a symbol of regeneration and healing.

In our own lives, we often struggle with hurdles that leave us wounded and vulnerable. The sword and snake tattoo will inspire you to get back up and keep on moving forward.

Snake Tattoo On the thigh

Your thigh offers you a lot of space to draw the reptilian friends of ours in their full magnificence. Furthermore, the proportionality of the thighs matches that of the snakes. Both of them look incredibly masculine and full of muscles and strength.

The main reason why the snake tattoo on the thigh is so sought after is because of the motion dynamics. When you move, your thighs tend to jiggle because of the excess fat in the area. This movement makes the snake look like it’s slowly crawling on your skin just like the dragon tattoos on the thigh.

Red Snake Tattoo

The red color is as charming as it is dangerous. Most red colors tell us to stay away from the object. However, the red snake tattoo is something that you cannot resist. Once you gaze upon the design, you will want the tattoo to be etched on your body canvas at any cost.

Perhaps, the most fearsome red snake is the milk snake. The red velvety color of the skin along with the occasional stripes make it look quite alluring. Having such a red snake tattoo will tell others that the wearer is not someone to be trifled with.

Snake Tattoo On Hand

Many of the Greek gods had staffs intertwined with various kinds of serpentine. They thought that having the snakes in the palm of their hand would make them feel invincible.

The concept is quite right. Having something in your hand makes you feel like you are the one in control. Therefore, when you have the snake tattoo on hand, you will feel like the snake is going to do your bidding. Once you have tamed the snake, the world is up for you to grab.

Snake And Rose Tattoo

The rose may appear to be the most beautiful flower in the world with its jarring petals and hollow core, but it holds a terrible secret. Once you try to grab a hold of these flowers, you get hit with countless spikes.

The snake and rose tattoo describes the story of how you shouldn’t believe something just based on how it looks. Underneath the beauty and charm, there may be venomous snakes slithering around just like the tattoo.

Realistic Snake Tattoo

We all preach about realistic tattoos but do we know what a realistic tattoo means? A realistic snake tattoo doesn’t necessarily mean that the artwork needs to have an actual scenery of the wild where the snake is hunting down the prey.

A realistic snake tattoo solely focuses on the snake to make it look as real as possible in the realm of the human body. Two things that you have to emphasize are the eyes and the scales. If you can nail these two components of the snake, the tattoo will look insanely realistic.

Skull And Snake Tattoo

It is quite near impossible to kill a snake. No matter how much you try, these reptiles seem to survive everything. Even if you throw them out of a seven-story apartment, they are still alive.

That’s why the skull and snake tattoo is so intriguing. The artwork portrays that even the snakes are prone to death. The tattoo represents the terrifying notion that each creature of the planet will soon meet its end. Death is truly inevitable.

Aztec Snake Tattoo

The Aztec civilizations were known for worshiping serpent deities. One of the most prominent gods of the Aztec culture was undoubtedly Quetzalcoatl. He was the feathered serpent who had one of the most important roles in the entire culture.

Quetzalcoatl was not just a god who sat around all day just to get worshiped by his followers. He worked for the betterment of human beings. Quetzalcoatl gave wind, fire, knowledge, and intelligence as blessings to the people. The Aztec snake tattoo pays tribute to the feathered serpent by illustrating an ornamental version of him.

Dagger And Snake Tattoo

The dagger and snake tattoo is the true manifestation of the different conflicts in our lives. The quarrels are not just between us and others, it’s between our mind and body as well. We often betray ourselves by doing the things that our soul tells us not to.

The dagger and snake tattoo represent such betrayals and challenges with beautiful artwork. The tattoo is not just for the sake of enjoyment but it works as a reminder to overcome such challenges with a happy face.

Back Snake Tattoo

With the humongous space that is offered by the back, you can draw pretty much any type of snake that you desire. From the giant reticulated python to the tiny thread snake, the sky’s the limit when it comes to this tattoo design.

However, it’s advisable to illustrate a snake species that has some patterns on its outer surface. Otherwise, the tattoo will look bland on such a sensual part of the body. There are countless snake species with stripe-like designs on the skin. You can opt for any one of them.

Ankle Snake Tattoo

This tattoo is the ultimate test of your endurance. Ankle tattoos are widely known for their extreme pain as the bone is directly under the skin. When you have a snake tattoo on the ankle, it means that you are truly passionate and dedicated to the cause.

Rather than a coiled snake, the ankle tattoo features a much more prepared and uncoiled formation of the reptile. The snake looks like it’s just about to strike. Having such a tattoo makes you feel the adrenaline rushing through your veins.

Black And White Snake Tattoo

The concept of the black-and-white tattoo arose from the yin-yang aspect. This Chinese philosophy describes two polar opposite yet intertwining aspects of life such as black and white or death and life.

On one hand, the black portion of the snake tattoo represents the fear of the unknown and the nightmares that steal your sleep. On the contrary, the white portion portrays the purity and innocence in you. Together, this tattoo can fully represent who you are underneath all the bravado and masculinity.

Crowley Snake Tattoo

Adam and Eve could have forever lived happily ever after if it wasn’t for the serpent. The serpent or the devil lured Eve into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. According to the Old Testament, God prohibited them from eating food. However, because of the deception by the serpentine, Eve made the biggest mistake.

This serpentine that caused this mayhem was none other than the Crowley snake. This devilishly red-colored snake is the root of all problems. Although the serpentine is portrayed negatively, many people get its tattoo as a symbol of trickery and intelligence.

Eagle And Snake Tattoo

The snake may run terror in the lands but eagles are far more apex predators than them. Furthermore, they have an advantage as they can fly and snakes cannot. That’s why you will often see snakes strapped to the razor-sharp claws of eagles.

Nature works by only one rule. That is called survival of the fittest. Eagles are vicious creatures that quickly close the gap between them and the snakes and catch them with ease. Thru the feast of the snakes on top of a high tree. The tattoo describes this natural phenomenon and warns us how dangerous nature can be.

Collarbone Snake Tattoo

If you look at your arms for a second, it kind of looks detached from the rest of the body, doesn’t it? It feels like they were attached at the last moment out of pure desperation. They would’ve looked even more bizarre if it wasn’t for the collarbones.

This pair of bones is what connects our arms to the shoulder blades and makes us look like humans. A collarbone snake tattoo makes it look even more interesting. This tattoo isn’t like the other tattoos on the list where the artwork is just branded over the skin. The serpentine is illustrated in a way that feels like it is wrapped around the collarbone. How magical is that!

Spine Snake Tattoo

Our spine is the foundation of our body. Aside from giving the scaffolding for the rest of the body, it performs several other functions such as protecting the inner bones and nerves. Without our spines, we can never stand up straight. That’s why many people call those who don’t have any dignity and integrity to be spineless.

Having a spine snake tattoo will make you feel much more confident about your body. Even when you are pressured, you will know how to stand up straight and appear to be someone who needs to be respected.

Chest Snake Tattoo

Any wing tattoos look astonishing and wonderful on the chest area. This is primarily because two separate compartments of the chest allow you to draw pairs of angelic wings that represent a wide range of meanings.

Have you ever imagined a snake having devilish wings? If not then why not get the chest snake tattoo? The tattoo makes our ultimate dream of seeing snakes fly with wings come true. The badass wings will make you completely obsessed with the design.

Forearm Snake Tattoo

From contemporary snake tattoos to old-fashioned ones, your forearm can encapsulate any sort of tattoo design. Because of the theatricality of the forearm, any snake can appear and disappear at your will. How wonderful is that!

The black serpent with its vicious jaw is the perfect image for the forearm tattoo for men. The elongated jaw feels like the snake is just getting ready for its afternoon snake. So, brace yourself.

Cute Snake Tattoo

Most of the snakes in the ecosystem will give you nightmares for days. Imagine you are walking down the street and suddenly stumble upon a gigantic python. You will instantly collapse at the sight of the reptile. However, there are some snake species that you can get tattoos of that will slither into your heart.

The Arabian Sea boa is one of them. The two indolent eyes along with a lazy posture make the snake look quite adorable. The Barbados thread snake is another snake species that you can get a tattoo of which roughly has the length of a credit card. It will look amazing on your hand or your ankle.

Cross With Snake Tattoo

Jesus Christ underwent tremendous pain because of the snake of his disciple. Even when he was crucified, he prayed to God to seek forgiveness on behalf of his torturers. Because of his sacrifice, humankind was saved.

The cross with the snake tattoo portrays this religious notion with a bit of a serpentine twist. The blend of the snake with the cross makes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ seem much more deadly. If you are thinking of living the rest of your life religiously then the cross tattoo is just for you.

Floral Snake Tattoo

Two conflicting concepts always make the best combination. On one hand, the floral patterns represent peace and tranquility and on the other hand, the snakes portray danger. Together, they make a behemoth of a tattoo design.

If you notice meticulously, there are also some similarities between the two elements as well. A coiled snake pretty much has the same dimension as the inner petals of a flower. Therefore, it’s only fair to combine them to illustrate a beautiful tattoo.

Gucci Snake Tattoo

The Italian fashion conglomerate known as Gucci has had many brand logos over the years. However, the most startling and well-recognized symbol that has been branded in many of their fashion accessories is the kingsnake. Many wonder why they chose the kingsnake.

Well, the red-colored kingsnake is a symbol of sensuality. When they move in their typical wave-like pattern, they almost look like the supermodels of any fashion show. Having such a passionate tattoo will accentuate your whole style.

Knife And Snake Tattoo

We always think that we can only take someone’s life with a knife. However, we can help someone as well. It completely depends on the person’s perspective and what they want to achieve. The knife and snake tattoo commemorates such a deep symbolic message with an artistic touch.

The tattoo is devoid of any kind of color. It is a silhouette of the snake and the knife. This is primarily done to portray the rawness of the tattoo. Such a deep tattoo will help you think twice about everything and completely change your outlook on life.

Leg Snake Tattoo

People hardly get beaten in any other place than the leg. As your leg is the closest to the ground, most snakes target it to strike their fangs into the juicy flesh. Within moments, they inject their venoms into the veins and you are left completely paralyzed.

Because of how common the occurrence is, people love to get a snake tattoo on their legs. Having such a tattoo has multiple benefits. It will look great on you and remind you to cover your legs properly so that you don’t get bitten by venomous snakes.

Medusa Snake Tattoo

The tale of the Medusa is full of sorrows. Once she was the most beautiful woman in all of the realms. But her beauty became the source of envy of many of the Greek goddesses and one of them cast a curse on her. This curse made her hair turn into serpents and anyone who gazed at her eyes would turn into stone.

The story of the Medusa is quite well known. Aside from the hidden meaning, the snakes of the Medusa look quite aesthetic. The coiled snakes protruding from her head both terrify and intrigue us. Many women opt for the Medusa tattoo as the artwork is often considered to be a symbol of femininity.

Neck Snake Tattoo

For most of part of the article, we solely focused on how terrifying the snakes are. We talked about how these tattoos can give you nightmares for days. But one thing we forgot to mention is how sensual their locomotion is.

When the snakes move, it feels like a ballerina is gently making moves. The lack of limbs doesn’t cause any hindrance in their movement. They have developed some sensual techniques such as lateral undulation and sidewinding. These sensual movements of the snake deserve to be etched on the most sensual part of the body. The coiled posture will look insanely elegant on the neck tattoo.

Panther And Snake Tattoo

There is an old video that has resurfaced on the internet a couple of days back of a panther dragging a giant python out of the water. Both of them are fierce apex predators. The python is considered to be one of the largest snakes on the planet whereas the panther is the biggest cat in the American region.

The fight between them is glorious. As the panther tries to drag the snake, the snake wraps around the body of the panther trying to put immense pressure on the monstrous cat. The panther and snake tattoo captures this intense battle between the two predators in a highly stylized manner.

Skeleton Snake Tattoo

Although snakes belong to the group of reptiles, everything about them is quite radically different. First of all, they don’t have any limbs like other reptiles such as lizards. Secondly and most importantly, the snake’s body consists of an entire extended ribcage.

Because of their unique morphological structure, the skeleton tattoo became a symbol of exclusivity. If you want to stand out among the rest then the artistic depiction of the bizarre structure of the snake will inspire you.

Tribal Snake Tattoo

In many of the tribes, the snakes are considered to be totems. People paint their bodies in the shape of wild snakes thinking that they will have the same intelligence and agility on the battlefield as the snakes.

If you have watched any of the wildlife documentaries then you might’ve noticed how much the tribal people adore these reptiles. Some even consider them to be avatars of God. When you have the tribal snake tattoo, you will feel like the tribal blood of your ancestors running through your veins.

Viper Snake Tattoo

The vipers are one of the most terrifying snakes on the planet. They have much longer and hollow fangs than other snakes that can quickly inject venoms into the prey. Their scales are also unique as they are keeled and their overall body comprises a short tail and a bizarre-looking head.

Because of how distinct they look, the viper snake tattoo became a symbol for many of the gang members of the West. The viper snake is also quite sluggish compared to the other species making it relatable to many people living a sedentary lifestyle. If you also love to lay around then this may be the tattoo for you.

FAQ

We pretty much covered everything there is to know about snake tattoos. However, we are only human. So, there may be some aspects of the topic still untouched.

That’s why, we have selected some of the most trending questions that are revolving in the internet sphere to clear the doubts. After reading the answers, we are sure that you will not have any more questions in your mind.

Q: What Does Snake Tattoo Mean In Islam?

Ans: Snakes are always considered to be evil in Islam. It is believed to be a dark omen that gravitates people to their doom. Many of the evil Jinn are thought to take the shape of snakes to lure people.

According to Islamic scholars, snake tattoos are considered to be a sign of disobedience to the creator. All in all, Islam suggests that snakes are full of evil spirits and they should be strictly neglected.

Q: Are Snake Tattoo Difficult To Ink?

Ans: It completely depends on which style you opt for. A simple tattoo with a minimum number of colors and textures is quite straightforward to ink while an extravagant tattoo is quite difficult.

However, in general, snake tattoos can be quite tough. You need to get the proportionality just right. The coiled posture of the snakes is also hard to depict on the body canvas. You need to maintain the symmetry to make it look right.

Q: Do Snake Tattoos Associate With Any Gangs?

Ans: Yes, they do. Many American and Mexican gangs have snake tattoos as their logos. Because of how the tattoos represent masculinity and strength, they opted for the logo to strike fear into the heart of the enemy. So before getting the snake tattoo, you should research a bit if any local gangs have a snake logo or not.

Conclusion

There is a large portion of people who have an extreme fear of snakes. This phobia is called Ophidiophobia. Usually, this fear of snakes stems from past horrible experiences or traumas. To be honest, many of us have gone through tough situations in our lives that have scarred us internally. No matter what ointment we use, we never seem to get rid of the pain.

There is one way to tackle the scars. That is to embrace your fear. When you have the snake tattoo, you will constantly have flashbacks of the rough days and horrible traumas of the past. Getting yourself constantly accustomed to it will gradually make you strong and overcome your fears. With the snake tattoo, you will finally be able to stand up by yourself and continue to thrive in your life.