Deer are always described as animals of beauty and grace, gentle and lovely with a hidden strength inside of them.
To hunters, deer are just a good prey, although they respect it. Stags attract their weapons with their beautiful antlers on their head which hunters consider great pray.
Does are especially attractive, because of their calm and sincere nature.
At the same time, we remember the beautiful story of Bambi, and we remember his mother who gave her life out of love.
That is why a female deer tattoo is a sign of motherly love and kindness which never dissappears and it is chosen by thousands of women all over the globe.
The male deer is the opposite. The tattoo of a male deer means power and fertility. He is the leader and the keeper of his stack and men who put stag tattoos want everybody to know that they are filled with life.
Generally talking, the symbolic meaning of this precious animal is always connected to nobility and love, power and fertility. It is not one of those aggressive animals that go around hunting other animals. It’s just a simple creature trying to live their best life in the nature, not disrupting anyone else.
As for the animal tattoo designs, deer tattoos have a lot of versions but the deer is mostly made to look gracefully and proud. The most common versions are made only with deer’s head as a tattoo.
This animal always had importance and different cultures respect it in different ways. It’s value was recognized from the early days and held for centuries.
Cave drawings of deer were found all across the earth, because even in the time od Neanderthals deer was considered an important animal. They used to slay them in order to have fur and stuff to eat, but later deers became much more important as they were a great way to find a good place to live in the nature.
The tribes sometimes followed them around because the deer knew exactly where water and food was.
Native American tribes were fascinated by these beautiful animals and soon they started making legends about them. Native American are known to respect almost every animal and deer is no exeption.
It is no wonder that the famous Harry Potter had a patronus charm in the shape a beautiful stag – the stag symbols its magical power and the movie made the tattoo even more popular.
Deer Tattoo Meaning and Symbolism
Every tattoo on the body must carry a meaning to its owner so the deer tattoo has to have one too. Getting a deer tattoo can help you express some of the following thoughts because the deer is a very powerful symbol.
There is also a big difference in Does tattoos and Stags tattoos by its meaning.
The stag is an important symbol of strength in various cultures, a part of history legends of many nations.
Making a deer tattoo with big antlers also has a deeper meaning. The bigger the antlers, the bigger the importance.
For a deer, his antlers are a weapon, and also a tool. He battles with it to seize or defend his territory but he also battles as a part of his sexual conquest.
In this examples, size really does matter and a stag with impressive antlers will get more respect.
Getting a stag tattoo also speaks about the holders feeling of superiority.
Deer tattoo can also be made as a reminder of cycles of being: stags get their antlers in the spring and they lose them in the fall. If you are a person who feels that this is a good explanation for your life cycles, putting a deer tattoo will be the right choice.
For hunters, the deer tattoo shows a bond which is infinite in its nature. It is the circle which never changed, all throughout history.
Especially appreciated in the Celtic culture, deer was considered as a majestic animal.
A white stag was especially famous and was given divine elements. A lot of Celtic heroes went into battle lead by a white stag who gave them strength.
Deer can symbolize:
Beauty – This is the first reaction people get to a deer, no matter is it the tattoo we are talking about, or the real deer in the woods.
These creatures are beautiful and filled with grace. They stand as loyalty, and run very gracefully. They flow through the air and this is why many people are very disappointed to hear that there are a lot of deer hunters.
Motherly Love – A lot of women choose female deer as a tattoo, because it represents the motherly love. This is a great way to show your children and the world, how much you love your children and how you honor that love with a beautiful female deer tattoo.
Kindness – This is one of the most important meanings of deer tattoes. A lot of kind and gentle people choose this tattoo to show their own inner character.
Peace – A deer tattoo can also symbolize peace. Deers nature is very peacefull, they become violent only when protecting something precious. They are keeping themselves away unless they are provoked.
Fertility– This is one of the most interesting symbol for deer and it represents their fertile nature and ability to have a large family
Resurrection– It is the belief that a piece of every deer comes back through the birth of a new deer.
Sexuality – Stags are known to be very lustful and to fight for their doe. That is why they often symbolize sexuality. It can be a sign of devotion to your lover, too.
Nobility – It is beautiful to see how deers stand out like royalty and how they keep their grace even in the hardest times or when they are running from the huntersmen.
Family – They are bonded and keep each other safe which can be seen especially at does who always keep an eye on their little ones and don’t let them out of their sight.
Time – The Stag can also be the symbol of time passing by. Stags have cycles in mating and in antler growth so perfect timing is something that a stag is very keen about.
Zodiac Sign – For people born between December 24th and January 20th of the Celtic zodiac, it is considered that they are born under the sign of the stag, which is a royal stag. The sign of the stag is a sign of leadership.
Deer Tattoo Design and Ideas
Tribal Deer Tattoos
This is one of the most common tattoo design involving deer. It is made either with Native American features or legendary Celtic ornaments, due to the legends spread in the past.
Tribal design is connected with the most common meaning of male and female deer. The stag represents masculinity and fertility, while the doe represents unconditioned love and kindness.
Scenic Deer Art
Scenic Deer design is one of the most gorgeous design of this animal ever.
The tattoo consists of a deer portraited in front of some heavenly nature background.
To be even more fascinating, a skilled tattoo artist will point the head of this noble animal to the tattoo bearer.
It is often that the deer stands in front of some beautiful mountain, forest or water, which is made in vibrant colors.
Deer Skull Tattoo Design
This is one of the most intriguing deer tattoos in the world. It is chosen by thousands of men who want to emphasize their power and uniquness.
It also represents their virility and fertility, showing their true lustful nature. The symbol comes from Celtic culture.
Celtic legends speak about a powerful god wearing antlers, so they have become a symbol of male power and strenght.
Men mostly choose this tattoo as their shoulder ornament but very self confident women also like to have this tattoo.
Magnificent Doe Tattoo
This artwork is greatly chosen by women and it us not rare that their partners have deer tattooes.
Doe symbolizes everything women respect: beauty, tenderness, nobility and care.
Women often choose to make this tattoo in living, vibrant colors which is mostly seen in the eyes of the doe. The doe always has big, spectacular eyes.
Mothers like to add a baby deer to this tattoo, to show their strong motherly feelings.
Doe tattoo with flowers
One of the most common thing women add to their deer tattoos are flowers and trees.
A beautiful red rose can fit beautifully under the grayscale doe’s head on the inner side of the arm.
Women also add stars in the night sky or roses on the doe’s anglets. This is their way to point out their feminine side.
Many people can get tattoo’s that look more like cartoon deers when they get this type ink done. They take their chance to connect art with animals and tattoo’s.
A stag tattoo with dreamcatcher in antlers
This beautiful tattoo uses the stags beautiful antlers as a dreamcatcher holder. It combines two different Native American beliefs.
The belief that deers are precious animals which must be perserved and the belief that a dreamcatcher will give its owner good dreams.
This tattoo combines the power of the spirits which is respected in the Native American legends and the leadership of stags.
The tattoo of a crowned stag or doe
The mighty stags have been described as noble, almost royal animals, with their anglets as a crown. This tattoo gives them a higher position by adding the crown between their anglets. It is often made with the stag in grayscale and the crown in the color of gold.
The tattoo of the doe with a crown on hear head makes this tattoo very attractive to women, who consider a doe as a royal animal who looks beautiful and moves gracefully.
Finger deer tattoo
This interesting deer tattoo maybe seems small but it isn’t at all. The head of the deer is placed on the middle finger on the outer side of the hand but its anglest are big and are spread across the the whole fist, made in spectacular details.
These are usually really small and minimalistic so they are great for those who are not into really extravagant choices. It will be a very short tattoo session to get this one, and it is probably pretty cheap.
It is popular amongst lovers of the boho or hipster style, but youc an get it no matter what style do you prefer.
Bambi tattoo
Bambi is one of the most recognizable Disney cartoon characters. “Bambi” was a cartoon based on the story written by Felix Salten which is still popular amongst kids. Everyone watched this one for at least once time.
Disney’s Bambi is made beautiful and fragile and is often chosen by women to be made into a tattoo. They like it because it keeps their warm childhood memories nearby.
Especially popular are two Bambi tattos, both from the animated movie: the one with Bambi holding a butterfly on its little tail and the one where he lies on the ground beside his mother. It depends on what you want to show.
Bambi is a symbol of innocence and a Bambi tattoo is a choice of women who want to show their fragile and gentle character. Sometimes, when women get children, they decide to make the tattoo with the mother. It is also popular to get this one coloured in and you can choose many colours.
Deer tattoo with the Sun in the background
Antlers have also been a symbol of Sun in the Native mythology. The reason for that lies in the fact that antlers look similar to the rays of sun, so energy and strength are some symbols of this deer tattoo.
Many people connect deer with new beginnings and therefore make tattoos that connect them with Sun or some planets. This is a thing that started with native people.
