Whales are the largest mammals on earth. Despite their gigantic size, Whales are also very gentle and intelligent. The ocean is filled with many beautiful creatures, but none can match the grace and magnificence of the whale. People have been fascinated by these beautiful creatures for their mystic symbolism. In the tattoo world, the popularity of whale tattoos is overgrowing in recent years due to their symbolic meanings.

Whale Tattoos Meaning

Whether the whale symbolizes finding inner peace with oneself or having solid bonds with friends or loved ones, whale tattoos can hold various deep meanings to those who choose them.

A whale’s ability to submerge to incredible depths is one of its most outstanding characteristics. Many people see this as rebirth as they emerge from the deep. It requires strength to endure the pressures of the deep. Once in a while, we also need to ensure that we find strength from our pressures of life. Symbolically, this also represents emerging from a dark place or overcoming a difficulty in life.

The whale is an expert navigator. They can navigate thousands of miles in the ocean with the help of their sonar and by sensing electromagnetic fields from the earth. Finding one’s path or true calling in life can be profoundly significant. The example of whales exemplifies this well.

The human mind and its inner workings are often compared to the Element of Water. As creatures of water, whales represent our emotions and subconscious. There is a sense of tranquility and peace that comes with watching whales glide through their ocean environment.

The mother whale will go to any length to ensure the safety of her calf. She will feed her young for about 2 years, nurturing and caring for it until it can hunt and take care of itself. Similar to elephants, whales adhere to their tribes throughout their lives. The whale tattoo can symbolize a strong sense of family for many.

Popular Whale Tattoo Designs & Ideas

When it comes to designing a whale tattoo, there are endless options. You can combine various elements, creatures, symbols, or cosmic imagery with your whale tattoo design to make it unique. For a geometric look, use tribal patterns to create the shape of the whale. You can also go for the Old School or Sailor Jerry style, which features bold lines, bright colors, and emphasizes the nautical feel. Some popular whale tattoo themes are whales wrestling giant octopuses or toying with ships and swimming in the cosmos.

 

Small Whale Tattoos

Small whale tattoos are trendy among girls. The design of these tattoos is very simple and cute. They look great on the wrist, back of the arm, ankle, and forearm.

Whale Tail Tattoos

Indigenous tribes in New Zealand used the imagery of the whale tail to represent protection and safe passage by water and to symbolize strength and speed. The whale tail tattoo is popular in Polynesian Hawaiian cultures. People view it as a symbol of good luck, free spirit, and happiness. Many choose to get a whale tail tattoo instead of the entire whale for playfulness and mystery. Whale tail tattoos can be quite aesthetically pleasing due to its symmetry and shape. You can also combine the whale tail with waves, geometry, organic elements or stand on its own, and it will still be pleasing to the eye.

Humpback Whale

The humpback whales are one of the largest species of whales. They are powerful swimmers. When swimming, these whales arch their back, making them look like a large hump giving them their name humpbacks.

 

Killer Whale/Orca

Killer whales or Orcas belong to the dolphins family and are one of the most powerful predators. Unlike most other whale species, the Orca mates for life. Orcas are matrilineal, which means that a female (matriarch), her sons and daughters, and her daughters’ offspring will all stay together for life. Orca’s loyalty and devotion to their family is a bond made to last a lifetime.

Sperm Whale

Sperm whales are the largest of all toothed whales. The movie Moby Dick was based on a real-life sperm whale named Mocha Dick, which rammed and sank the ship Essex along with an albino male whale.

Blackwork

Traditional Whale Tattoos

Nautical

If you are going for the Nautical look, try incorporating a compass, a ship, a diver, or other sea creatures.

 

Whale Galaxy Tattoos

In the ancient world, people believed that whales controlled the elements of the ocean and therefore held divine qualities. The legend of the three pillars that hold the earth together with the turtle and elephant also depicts the whale as something cosmic, huge, full of grandeur and solidity. The whale galaxy tattoos represent inner peace, sensitivity, consciousness, and mystical greatness. In this tattoo design, a whale is swimming through the vast galaxy peacefully.

 

Colorful

Mother and Calf

Female humpbacks only have one calf at a time, and the bond between them is extremely strong. The pair will stay together for you for a year. These could be great mother and daughter or mother and son tattoos.