The sun is, in any culture, one of the highest regarded symbols of humanity.
In any mythology, you will find that the sun is depicted as one of the highest in a pantheon of gods.
The sun gives light, heat and life. Ancient civilizations revered it as a symbol of fertility, vitality, and every other quality that gives way to life.
The sun symbol can be seen everywhere nowadays. Knowingly or unknowingly, people have incorporated the revered sun-design on many common objects we see today.
Look at the design of an electric fan; that looks a lot like a sun design, right? Look at the overhead view of the Vatican, a common birthday cake, a coin, a pancake: the round sun symbol can be seen everywhere.
Sun tattoos are sought after because they take the round sun symbols and use it to depict so much more.
There are a whole lot of varieties of sun tattoos: rayed, plain circle, paired with a moon, gothic, tribal, Celtic… the list just goes on and on!!! As said before, each culture has its own depiction of the sun and hey, there are a lot of cultures (including the ancient ones) that exist.
The sun tattoo is preferred by many because it has a number of symbolic meanings that can be adapted by every person.
Some may choose a sun tattoo because of the symbolism of light and knowledge. Often, the sun tattoo can be interpreted as the light of knowledge that shines on the darkness of ignorance. This interpretation is, naturally, preferred by intellectuals.
For others, the sun represents the cycle of life. These people get sun tattoos to remind them to live everyday as if the sunset is fast approaching. They live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment possible.
After all, every second counts, right?
Some interpret sun tattoos as a symbol of fertility. The sun gives life to plants and, indeed, everything else on earth. Sun tattoos are often chosen to depict a person’s ability to “energize’ other people.
Much deeper, and yet, more popular, is the interpretation of the sun tattoo as a symbol of sexual fertility. This goes back to ancient Canaan where the sun-god Baal was also worshiped as a fertility deity.
If paired with a moon tattoo, the sun tattoo even goes deeper into its sexual interpretation. A pairing of a moon and a sun tattoo depicts the union between male and female, both sexually and spiritually.
Sun tattoos are often used to depict divine power and authority. The image of the sun was used, and is still used, by religious leaders.
The sun tattoo also symbolizes immortality or reincarnation. Just as the sun rises and sets each day, people believe in the idea that you may die and then rise again.
This takes root from ancient times when people believed that the sun died at the sunset and was resurrected the next day.
Sometimes, sun tattoos look more like flowers. The depiction of the sun as such pays homage to the sun’s life-giving abilities and natural beauty.
Sun tattoos are considered to be among the best kind of tattoos you can get. Artistically, people may have taken the drawing of the sun to a very high level. After all, we all learn how to draw the sun at a very young age.
http://www.todaytattoos.com/Articles/58.html
