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What lies behind the huge popularity of dragon tattoos?

Probably the best answer may be found in this pearl of wisdom that suggests that dragons are truly our inner selves : look into a dragon's eyes and see who you are or want to be.

For centuries, the Chinese people have considered themselves "descendents of the dragon," while families with children born under the sign of the dragon are considered very fortunate.

Meanwhile, in both China and in Japanese tattoo design, the carp or koi is a symbol of overcoming immense struggle as it continually swims upstream to reach its destination. If successful, the carp is transformed into a magnificent dragon.

Although the Far East continues as the home to the most homogenous of the world's dragons, other seafaring peoples in Norse cultures saw the Viking dragon only as a fierce, winged fire-breathing creature to be feared or, more preferably, slayed wherever possible. Later, these stories grew to become the stuff of Arthurian legend (also see St. George & the Dragon.)

Elsewhere on the Web, find out more about the history and mystery of dragons, in picture galleries depicting dragon tattoos in all colors, shapes and sizes together with related dragon facts & trivia, inspirational images and favorite clip art ...

Dragon Tattoos and Tattoo Design Guide - Excellent guide from Tattoo Johnny with a history & meaning of the dragon in art & mythology plus downloadable designs available for a fee.

Dragon Tattoos - Body Art - Brief overview comparing Eastern and Western dragon designs with suggested reading and related links.

Tattoo Art - Dragon Tattoos - Nicely done presentation of submitted photos with information on related artists & studios plus community posts & comments.

A collection of Dragons - Clickable photo thumbnails of dragon tattoos inspired by the Viking age by Danish tattoo artist Erik Reime.

Dragon Tattoo Pictures - Several small galleries off favorite visitor-submitted dragon tattoos.

Dragon Artwork - All about dragons at Draconian.net, with galleries of free clip art, animations, dragon tattoo images, backgrounds & icons.

also see -> Butterfly Tattoos | Celebrity Tattoos | Celtic Tattoos

Japanese Designs | Traditional Tattoos

Tribal Tattoos