105+ Fantastic Harry Potter Tattoo Designs & Meanings – Specially For Fans (2019)
Among the most popular film series ever is the Harry Potter series, being among the top grossing films of all time. Behind all these great films are books that inspired the films’ success, and they, too, were very successful.
Personally we believe that people preferred watching 2-hour movies than reading 1,000 page books, hence the more successful films, but whatever media you chose, we all agree that the Harry Potter series was pretty amazing.
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Besides all the magic, spells and myth involved in the series, there was also a lot of drama, mostly surrounding the main character and his relationships.
There was a serious boom in Harry Potter tattoos while there were still films being released, but that doesn’t mean that the style is lost upon us.
There are still millions of Harry Potter fans who would still like to have a tattoo of their adored character and everything else about him.
Meaning of these tattoos
Like all other art forms, tattoo have varied meanings depending on their interpretation. For the Harry Potter books, though, there are some symbols, characters and phrases that have been taken to mean something specific.
The main character of all the titles is, of course, Harry Potter, the boy who joined Hogwarts to learn a bit of magic and ended up as one of the most powerful wizards, finally killing the greatest enemy, he who shall not be mentioned, Lord Voldemort.
Just like the books are vast and long, so are the meanings of the tattoos, only a few characters make it to the end, and these are the most common designs. Let’s look at some of the most common designs of tattoos based on the Harry Potter books and films:
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Types of Harry Potter tattoos
- Deathly hallows symbol
The final book of the Harry Potter series introduced a powerful symbol that has been a source of fascination and debate. It is actually a combination of three powerful and magical elements, a triangle, circle and vertical line.
First, the line is drawn, then the circle around it then the triangle which encloses the first two shapes. The deathly hallows consist of the three magical objects that were supposedly created by Death.
The vertical line represents the Elder Wand which is just a very powerful wand, the circle is the Resurrection Stone and could summon the spirits of the dead and the triangle the Cloak of Invisibility which makes the user invisible.
The one who possessed all three symbols would become the Master of Death. I suppose no one wears the tattoo of the deathly Hallows to be master of death, it really is just a very neat diagram guaranteed to raise questions among those who understand the meaning.
- Harry Potter image
Another type of Harry Potter tattoo that requires no explanation is just having the face of the main character. Although the books only describe Harry Potter loosely: the glasses and hair, the films released afterward gave us a face we would always relate to Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe.
To this day, people always call him Harry Potter, and we suppose that’s why you can just have his face tattooed on your body and people get the message.
Besides the direct approach, other objects used by Harry Potter or that are related to him could be used to send the message. Take the glasses, for example, are immediately recognized as Harry Potter memorabilia.
It may, however, be ambiguous to the untrained eye, and a complimentary symbol may be needed.
- Hogwarts
The image of the Hogwarts coat of arms is also quite common. Hogwarts was the magic school Harry Potter attended and the image of Hogwarts immediately reminds anyone of the books and films.
However, you can choose to use your knowledge of Hogwarts to create a more specific tattoo. As we know, Hogwarts was divided into four houses based on the character of the person, here’s what each house stood for:
a) Gryffindor: this house stands for values of courage, bravery, nerve and chivalry and the house mascot is the lion. As Harry Potter belonged to this house, it’s not surprising that most fans choose this house’s banner for their tattoo design.
b) Hufflepuff: the foremost values in this house are hard work, patience, justice and loyalty. The mascot is the badger and the main colours are black and yellow.
c) Ravenclaw: the values of its members include intelligence, creativity, learning and wit. The mascot in this house is the eagle and the main colours are blue and bronze, or blue and grey in the films.
d) Slytherin: the values of its members are ambition, cunning, resourcefulness and leadership. The serpent is the house mascot and the main colours green and silver. There are some who do not like this house, but you can always choose the tattoo if you believe in their core values.
- Harry Potter quotes
If you’re a true fanatic, then you must know a few Latin phrases from the book. One of the most common phrase is “draco dormiens nunquam titillandus” which loosely translates to “never tickle a sleeping dragon”.
It is a bit related to the more common “Don’t poke the bear” to mean you shouldn’t provoke a more powerful adversary. This phrase was used as the Hogwarts School motto to warn people.
There are plenty more quoted both in English and Latin throughout the books and you can choose to have a tattoo of the one that most intrigues you. The Latin quotes, however, are mostly used for spells and they may not be very attractive because most people don’t know the translations.
- Characters and creatures
As a mythical novel, you expect to see various imaginary creatures, and you can always get a tattoo with the character/creature whose qualities you admire. Many people have used Voldemort’s Nagini on tattoos because it easily makes for a magnificent creature.
However, it is not the noblest of creatures in the book, for that, Fawkes could be also similarly magnificent but with better qualities. It was Dumbledore’s pet phoenix and sacrificed itself for its master.
There are plenty more creatures in the books to choose from, plus a huge cast list. Hermione, for one, has become a symbol of feminism, and if you stand for the same then a tattoo with her likeness would be appropriate.
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