180+ Excellent Ankh Tattoo Designs with Meanings (2023)
Ankh tattoos have become very popular among tattoo lovers because of their beautiful design and deep meaning. If you haven’t checked ankh tattoos before then today is the day you should read about it completely before finalizing your mind on what type of ankh tattoo design best suits you.
Ankh Symbol Importance in Egyptian Culture
Ruled by the god Osiris, Ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced civilizations in history.
Thousands of years ago, they laid the foundation of the modern alphabet, invented surgery, and had knowledge about astronomy which was superior to that of Greek astronomers. They were one of those cultures who held knowledge in high regard and respected it as a valuable gift given by their gods.
The Symbol is associated with many Egyptian gods from Anubis to Ra and Osiris. There are several legends and mythological tales that tell us how important this symbol was to ancient Pharaohs.
The Egyptian god ‘Anubis’ is depicted with the head of a jackal. He is known as “the Lord of Minor Antiquities” among the Egyptians. His duties include guiding souls through their final journey towards Osiris, leading them into his judgment hall where he weighs their hearts against his magical ostrich feather representing truth and justice.
The most interesting thing about this god is that he guided Osiris during his final judgment against Set, even though Osiris was his father. He is depicted with the head of a jackal because of his faithful service to Osiris, lord of the underworld.
What Does An Ankh Tattoo Mean?
The Ankh tattoo is a symbolic cross with a loop at the top. It represents life, energy, and power. The symbol has been used as a hieroglyph meaning “eternal life”. In the modern-day, it is known to represent youth, fertility, and sexual potency. It is associated with eternal life or fertility of youth, holding strong spiritual meanings in Roman Culture as well.
The Egyptian Gods Ra and Osiris are often depicted carrying an ankh by its loop. In mythology, it was believed that Isis gave Osirus the ankh to help him through the underworld after he died so she could revive him. According to wiki: “The Egyptians also believed that in the afterlife they would be judged by Osiris based on how they had lived their lives” If you have got this kind of tattoo design on body, you must believe in such kind of idea.
As an ancient Egyptian symbol, it has had several names such as “key of life”, “the key to eternity” and crux ansata (Latin for ‘cross with a handle”) which was often given as a Roman age amulet especially on mummy wrappings to ensure safety after death. This writing tool represented the spring from which flowed divine words; in short, it was a graphic representation of language itself.
The ankh was known as the key to life in Greek and Norse culture as well. Although they adopted the symbol in the renaissance era. It has also been related to the sun since the ankh is a powerful symbol of life and fertility. The Egyptian word for “life” is “breath” which forms an ankh-like shape through inhaling and exhaling.
Ankh Tattoo Ideas
Ankh shows up in different cultures around the world because it represents the eternal life that every human being desires to have, just like how all humans are born into this world. The Egyptian hieroglyphs were composed around 2000 BC and many imagine them as a picture writing system where they would draw symbols and what those symbols meant.
However, symbols used in hieroglyphic writing had more than one meaning so the word “Breath” means both life and wind. Hieroglyph also shows up in different forms of ancient art.
Here we have chosen 180+ beautiful ankh tattoo designs that are inspired by famous Egyptian mythological tales. These designs are fit for both men and women so take a look.