Haida Ink

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This awesome tattoo, of an egg, a raven, a whale and a woman with a labret piercing, comes to us from the Flickrstream of Zach_ManchesterUK and is licensed under Creative Commons. It was designed by Haida artist Freda Diesing.

The Haida were and are American Indians of the northern coast of British Columbia near the border of Alaska. Like many native peoples their use of symbols and mythic figures on masks, totem poles, etc., often denote lineage and status. Unfortunately, much of their myths have been lost to time leaving us with only educated guesses as to the meaning of many of their symbols. We do know that the raven features heavily in Haida mythology and art and serves as their trickster who provides freedom but also threatens chaos.

Inukshuk

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This nifty tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of EclecticBlogs and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo was inked by Tim at Dragon FX out of Alberta, Canada.

This tattoo features a fascinating example of the equally fascinating Inukshuk which are stone monuments of many Arctic peoples, particularly the Inuit. Though they dot the landscape all the way from North America to Greenland their exact purpose is unclear and there are several theories. Some say they are landmarks in a terrain that features no natural distinguishing features in a nearly never ending sea of snow and ice. Other theories suggests that they aided in marking boundaries, as places of food storage or even possibly in herding animals. Whatever their historical uses they have become a recognized symbol of Arctic cultures and have grown so popular as to become the logo for the 2010 Olympics which will be held in Vancouver.

Spider

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This tattoo image comes from the Flickrstream of Sundown27 and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Spiders are much more noticeable during this time of year for those of us in the northern hemisphere. It seems to be because many are feeding up and so building bigger and better webs between almost almost any two trees/objects that will stand still. Just last night I went to fetch a dog and walked right through a web that was easily 4 feet wide.

Grandmother Spider is a much beloved figure of American Indian lore. She once made a web, laced it with dew and tossed it into the sky to form the stars. It is a wonder and a joy to behold the wonder of spiders. If you have the opportunity I highly recommend you spend some time outside watching a spider build it's web; it's a fascinating way to receive lessons from Grandmother Spider.

Turtle and Moons

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These tattoos come from the Flickrstream of Jake Sutton and is licensed by Creative Commons.

The tattoo was inked by Fish at Th'Ink Tank Tattoo in Denver, Colorado.

The turtle features heavily in many American Indian creation stories. Usually various sea animals bring mud from beneath the ocean to form the land which the World Turtle carries on its back.

The Dragonfly

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This nifty dragonfly tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Fabi Dorighello and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo was created by the fine folks at Dark Side Tattoo out of Sao Paulo. (At least I think that's where they're located; I don't understand Spanish so I could be wrong. UPDATE: In the comments section Clare has informed me that the language in question is Portuguese, not Spanish, and the shop is indeed in Sao Paulo. You'll have to forgive me folks, I'm a moron when it comes to geography and languages. Thanks Clare!)

The dragonfly has, in recent years, become a very popular critter to be found on everything from wind chimes, flower pots, clothing and yes, even skin. The dragonfly is a creature of the air as well as the water as they're larvae, called nymphs, are aquatic critters usually found around wetlands, streams and lakes. The dragonfly has plenty of rich folklore surrounding it, mostly expressed through its many names. A fascinating sampling of these names can be found at Crystalinks:

Some of these are Teufelsnadel ("Devil's needle"), Wasserhexe ("Water witch"), Hollenross ("Goddess' horse"), Teufelspferd ("Devil's horse") and Schlangentöter ("Snake killer"). Also the name Snake Doctor has been used in Germany. In England the name Devil's darning needle and Horse stinger have been used. In Denmark the dragonfly have got such different names as Fandens ridehest ("Devil's riding horse") and Guldsmed ("Goldsmith"). Different names of dragonflies referring to them as the devils tools have also occurred in many other European cultures, some examples are the Spanish Caballito del Diablo ("Devil's horse") and the French l'aiguille du diable ("Devil's needle").

As far as specific mythic figures are concerned the dragonfly is historically identified with Daldal, a hero of the Takelma who were American Indians of Oregon, mostly living along the Rogue River. Daldal does great deeds and slays monsters that would threaten his people.

Aside from all of that, the dragonfly can represent change and adaptability. Similar to the butterfly they transform from one flightless state of being to magnificent creatures of the air. And dragonflies, moving forward, backward and side to side in quick succession are masters of the air and a source of inspiration for those of us seeking to roll with the changes of our lives.