Looking for the perfect floral tattoo? You might want to take a look at the hellebore flower, which can offer a wide range of beautiful and intricate options and colors for inspiration.
The hellebore – or Christmas Rose – is a beautiful flower known for blooming early in the year, and comes in a variety of colors, from white to a deep plum shade. While it’s an excellent choice as a tattoo from a purely aesthetic standpoint, the hellebore is also thought to symbolize tranquility and toughness.
This article looks at the meaning and symbolism of hellebore, it’s history, and the different styles of hellebore tattoos available.
What Is The History of the Hellebore Tattoo?
Tattoos have been around since the beginning of civilization. Originally flowers were symbols of connection to the gods, or ways to show a sense of community.
Hellebore – or the christmas rose – is not one of the traditional flowers used for tattoos. There isn’t much recorded about when hellebore flowers began to be used by tattoo artists, though it does have some historical presence otherwise.
Hellebore was first referenced in Greek stories, when the healer Melampus used it to cure the daughters of the King of Argos.
In medieval times it was thought to cure madness or protect from evil spirits.
Hellebore grows in colors of white, pink, red, salmon or dark purple. All of these colors are used in hellebore tattoos, with different meanings attached to different colors.
What Do Hellebore Symbolize?
Hellebore, like many flowers, has several symbolic meanings, which can change according to the colors used.
Hellebore is known in some circles as the ‘Flower of Contradiction’. This name is thought to refer to the fact that in small doses, it can be used as medicine, but is otherwise toxic.
White Hellebore:
White hellebore is also known as the Christmas rose. In tattoos or other depictions, it symbolizes purity, beauty and innocence.
It is also considered a flower blessed by God, owing to the legend that it first bloomed as a gift given by a young shepherdess to the Christ child.
Black Hellebore:
Black hellebore actually refers to hellebore in any of the darker colors, such as red, deep pink, or dark purple.
Black hellebore is said to symbolize serenity, tranquility, peace, and strength or toughness.
It can also represent anxiety or scandal. Hellebore is reputed to be a warning of scandal or stress in times ahead, urging caution.
For this reason, flower language also identifies hellebore as a flower symbolizing ‘hesitation’.
What Do Hellebore Tattoos Mean?
Hellebore tattoos, like the flowers, can have a number of different meanings, based on color, placement, or other imagery.
Insecurity or Seeking Answers:
In reference to the flower’s reputation for indicating hesitation, a hellebore tattoo can symbolize inner uncertainty and the search for answers.
Some people will choose a hellebore to represent a personal insecurity, which may cause them to hesitate.
Peace and Tranquility:
Just as hellebore can represent uncertainty and a search for answers, it may also represent the tranquility of answers that have been found.
In this context, a hellebore tattoo may represent a difficult time that has been overcome. The hellebore in this context can serve as a reminder, enabling a person to find peace in the knowledge of what they have already achieved.
Toughness and Strength:
Hellebore blooms early in the year, often when snow is still on the ground. In this aspect, it is considered a representation of life’s determination to thrive, to rise up, and the strength to grow in normally adverse conditions.
A hellebore tattoo can represent the strength to survive and grow in spite of cold or adverse conditions. Likewise, the toughness to bloom even in a situation where most others would not.
Contradiction and Magic:
Hellebore is one of the prominent flowers listed in texts pertaining to magic. It has been reported to both cure and curse, and used as both an instrument of summoning and warding off evil.
A hellebore tattoo, particularly a black one tattoo (dark purple or red), can be used to symbolize a person who is deeply interested in mysticism, and feels connected to aspects of certain practices.
It can also represent a person who sees themselves as being a uniquely contradictory individual, who sees things in multiple perspectives and balances between differing viewpoints.
Where Do Hellebore Tattoos Usually Get Placed?
Hellebore tattoos are most commonly found on the arms and shoulders.
– There is almost no limit to these designs in terms of size, details, or intricacy.
The second most popular location appears to be the upper thigh.
– This location seems preferred by those that want a large, intricate, multi-bloomed arrangement.
They are sometimes seen on the back or chest.
– Hellebores tattoos on the chest frequently feature one or two blooms, while those on the back can be much more intricate.
What Are Some Styles and Characteristics of Hellebore Tattoos?
The options for hellebore tattoo styles and characteristics are broad, nearly unlimited in scope.
The most common representation is a purple or pink bloom with leaves arranged around it.
Other popular representations include:
- Hellebore with a crescent moon – often connected to the more mystical meanings associated with hellebore
- Flowering Hellebore with stem – thought to represent vitality and rebirth, the energy of growth.
- Hellebore intertwined with words or characters – adds additional meanings or personality
- Realistic Hellebore – These flowers are stunning in nature, making a realistic representation an excellent choice.
- Hellebore with animals – Sometimes referred to as the ‘beauty and the beast’ configuration, whose meanings are determined by the animals represented
- Sketched Out Hellebore – Most often done without color, with varying levels of details inked or ‘sketched’ in.
- Hellebore Vines – Hellebore doesn’t have vines, but it can be drawn in a series of blooms, leaves and stems which resemble a vine in terms of style
- Stylistic Hellebores – Hellebores drawn in a specific artistic style, like watercolor.
Whatever your design preference, the hellebore is a beautiful flower, and makes an excellent tattoo. If you’re looking for a somewhat unusual flower with multiple shades of meaning and a gorgeous design, the hellebore could be the flower for you.
