While tattoos such as wolves, skeletons, hearts, and even the classic ‘Mom’ are easy to spot if you take a long walk outside, they are definitely not your only skin art options. Take Radish tattoos, for instance.
Long a symbol of a bountiful harvest, the simple beauty of this delicious veg has always been a staple in the art world.
Today we’re going to prove it to you by telling you all about the Radish and what it really represents. It’s got the aesthetics and even a rich history behind it, so Radish tattoos are actually more common than you might think. Read on and we’re about to tell you why!
What is the History of Radish Tattoos?
Radishes have been cultivated for so long that it’s really hard to pinpoint when we started doing it. The evidence that we have seems to indicate that China had them first, and around the 3rd century B.C. the Greeks and Romans were writing about them, so they were obviously getting around.
Where there’s something popular, you can bet that someone was getting it tattooed, and as Radishes quickly found their way to Europe a whole of symbolism was already associated with these pinkish-red and delicious veggies.
Aside from their rich symbolism (which we’ll go into shortly), Radish tattoos were certainly out there, due to the aesthetics alone. The reddish-pink outside of the vegetable, along with the white flesh inside and long, forked ivory root-system, capped off by a vibrant light-green of it’s leaves certainly begs to be inked or painted… but what do they signify?
Let’s take a closer look at the Radish and we think that you might even be a little surprised. After all, it’s not every day that you run into a vegetable that’s associated with the Greek and Roman god of War!
What Do Radish Tattoos Symbolize?
The most popular meaning that comes across when you see one or more radishes is the abundance of nature. Radishes make their home in gardens and in the wilds around the world as they are easy to grow in bulk, so when you see a harvest depicted you should for radishes – they’re probably there.
The sharp flavor of radishes also led the Greeks to associating them with Mars, though unfortunately that wasn’t the only thing that they did with radishes. Some accounts state that adulterers were commonly punished by the insertion of a radish into the private that that you’d normally be getting rid of one – ouch!
As such, radishes can symbolize both Ares/Mars and even adultery, although the initial message of abundance is the most common symbolism with radish tattoos. They are also often anthropomorphized, showing up in tattoos with eyes and maybe even little root-legs, and then the symbolism is really more about humor or the radish-person’s cuteness!
What Do Radish Tattoos Mean?
For those who love gardening and nature, radish tattoos can represent the rewards of hard work in the form of an abundant harvest. Made into a cartoon character, it can also represent a person who is ‘sharp’ or simply a bit of a wisecracker, or it might simply be a part of a larger piece of skin art.
A radish might also be listed with a name or a symbol representing someone who has ‘done the owner wrong’, with the vegetable being there as a reference to the ancient Greek ‘radish up the rear’ method for punishing adultery.
As with any tattoo, it’s all about context, so the message that it communicates is going to be based on whatever is around it and there might not even be a message at all. Art is kind of funny like that, so the onus of it’s meaning is really going to be on you and what you’re trying to say.
Where Do Radish Tattoos Usually Go?
Radishes show up in detailed back pieces, especially where a garden or nature scene is being depicted and the goal is to communicate abundance or harvest. That’s not the only place that you can put them, of course, and radish tattoos on the arm are actually more popular than you might think.
The shape of a plucked radish that retains its roots and leaves is actually just about perfect for display on the outer arm, and the color range is both aesthetically pleasing and a challenge for your artist to render to perfection.
Ultimately, it could be placed anywhere, but the back and outer arm are the most common places that we have seen when it comes to Radish tattoos.
Characteristics and Styles of Radish Tattoos
Radish tattoos are all about the color. Yes, you could certainly tattoo one in black and white and some have done exactly that, but with the unique coloration you really have a chance at an eye-popping tattoo. New School Radish tattoos can make your radish quite a bit more fun, but for the color you might consider Watercolor tattoos.
Watercolor tattoos really bring the kind of color that stuns an onlooker into staring at it just a little too long, and that’s the kind of art that’s a pleasure to have on your skin.
You’ll need to get it reinked from time to time to keep it’s ‘knockout punch’ powerful, but it’s rare that you get such a colorful subject to ink on yourself. Radishes are recognized worldwide and artistically, they’re beautiful and fun to render.
If you are looking for a tattoo that you won’t be seeing everywhere, you might wanna consider the simple-but-powerful option of radish tattoos!
In conclusion. Radish tattoos are beautiful and rare… so why not?
If you love nature and its bounties, then it’s hard to find a symbol used to represent this quite as apt as the radish. Radish tattoos are out there and it will always be this way. After all, they’re recognized and eaten worldwide to the point that they’re an indelible mark on many cultures.
Simple, beautiful, and bountiful – Radish tattoos are definitely a sight to see!
