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In many cases, a laurel tattoo signifies victory over one’s own bad qualities.
Many people choose to get a laurel wreath tattoo to express their belief that failure is not an option or to motivate themselves to try their best in everything they do. Wreaths can also represent triumph over yourself, indicating the desire to overcome your negative characteristics.
Such tattoo design suits people who are used to winning. Laurel’s Wreath tattoos are a symbol of strength or serve as a reminder to themselves that hard work pays off. A tattoo of this type can be made anywhere on the body, usually on the back or elbow. Laurel wreath tattoos look great on the inside of forearms as well.
The laurel wreath is a circular shape symbolizing unity and perfection, but also the warmth and enduring power of the sun. The wreath consists of leaves of the laurel, an evergreen tree or shrub, and branches, and it resembled horseshoes in ancient times.
The symbol of the laurel wreath comes from Greek mythology. A laurel wreath was worn on the head as a symbol of victory and triumph. Later, the laurel wreath represented Christ’s suffering and victory over death.
According to legend, the holly wreath, with its sharp, pointed leaves, symbolized Christ’s thorny crown, with its red berries representing blood drops. Later wreaths incorporated pines and firs, with evergreens representing eternal life.
Popular wreath design idea inspiration:
The different types of wreathes to consider: 1. Advent – A circular wreath of evergreen branches with four candles, symbolizing the four weeks of Advent.
2. Christmas – A circular wreath of evergreens and other festive decorations, used to decorate doorways and walls during the holiday season.
3. Ribbon – A wreath made of ribbons that can be used to dress up a plain wreath or make a decorative statement on its own.
4. Floral – A wreath adorned with fresh flowers and foliage, often placed on graves or used as a decorative element in the home.
5. Dried Flower – A decor statement maker made of dried flowers, often placed on doors or hung on walls for a long-lasting decoration.
6. Paper – A wreath made from paper or paper products, such as newspaper, tissue paper, or card stock.
7. Candle – A decorative wreath with candles as accents. It can also be lit for a dramatic effect during holiday gatherings or other special occasions.
8. Burlap – A rustic design made from burlap fabric to give any space a homespun look.
9. Moss – A naturalistic wreath made from moss and other natural elements, perfect for outdoor use and garden parties.
10. Twig – A circular wreath made from twigs and branches to create a country-style look indoors or outdoors.
11. Grapevine – A decorative wreath made from grapevines that can be used alone or dressed up with decorations for an elegant touch.
12. Succulent – An eye-catching alternative to the traditional floral wreaths, succulent wreaths are perfect for adding color and texture to your home décor year-round.
13. Pinecone – A unique take on the traditional Christmas wreaths, this one is made of pinecones for a naturalistic look perfect for any rustic home décor scheme.
14. Sea Shell – A beautiful beach-style decoration for indoors or out, this wreath is created using seashells and other coastal elements for an elegant touch of ocean beauty in any room!
15. Fabric – An creative way to add color and texture to any space, this fabric-based wreaths are perfect for dressing up any door!
Check out this colorful floral themed wreath in a beautiful circular design. Placed on the upper area of the thigh, this female tattoo features a beautiful combination of various flowers and branches. I love the colorful approach and graceful feminine style. Truly a cute, girly body art piece with a wonderful placement on the body.
Instead of going with a full circle wreath design you can always choose to go with a half moon or crescent moon style. Here’s a great example of the wreath not going all the way around but making a beautiful feminine impression. The purple flower combination is magnificent, while I love the tiny touch of white ink on the middle upper flower for that extra pop of detail. For circular tattoos, such as the wreath, the knee cap, shoulder cap, and other rounded areas are perhaps the best spot to go with.
Here’s another shoulder tattoo design featuring a black and grey wreath design with an old school traditional style. Note the wonderful shading detail by the artist the great use of various plant species. Personally, I love the use of a single flower in combination with a mixture of leaves. It gives a more rustic, down to earth vibe that anyone can appreciate.
Your front door wreath may be charmingly simple and color coordinated, but your body art doesn’t have to be! This wreath tattoo features a horseshoe shape with an abundance of colorful flowers. I love when women take flower bouquet and turn them into wreaths, as the end result is almost always stunning.
This pretty minimalistic wreath tattoo gets down to the basics but still offers a lot of charm. Note the black ink only theme and rounded edges of the leaves which match the circular style of the wreath itself. This female leg tattoo design is certainly graceful as it is simple.
For a more modern, creative tattoo that isn’t over the top, consider this beautiful pink flower wreath. Unlike other designs which fill the entire rim with flowers, branches or leaves, this forearm tattoo utilizes an empty black ink line for the majority of the circle. It works wonderfully well to really emphasize the beauty of the pink blooming flowers. Note that flowers which haven’t quite yet bloomed have been incorporated into the design for a touch of elegance.
Placement of a tattoo can make a big impact! This tattoo delicately follows the curve of her kneecaps and is a very clever and unique way to elevate the design. The simple black and white palette is all this needs, and the simple line work really makes a statement.
Sunflowers, Roses, and Poppies, all complement each other in this simple design. Clean, thin, black line work creates an understated, but interesting piece. The delicate petals and greenery are placed with great care and the combination of flowers makes a really delicate, feminine piece.
Simple designs can still be striking. The red and black palette here uses simplicity to its advantage. The long and almost sharp looking petals make the design look more “hard core” than a typical floral design. The artist’s use of white space also makes this piece something special.
While still being simple, this design is so unique! With its striking red line work and creative heart shaped wreath, the monochromatic palette is still very fun to look at. Precise clean lines really impact the appearance of the florals. The result is a feminine, youthful, and classic look.
Just above the knee, this tattoo makes quite a statement! While following the natural curve of the body, its floral design creates quite an impact! The blue and yellow present in the butterflies, against the deep reds and greens in the roses, creates contrast, amidst the simplistic traditional palette.
The cat on the moon has a similar curve to the laurel wreath below. This design is unique and their placement looks great on the body. The simple black and white palette is more than enough, due to the clean detailed work in the pinecones, flowers, and cat above.
Grapevines make an unexpected, but beautiful heart shaped laurel wreath. The black and white palette really shows off the artist’s ability to shade in a way that makes this piece shine. The grapes seemingly look good enough to eat, and the leaves and vines create a dainty heart that really looks lovely.
The precise line work present on this tattoo is striking. You can tell the artist put lots of effort into putting each line exactly where it needed to be. The size of the petals, and the leaves of the ferns are incredibly thin, and so meticulously placed. The end result is beautifully delicate.
Symmetry and precision make this clean and simple design stand out. Each side of the wreath is nearly identical to the other. Deep green color is carefully used against a purple/black berry, and the artist’s careful and precise use of white, really makes the berries pop against the greenery and the skin.
The addition of a fox, and tree branches make this creative and unique! An incredibly detailed and beautiful light orange fox seemingly transforms into the branch of a lilac tree. The variations of purple and green on the branch and flowers create a beautiful palette that complement the woodsy vibe of this design.
Bold and beautiful. The classic, traditional, all black line work on this wreath is still interesting with the movement that the composition creates. Clean and simple line work creates petals, leaves, and adds details to the center of the flowers, while precise little circles throughout, create a playful and classic design.
Teeny tiny dots connect to create the most delicate of lines on this beautifully simple tattoo. Once you get past the realistic nature of the closed buds and large open flowers, one will notice the tiny dots even create lines on the petals themselves, lending texture to the incredible design.
Poppies create an interesting composition here, as they are shown both tightly shut and fully opened. Even with a simple palette of black and white, the design maintains both boldness and femininity. The stems intertwine in such precision and detail, that they almost seem continuous and adjoined.
This design proves that simplicity can be stunning and beautiful. The deep reds, yellows and green, are cleanly placed and curve beautifully around the text. The simple addition of a tiny little bud makes a big impact on this beautiful piece.
The tiny dots that make up the shading of the leaves on this piece are incredible. The green and yellow ombre effect creates a clean and traditional look, while the bird’s bright red belly adds a pop of contrast to the classic style of this tattoo.
A traditional rose is a classic for a reason, this artist keeps an old look, looking fresh with its clean black line work and shading. Each line that created these roses was placed in a very intentional way and it shows!
You won’t have to worry about accessorizing if your tattoos do it for you! The placement of this tattoo is what makes it so interesting. Symmetry is crucial to this piece’s success. The clean shading of black ink creates the illusion of a necklace of greenery.
Bright red, yellow, and orange make a bold statement against the greenery of the stems and leaves behind them. Fun swirls and tiny yellow buds in the stems, as well as small detailed lines, add interest and finish this design off with pizazz!
Femininity is shown beautifully through the lines of these florals. Black appears almost grease it is so finely placed on the skin. It’s soft, and realistic flowers and buds accompany the well laid out stems and leaves that make this a showstopper!
A delicate peachy pink colored rose sits beautifully on the collar bone, as its soft greenery curves in the most natural way. The delicate line work, soft ethereal, and almost antique looking palette, lend almost to your grandma’s china, or a beautiful antique perfume bottle.
Fun, vivid, modern colors surround a delicate and beautiful sparrow in this design. This really makes this Laurel wreath stand out! The teal leaves contrast beautifully with the ruby red, mustard yellow and emerald green. The use of white makes the colors pop even more!
Self-love looks good on you! The detailed bright yellow sunflowers lend even more joy to the text, “love myself,” so carefully placed on this tattoo. The tiny purple cornflowers, and red berries make the precision of the line work pop. While remaining delicate, this piece says so much!
Barbed wire makes a normally delicate design edgy and tough. Especially when placed around your knees. The bright yellow and red are well blended into each other and stand out, without over complicating the fine lines that make up the thick sharp looking barbed wire.
A heart shaped wreath constructed with bluebells, baby’s breath and carnations, gives this tattoo a bit of a country vibe. It’s simple, beautiful, youthful, and fun. The placement on the inner ankle adds to the allure of this tattoo.
Outlines of pink roses, and lightly shaded leaves create a heart shaped laurel wreath in this design. The pink and gray palette of this tattoo is so delicate and feminine, and the way they neatly cross in the center is so neat and precise.
The sage leaves that make up this wreath look almost as soft as they are in real life. With an almost fuzzy texture, it is clear that excellent shading and use of color to create texture can make a very simple design interesting and beautiful.
Spider webs are incorporated into a heart shaped design making this, just a little spooky! Wispy almost feather like leaves, and what appears to be dandelions sans fluff, this piece gives you a bit of an eerier vibe than your typical classic laurel wreath!
Pastels and nearly perfect circles make this design shine! Varying peachy shades and dark, almost blue, colored greenery contrast beautifully! The longer you look at it the more the little bits of blues, yellows, and white appear and show even more of its tiny details.
A simple classic looking design is elevated, with its varying vivid shades of pink and beautifully muted green that so closely resembles real roses. The way they are used showing varying stages of bloom really adds interest to the heart shaped design of this beautiful piece.
Deep mustard yellow and brown are combined to make up the majority of the color of this piece. The dead looking leaves are contrasted by the light green and yellow daisies with their bright yellow centers. This design gives off the richness and warmth of a fall color palette.
Large monochromatic flowers create the base of this beautiful design. The black and gray palette needs no color, with all of the beautiful detail and texture the artist creates with the expert use of white, to create highlights, and details, such as the shine on the berries.
A hummingbird makes a perfect addition to this almost geometric looking Laurel wreath design. The tiny dots along with the neatly detailed flowers make a nearly perfect ring around this incredibly detailed, and adorable little bird. The artist obviously has an eye for detail and texture, as this tattoo has plenty!
Placed perfectly, this wreath neatly frames the shoulder of its wearer. The soft gray palette of the greenery only design is simple and effective. Its location and subtle beauty are perfect here for someone looking for a more minimalistic tattoo. The line work and shading on this piece make it a winner!
Sunflowers on either side lend symmetry to this youthful and simple design. The placement on the back of the calf is interesting and it fits so well on her leg. Its little heart where the ends meet, adds such a cute little touch!
The dark side of sunflowers can be seen here. The almost sharp looking edges of barren branches are dark and bold, combined with striking white and black flowers, they blend eerily to the more gray color of the sunflowers that adds a bit of a delicate touch, and finishes the design off so well.
More wreath inspiration:
These are prevalent because of the rich symbolism associated with wreaths. Wreaths have been used for centuries to symbolize victory, achievement, and status. Ancient Rome awarded wreaths to victors in sports competitions and military battles.
Additionally, wreaths are often used as decorations during holidays like Christmas and Easter. Because of the positive associations wreaths have, many women get wreath tattoos to commemorate a significant event or milestone in their lives.
Today, wreaths still symbolize success and achievement, but they also represent other concepts such as love, respect, and honor. For many women, a wreath tattoo is a way to showcase their achievements and values.
Additionally, they can also be seen as a way to pay homage to influential women in their lives who have passed away. Regardless of the reason behind it, a wreath tattoo is a lovely way to commemorate someone or something extraordinary in your life.
There are a variety of designs and styles of wreath tattoos for women. The most popular design is a simple wreath made of leaves and branches. This type of tattoo can be exquisite, especially when done in green and white ink.
Including flowers is another popular design. This type of tattoo is ideal for ladies who want to add a touch of femininity to their body art. Flower wreath tattoos can be designed in various ways, from simple and delicate to bright and colorful.
No matter what type of wreath tattoo you choose, it will surely be a beautiful and unique addition to your body art collection.
Wreath tattoo meanings and symbolism:
What do Wreath themed designs mean and symbolize?: Wreaths have been used to denote victory, honor, and achievement since ancient times and have been associated with the gods and goddesses of the ancient world.
In classical antiquity, wreaths were worn on the head as a sign of victory in battle or at athletic contests. The Greek goddess Nike was often depicted wearing a wreath of laurel leaves, and wreaths were awarded to victorious athletes at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. The Romans also adopted this custom and awarded laurel wreaths to successful generals upon their return from battle. In much the same way soldiers returning from war were often presented with laurel wreaths in recognition of their valor and bravery.
Throughout the Middle Ages, wreaths were used as symbols of royal power and authority. Kings were crowned with wreaths made of gold, silver, or precious stones to signify their right to rule over their respective kingdoms. As Christianity spread across Europe during this period, symbols of religious devotion began to be woven into many varieties of wreath design. Wreaths made out of evergreen foliage became associated with everlasting life and resurrection and were sometimes placed on graves as signs of hope for the departed soul.
During the 18th century, wreath symbolism began to take more varied forms in Europe. In Britain, ladies began wearing floral garlands at balls and other formal occasions as symbols of high social status; these elaborate tiaras were known as “star-wreaths” because they often featured tiny stars set in gold or silver designs. In France, it became fashionable for wealthy families to commission their own custom-made “coronets”—wreaths crafted from precious metals and adorned with jewels—which served both as status symbols and expressions of vanity.
The advent of the French Revolution in 1789 further altered the meaning of the wreath symbol. During this tumultuous period, revolutionary leaders such as Maximilien Robespierre embraced the use of laurel wreaths as potent political symbols; wearing them at public events became a signifier of support for the new republic that was being formed in France. The practice quickly spread throughout Europe; intellectuals such as Goethe wrote about how he saw “triumphant laurel-crowned heroes” everywhere he looked during this period.
In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte assumed control over France after a series of military victories—culminating in his famous crossing of the Alps—and crowned himself as Emperor shortly thereafter. During this period he adopted several symbolic gestures inspired by Ancient Rome’s Republic—notably a laurel wreath fashioned from golden oak leaves that he wore on special occasions such as his coronation ceremony in 1804. This powerful image bolstered Napoleon’s claim to be an heir to Julius Caesar’s legacy and reinforced his status as an absolute ruler throughout Europe.
Wreath symbolism has continued to evolve since Napoleon’s time; today it is often associated with joyous celebrations such as weddings and holidays rather than political movements or military victory. However, its associations with honor, courage, victory, everlasting life, and royalty remain strong—making it one of mankind’s most enduring symbols since antiquity
