A wendigo tattoo is ideal for those who are inclined towards dark philosophies or gothic designs. This creature with its morbid, skeletal, humanoid body and twisted, rotting face challenges all other creatures of horror. It represents the darkest nature of a human soul. This tattoo is known to make people reflect on the harsh realities of life and stop them from getting angry. It also offers a huge scope to experiment with its shape and artistic style. In this article, we have listed a few popular wendigo tattoo ideas for you to choose from. Read on to awaken your philosophical side.
Meaning of Wendigo tattoo
The wendigo is a supernatural creature with roots in native North American cultures, particularly among the Algonquian people. It is generally described as a gaunt, skeletal humanoid creature with its ashen, thin, loose flesh clinging closely to its protruding bones. These features are not well defined, however, except for its characteristic large, branching antlers. In native legends, the monster is said to engage in cannibalism due to its insatiable hunger, thus representing unending greed, strong desires, and an instinct to turn to destructive methods to satisfy itself. The fact that the wendigo remains a gaunt figure despite feeding on humans speaks volumes about how deep its hunger runs.
As a tattoo, a wendigo can represent the darkest aspects of a person or the physical form of a transformative phase in one’s life where the good within one is seemingly overwhelmed by the evil within one. It serves as a reminder of what one can turn to when faced with endless hardships and the importance of being more cautious so that survival methods do not descend to such desperate measures.
A wendigo tattoo can represent all of the above and more, depending on the wearer’s personal beliefs and ideologies. It can be designed in a number of creative ways, and the following section shares some images and ideas for doing so. Keep scrolling to check them out.
8 Wendigo Tattoo Ideas
The wendigo is the perfect tattoo subject for gothcore enthusiasts looking for an element that represents the darkness or duality of the human psyche. Check out the following tattoo designs for creative ideas to design your own wendigo tattoo.
1. Wendigo Skull Tattoo
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A wendigo with a human or animal skull and large imposing antlers is perhaps the most popular representation of this fearsome creature. The tattoo above shows an animal skull wendigo with a human skull underneath, presented as an altar. The use of black, gray, and white ink allows for a wide range of depth and play of light and shadow in the design. The placement on the thigh does justice to the tattoo details, creating more canvas space.
2. Traditional Wendigo Tattoo
Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team
While you’re opting for a traditional tattoo technique for your wendigo tattoo, you can explore a few palette options. The most popular type is one that features bold outlines, bright colors, and sharp blending or shading. However, a silhouette-style tattoo works best in keeping with the dark, horror theme of the wendigo. The tattoo above shows a wendigo in all its glory with antlers sprouting randomly from its body. It paints a horrifying picture that can give anyone goosebumps.
3. Wendigo Head Tattoo
Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team
While imagining a wendigo’s overall silhouette through the mist in a forest can be a bloodcurdling experience, a close-up of its head and face can be the stuff of recurring nightmares. If that’s the effect you’re after, take cues from the tattoo above. The antlers are on the short side, but the detailing of the wrinkled, sunken face, prominent cheekbones, and glowing red eyes all add charisma to the tattoo, making it a stunning piece.
4. Wendigo Tattoo Sleeve
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team
A wendigo can represent rot, decay, and absolute despair in the face of unprecedented hardship. But it also hints at the growth of an entirely new being rising, stronger through all the despair. This can be beautifully presented in a full-sleeve wendigo tattoo as shown in the image above. A skeletal wendigo with towering antlers appears to bloom alongside wildflowers, painting a contrasting story.
5. Wendigo chest tattoo
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The placement of the tattoo on the chest can speak of deep symbolism and can also serve as a smart choice for artistic license in implementing the tattoo. Due to its proximity to the heart, it can represent the wearer’s deep emotions or ideologies. The skull in this tattoo extends down towards the sternum, while the antlers branch out towards the collarbones and shoulders. The shape of the wendigo is a perfect way to express your relationship with the best of the dark.
6. Tribal Wendigo Tattoo
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The wendigo is a creation of native or tribal beliefs and therefore it is perhaps most ideal and natural to illustrate it in tribal styles. The tribal tattoo in the image above can give you some ideas. The face of the wendigo is shaped like a mask, an object often seen in tribal customs, while the antlers have sharp, curved and pointed shapes, resembling the blackberries at the bottom. The wildflowers also have a rough shape, which adds to the overall organic feel of the tattoo style.
7. Wendigo back tattoo
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team
The traditional wendigo tattoo in this image is a perfect example of using a wide space for a bold, detailed tattoo. It features a tattoo on the upper back of a wendigo head, complete with sunken cheeks, gaunt eyes, a skeletal jawline, and shaggy hair. The antlers are cleverly designed to climb up the neck, taking the space into account. Experiment with different color palettes for a tattoo that better reflects your moods or beliefs.
8. Hannibal Wendigo Tattoo
Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team
This Hannibal-inspired wendigo tattoo shows a human transforming into a wendigo, just as Will Graham imagined Hannibal Lecter transforming in the books. The hair on the crown still looks quite polished, giving away the Hannibal reference. You can personalize this tattoo by choosing a human face of your choice to represent the person who may have a similar or relative influence on your life.
And that was our list of chilling yet alluring wendigo tattoo designs and ideas. While wendigo represents monstrous greed that is often not associated with human nature, it can also represent a transformative phase where a person’s inner good and evil are at war with each other. It serves as a reminder of what a person is doomed to become if he does not watch his ways. Whether it is a simple silhouette shape or a fully detailed, realistic depiction of the wendigo, a tattoo of this creature is sure to attract attention and arouse the imagination and curiosity of most people. We hope this article was helpful and that you try out our ideas and play with the concept to design a suitable wendigo tattoo of your own. Cheers!
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Eve Phillips is an experienced artist in a variety of tattoo styles, although she specializes in fine detail and floral tattoos. She has owned studios in both Australia and the UK for 20 years and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in all areas of tattoo art, health, licensing, trends, current issues and history.
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Manjari is a beauty and lifestyle writer with over three years of experience writing across various niches including beauty, health, wellness, and technology. She first discovered her passion for writing in school and has been honing her craft ever since.
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Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has written more than 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from University of Calcutta, West Bengal and did her post-graduation from Kalyani University, West Bengal.
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Joyce Joyson is a beauty and lifestyle writer with over a year of experience in creating short-form content for the beauty, fashion and lifestyle niches. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History, Political Science and Geography from IIS University and a Master’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Kristu Jayanti College.
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