Capricorn Tattoos

About Capricorns

If you were born between December 22 and January 20th, you fall under the astrological sign of Capricorn. An earth sign, people born under Capricorn are known for their solid, dependable personalities. Capricorns are steady as a rock, and since they are so grounded their best colors tend to run in shades of brown through black.

That's not to say that Capricorns aren't colorful. Their sudden bouts of wit can make them seem rather capricious, but this only adds dimension to their personalities.

So, are Capricorns really suited to tattoos? Yes, and ideally so. Once Caps make a decision, they stick by it; this is exactly what any true tat enthusiast does when committing to a design.

Design Ideas for Capricorn Tattoos

The Goat/Fish God

The traditional symbol associated with this sun sign makes outstanding Capricorn tattoos, and the story behind this sign is just as interesting.

According to Babylonian tradition, Capricorn was actually an ancient god. His upper body was a goat, and his lower body was a fish, so he ruled the ocean, but also watched over the land during the day.

Half goat, half fish, eh? This would make an impressive tattoo all by itself, but think about ways to enhance the design. Perhaps your Capricorn is lazing on the shore with his tail in the water, contemplating the stars in the sky that are named for him?

Some cultures have simplified Capricorn to the figure a goat, so you can use this imagery in your tat if you're one of those Caps who prefer a more down to earth design as befitting your nature.

Capricorn's Glyph

The glyph for Capricorn is practically a stick figure of the goat/fish god. The large V on the left side stretches down from its right arm to loop around and trail off in a tail. Some versions of this glyph look more like a compilation of the numbers 7 and 6, as pictured to the right.

This makes an interesting tat on its own, but you can give the design more embellishment by layering it on some kind of background such as a medallion or perhaps some rippling water.

Ruled by Saturn

Saturn is Capricorn's ruling planet, and it also happens to be one of the more interesting looking planets at that. Imagine a tattoo of Saturn complete with rings on the back of your shoulder. Now that's kind of sexy.

Constellation

Perhaps you'll find more inspiration for Capricorn tattoos once you consider Capricornus, this astrological sign's constellation. The Greek mythology concerning Capricornus varies from the traditional goat/fish imagery, offering even more tattooing opportunities.

According to Greek tradition, this constellation represents their demigod Pan, the offspring of the god Hermes and a woodland nymph. Pan had the upper torso of a man and the lower half of goat. He also had goat horns and played that funky pipe.

So, what can you do with this info? Well, you might decide to go with the bare bones constellation tat, but it would be even more interesting to layer your stars over an outline of the goat-fish. If the Greek accounting appeals to you more, you might choose Pan as your muse and picture him looking up at the constellation from his forest home. Since this would need to be a larger and more detailed tat, your back would be a great location for it. It might even make a great tat sleeve.

Star Stone and Birthstone

Capricorn's star stone, connected to the planet Saturn, is the onyx, but its birthstone is the lovely diamond. One design idea for this angle would be layering the word "Capricorn" over a tat of one of these jewels.

Flowers and Plants

Another way to show pride in your astrological sign is through tattoos of Capricorn's flowers. These include:

• The colorful pansy: There's almost no limit to the number of shades and color combinations the cheerful pansy comes in. A small pansy bouquet tattoo would look particularly nice on either side of a woman's upper chest.
• The gorgeous amaranthus: This plant sends out intensely colored floral spikes in shades of pink, fuchsia, red and purple. The spikes arch gracefully under their own weight. Imagine a field of amaranthus filling out a half sleeve tattoo. Very elegant indeed.
• The ever-popular ivy: Ivy tattoos can make terrific arm, wrist and ankle tattoos. Picture those triangular leaves set along trailing tendrils of greenery. Using multiple shades of green and some white ink accents give this kind of tat extra dimension.