Octopus Tattoo Designs & Meaning

Tattoos invite alot of attention and anyone who has a visible tattoo knows that strangers aren't shy about asking what the meaning behind the tattoo is. There are several common reasons for choosing to make an octopus tattoo (or a squid tattoo) a permanent part of your appearance, its symbolic meaning being one of them:

The ability of the octopus to regenerate lost limbs: many people are surprised to learn that an octopus will regrow one or more of its limbs if they are lost in an attack or accident. It's easy to identify with the idea of regrowing lost limbs and moving forward with life, so an octopus can be especially meaningful for those of us who went through a difficult phase in life or survived a traumatic event.
Symbology of the number 8: like a spider, the octopus has eight legs. The number eight, or infinity symbol, has been revered by mystics and cultures for thousands of years. Animals that physically embody the number eight, such as the octopus, may also be considered sacred.
Animal totem: shamans have taught the concept of the power animal for thousands of years, and today there is a resurgence of interest in drawing energetic support from one's own personal totem. Many people feel a special affinity for a certain animal and consider it to be their personal totem based on their feelings about it. If you feel that the octopus is your power animal, a tattoo can be a wonderful way to maintain a feeling of connection with that animal's spirit and energy.

Octopus tattoo design

Octopus Tattoo Styles

Octopus tattoos basically come in 2 styles:

Cartoon(esque): the octopus in cartoons is often portrayed with large bulging eyes, enormous tentacles and magical bright purple or lavender bodies. Most are designed to be frightening or fun and whimsical. Vintage comic books or old school designs can be a good source of inspiration for these kind of designs.
Realistic: realistic octopus tattoos can be very cool, but require a lot of skill from your tattoo artist, so make sure you find the best one available. A blue-ringed octopus design is popular in this style, as well as Asian (Japanese) styled designs.

Octopus tattoo design

Popular placements

Where are you going to place your octopus tattoo? Here are some popular placements:

The anatomy of an octopus, with it's flexible traveling limbs, lends itself to the creation of a large tattoo and a non-classic placement. For example:

You can start the tattoo at your lower back and allow tentacles to wrap around your hips and migrate up your spine.
You can place the octopus on your shoulder and allow it's legs to wrap across your chest and down one of your arms.
If you'd like to place the octopus on your leg, think about starting with the body on one of your feet and letting each of the eight tentacles travel up the leg.

The back, chest, legs and shoulders are the most popular spots for a larger octopus design.

Nice locations for smaller octopus tattoos include the nape of your neck, foot, ankle, hip, wrist, and around the bellybutton. The bellybutton is an especially fun location for this type of tattoo because the tentacles can expand in eight different directions while the navel serves as the central body of the animal.