Lion Tattoos for Men

When you say lion, the first thing that comes to ones head is royalty and confidence,isn't it ? The image of a lion represents supremacy, power and ferociousness. Lion, the King of Beasts is one of the most popular animals to get tattooed by men. So what do lion tattoos for men signify?

The most absolute symbolism and meaning of a lion tattoo is:

• power

• strength

• courage

• victory

• glory

• vitality

• masculinity

• justice

• attentiveness

• family

Lion tattoos for men have a lot of variations in forms and styles. So let's walk through the various cultural perspectives and meanings of lion tattoos.

1. Lion in Greek mythology

As romantic as Greek mythology is, lions here are associated with masculinity and love.

2. Lion in Christianity

Lions signify God on account of its Royal stature and thereby has been known to depict justice a d power. The symbol 'Lion of Judah' also shows lion to be symbolic of Jesus Christ.

3. Lion tattooed with flowers

Contradicting the common belief, lion tattoos with flowers are very masculine and popular in men as it symbolises a perfect balance between strength and fragility and the desire to find a middle ground between one's calmer self and passionate nature.It also symbolises the recognition of feminine wisdom, love, elegance and beauty.

4. Lion in Chinese and Japenese mythology

Lions from the perspective of Chinese and Japanese culture symbolises luck, protection, guardian, strength and power. They basically symbolise honour, valour and justice according to the perspective of Samurai culture.

5. Lion and lamb tattoos

Lion as we know by now represents strength, power and masculinity, whereas a lamb represents purity, innocence and spirituality. This tattoo depicts one's dual nature with a balance between one's rational and passionate side.

6. Lion and dragon tattoos

These tattoos depict a combination of brute and power as both these animals are kings in their own realms. They represent strength, authority, masculinity and power.

7. Roaring lion

A roaring lion is very powerful and ferocious and someone to be feared and respected. They are leaders and a roaring lion tattoo is sign that one must not be taken for granted or taken lightly as there is a beast underneath that skin ready to be unleashed and strike.

8. Lion paw

A lion paw tattoo signifies achievement, progress in life, bravery and protection.

9. A family

Lions do hunt alone but they have been known to come back to their Cubs and lioness and thereby reunite with its family providing them food and protection.

10. Lion with a crown

Yes, lion is the King of the Jungle and a crowned lion symbolises the fact that you are your own King and no one can put you down or try to dominate you in anyway.

11. Lion tattoos in astrology

The zodiac sign of leo depicts a lion and it is ruled by the run. This fifth zodiac sign represents high-spirited energy and adventuresome. It is said that the people born under this sign are born leaders, intelligent, extravagant, exuberant, savvy, just and are great at balancing their life professionally and personally.

Check out the Best Lion Tattoos for Men

This New School style lion tattoo stretches across the outer deltoid. It features a brightly colored lion head and mane, greatly detailed with line work and shadowing. The lion wears a padlock on a rope around its neck, and the padlock is engraved with the letters "T & B".

Lion tattoos are often used as symbols of power and regal traits, and this tattoo for men is a great example of that. A black and white New School style lion wears an ornate King's crown and stretches across the back of the calf.

This lion tattoo for guys features combination Blackwork and Dotwork to create a geometric looking piece. The lion is perfectly symmetrical. Stunning mandala work stretches from the top and bottom of its face, and it is shaded with expert Dotwork.

This Surrealism style tattoo features a great example of a water color lion tattoo for men. The lion is a splash of purples, golds, greens, and blues that drip from just below the knee to the bottom of the calf in pastel brush strokes.

This Blackwork tattoo features a lion, in side profile, stretching his head across the chest and shoulder of the body. The black and white inking is henna inspired- the mane is intricately filled in with Blackwork mandala patterns, and line work shading.

This black and white lion is a great example of animal tattoo ideas for men. It features a New School style lion in great detail, set upon the upper back of the shoulder. Arabic script arches in strong black ink above the lion's head.

This tattoo idea features a lion resting across the side of the lower side body, surrounded by swirling Blackwork. The lion is inked in strong, smooth lines and generous shadowing, so that it appears to be carved from marble.

A lion rips through the skin of the outer deltoid in a burst of inky black in this tattoo for men. He bares sharp, detailed teeth, and his mane bursts across the shoulder in great detail and shading. He fades into an inky smear of water color brush stroke detailing.

This New School style lion tattoo depicts a sombre faced lion staring out from the outer deltoid. The lion is inked in black and white, and depicted simply, yet very realistically, thanks to detailing and shading.

This Illustrative style tattoo features an abstract lion head splashed across the back of the bicep. The sketch of a lion's face is colored with a rainbow's array of watercolor splashes. The colors run down the arm in stunning rivulets of pastel.

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This thigh tattoo features a lion head depicted in New School style detailing and line work. The expert shading, detailing, and blending of black, white, and greys makes this tattoo an extremely realistic piece.

A lion bursts from the clouds in this half sleeve tattoo. The clouds are shaded so that they appear to billow as the lion roars, revealing a mouth of pointed, detailed teeth. The mane is expertly lined and shaded to give the impression of realism.

This tattoo combines Illustrative and New School styles with expert shadowing and shading to create a lion head that appears to be chiseled from marble. The lion stretches from inner elbow to wrist. At the wrist sits a mouse, peering up at the regal lion.

Surrealism style and Illustrative style come together to create this stunning lion tattoo. The lion's mane is inked in gradient sunset shades that make it appear to be catching fire. Its face is detailed with line work and dot work.

This realistic, New School style tattoo features a lion that roars and tosses its mane from the top of the shoulder to just above the elbow. Great detailing and heavy shading helps make this tattoo pop with ferocity and realism.

Two lion heads form a full leg sleeve in this lion tattoo idea for men. The top lion is a male with a shaded, watchful face, and a billowing, detailed mane. Beneath him, a female lion head fades into the flesh in shadowed black and grey inking.

This stunning Blackwork lion tattoo channels an aura of tribalism with its mandala inspired patterning. A heavily detailed lion face is adorned with intricate Blackwork asymmetrical patternings. The piece is completed with the inclusion of tiny, beautiful Dotwork.

This full arm sleeve for guys features a shaded lion head with a billowing mane looking out across a stormy, shadowy background. The lion is accompanied by detailed, realistic styled roses that fall down the arm to the wrist.

This New School style tattoo features a lion taking a stride across the upper bicep of the outer arm. The lion is inked in black and white, and features a heavily shaded mane and detailed face. Its shadow falls from its body in a shaded glow.

A lion's profile is depicted in a burst of fiery blacks, reds, and oranges in this upper arm tattoo. Blackwork abstract flames serve to represent the lion's mane, and give the piece an essence of power and strength.

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This Surrealism tattoo runs from the inner elbow to just above the wrist. A thin black line stretches from above the inner elbow to the top of the lion's face, which is splashed with red water color brush strokes that run down the arm. The lion's bright green eyes and the geometric line work overlays make this a breathtaking piece for men.

A lion lifts a paw as it treads across a grassy patch of ground. The lion is detailed and shaded in the black and white style of New School tattoos. He is bold, content, and self assured, and stands tall, filling up the entire back of the calf.

This wrist tattoo idea for men features a lion head inked in the style of New School tattoos. The lion shows off a ferocious expression made more realistic by expert shading and detailing of the mane's many hairs.

This stunning back tattoo for guys features a large lion face that stretches from shoulder to shoulder. Illustrative style and New School style merge to create a piece that is detailed, compelling, and perfectly symmetrical.

A lion peers from a spattering of water color droplets in this tattoo for men. The pastel rivulets of color run across the center of the lower inner arm, between elbow and wrist. The lion is inked in Surrealism pastel style and adorned with droplets of water color styled inking.

This lion tattoo for guys features a lion head depicted in Illustrative style. The lion's mane is a blend of blues, oranges, purples, and auburns, and stretches across the entirety of the upper shoulder in a billowing blur of pastel brushed illustration.

This tattoo is a great example of Blackwork tattoo ideas for men. It features a lion's head and mane, stretched shoulder to shoulder across the entirety of the upper back. The face is shaded in New School style, and the mane is depicted using Blackwork strokes and dashes.

This lion tattoo for men features a Dotwork design that rests upon the outer deltoid. The lion is depicted geometrically, with great line work illustrating the mane. A mandala inspired, Dotwork pattern sits atop the lion's head.

A lion roars with strength in this New School style tattoo. The lion fades into a grey shaded background atop the right pectoral muscle- a perfect lion tattoo for guys looking to get inked in this place. Heavy detailing and expert shading finish off the piece.

This New School style tattoo is a prime example of a tattoo idea that exudes power and majesty. A beautifully detailed lion head stretches across the back of the calf. The lion wears an intricately shaded crown of ornate, kingly jewels.

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This upper arm tattoo depicts a roaring lion in an abstract, Blackwork inking. The lion's face breaks into a roar amidst a tangle of twisting Blackwork swirls and shapes. This tattoo could serve to be the beginning of a sleeve, or could stand on its own.

Reaching from the inner elbow to just above the inner wrist, this tattoo features a roaring lion depicted in pastel style. The lion roars in strokes of orange, black, and brown. The inking is done to resemble brush strokes.

This geometric tattoo stretches down the bicep. It features the left side of a lion face, inked in geometric lines, and filled in with stunning Dotwork. The face is split in two by a straight line. On the right side of the face, Latin script runs horizontally down the arm.

This New School style sleeve features an angel emerging from the scripted words "Amor Fati". The angel stands mid arm, amidst a swirling mass of shaded cloud. Atop the angel sits a lion's head, its mane majestically detailed and billowing up and onto the shoulder.

This tattoo depicts a lion's face, inked in the very popular Water Color style. The lion's face itself is depicted in Surrealist style- detailed, yet illustrative. Water color panels of red, orange, and blue brush across its face and splatter droplets across the arm.

This tattoo idea features a lion staring out from the inner bicep of the arm. He is shaded and detailed in typical New School tattoo style. Behind his head, a full moon is shadowed by dark night sky. The tiny silhouettes of trees can be seen on the horizon line.

This lion tattoo screams regality and strength. It stretches from the shoulder all the way down to the elbow, and features an impressively realistic lion head of great detail and fantastic shading technique. The lion wears a white, kingly crown.

This Surrealism tattoo runs from the inner elbow to just above the wrist. A thin black line stretches from above the inner elbow to the top of the lion's face, which is splashed with red water color brush strokes that run down the arm. The lion's bright green eyes and the geometric line work overlays make this a breathtaking piece for men.

This realistic, full color tattoo sleeve depicts a lion family in New School style. The father lion's head adorns the shoulder and deltoid, standing bright and fierce against the backdrop of a starry blue sky. The mother rests below, with her two cubs. All are detailed to perfection.

A grey scale lion tattoo blends from the flesh of the arm in faded gradient. The shading of the mane makes the lion's hairs appear to be blowing in the wind; the careful detailing of the face make it appear stunningly realistic.

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This lion tattoo features Trash Polka tattoo style- that is, a contrast of photo realistic and natural elements. A lion's head sits atop the right pectoral muscle. It's eye becomes the center of a Roman Numeral clock that wraps around its face. Blackwork sketching frames the piece.

This New School style calf tattoo features a lion inked in realistic detailing and shading. The lion's face fills the entirety of the back of the calf. The lion's right eye sports a single black scar.

In this lion tattoo idea, a detailed lion is depicted in New School tattoo style. It is inked on to the back of the shoulder, and lined and shaded to make it appear extra photo realistic. This is a great tattoo idea for guys looking for a simple yet lifelike lion piece.

This stunning Blackwork lion tattoo channels an aura of tribalism with its mandala inspired patterning. A heavily detailed lion face is adorned with intricate Blackwork asymmetrical patternings. The piece is completed with the inclusion of tiny, beautiful Dotwork.

This tattoo features a lion depicted in a realistic Illustrative style. The image of the lion's head reaches across the inner forearm and is expertly shaded and detailed. The lion wears red and yellow pastel war paint, and his head is adorned with an Aboriginal feathered headdress.

This New School style tattoo features a roaring lion tearing its way from under the flesh. The flesh is tattooed to appear torn and slashed by the angry lion's detailed claws. The lion's head tears from beneath the flesh and across the surface of the inner arm.

This stunning lion tattoo features a symmetrical mandala. The mandala is floral and henna inspired, and filled with beautiful Dotwork. At the center of the full back mandala sits a lion's face, depicted in shadowy detailing and intense Dotwork.

This Surrealism lion tattoo evokes an aura of tribalism in its intense mandala patterning. The lion's snout is inked with large Dotwork. Each strand of its mane features a different henna inspired, stunningly shaded geometric pattern.

This lion tattoo for men features Sketch Work tattoo style. Thin lines form a sketch book like depiction of a roaring lion that stretches across the deltoid and upper bicep. Pieces of the mane are shaded in grey and light red, and Dotwork facial features finish this off this piece.

New School style depicts a roaring lion that stretches its head from the top of the shoulder to midway down the arm. The lion's mouth and jaws are shockingly realistic, thanks to expert shading and embossing. The mane is inked in soft orange and black brush strokes.