Dolphin Tattoo Meaning

Play, communication, social bonds, and joyful connection in the pod.

Almost alone among wild animals, the dolphin seems to like us. The ancient world was full of accounts — true and legendary — of dolphins rescuing drowning sailors, guiding ships through danger, and playing alongside swimmers, and so it became the great symbol of the benevolent power of the sea: the rescuer, the guide, the joyful intelligence that carries souls safely across the water. Where the deep is feared, the dolphin is the part of it that befriends you — the wild creature that, for reasons no one could explain, chooses again and again to help.

The dolphin was sacred to the Greeks twice over — to Poseidon, lord of the sea, and to Apollo, god of light and music. Apollo was said to have founded his great oracle at Delphi after taking the form of a dolphin (delphis) to guide a ship of Cretans to the site to become his priests — and the name Delphi itself carries the dolphin within it.

The most beloved dolphin story is that of Arion, a famous poet and musician. Sailing home, he was set upon by the ship's crew, who meant to rob and drown him. Granted one last request, he sang a final song — and the music drew dolphins to the ship. When he leaped into the sea, a dolphin, charmed by his song, took him on its back and carried him safely to shore, far ahead of the murderous ship. The Greek dolphin is the sea's response to beauty and to the human in peril: the creature that hears the song, recognizes the soul, and bears it home.

Related symbols