Ram Tattoo Meaning
Force of will, determination, drive, and breaking through.
The ram is the powerful horned male sheep, charging head-down at every obstacle — an emblem of raw force of will, virile power, and the determination to break through whatever stands in the way, honored from the golden-fleeced ram of Greek legend to the ram-headed creator gods of Egypt. To carry the ram is to carry force of will, determination, and drive — the headstrong power that charges directly at obstacles, the virile creative force, the unstoppable will that breaks through by sheer determination and butts down whatever bars the way.
In Greek myth the most famous ram was Chrysomallos, the ram with the golden fleece — a magnificent, divine, flying ram with wool of pure gold. In the myth, the ram appeared to rescue the children Phrixus and Helle, who were to be sacrificed, carrying them away through the air to safety; in gratitude, the ram was sacrificed and its golden fleece hung in a sacred grove, guarded by a dragon. This Golden Fleece became the legendary prize sought by Jason and the Argonauts, who undertook one of the greatest of all Greek heroic quests to obtain it.
The Golden Fleece represented royal authority, kingship, and supreme prize — and the quest to obtain it was the very type of the heroic adventure, the pursuit of the precious and seemingly impossible goal that demands great daring and trials. The ram of the Golden Fleece thus carries meanings of royal power, the rescuing and divine animal, and above all the great quest — the object of the hero's striving and the symbol of the impossible prize won through courage and determination. The Greek ram is the golden-fleeced ram whose fleece was the prize of Jason's great quest. The Greek ram is the ram of the Golden Fleece — Chrysomallos, the divine flying ram with wool of gold who rescued Phrixus and Helle, whose golden fleece, hung in a sacred grove and guarded by a dragon, became the legendary prize of Jason and the Argonauts, a symbol of royal authority and the heroic quest for the precious, seemingly impossible goal.
Rams settle disputes through head-on collision — their skulls are reinforced with bone designed to absorb tremendous impact. The crack of two rams meeting can be heard a mile away. In astrology, Aries (the ram) is the first sign — the initiator, the one who goes first. In tattoo symbolism, the ram represents unstoppable forward force — the determination to break through barriers by sheer will and direct confrontation.
Ram across cultures
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