In antiquity, the seahorse was known as a mythical creature called Hippocampi, whose upper body was like a horse and whose lower body was from the hip down only a tail fin. The word hippocampi is composed of the Greek words for horse (= Hippo) and caterpillar (= Campos) together.
Thus, the scientific name “Hippocampus”, under which the seahorse has been known since 1570, means nothing else than “horse horn”.
Seahorse – Spirit Animal
In Asia, seahorses are now threatened with extinction, as they are considered in traditional Chinese medicine in powder form as a remedy and aphrodisiac and as such, unfortunately, are still extremely baffled.
As ornamental fish, they are meanwhile also a controversial exotic trade and have bitterly been found in many aquariums in some places.
If the seahorse swims into your life as a power animal, then it comes to you to teach you the dance and the play of colors of life. With the right partner at your side, you can dance through life with joy and experience the changes in life as the most prevalent dance styles.
Thus, the power animal teaches seahorses, tact and gives the sense of the right rhythm, in which it is (further) to move.
Likewise, the sea horse as a power animal symbolizes loyalty, solidarity, protection and love. Remember, the smallest unit in the world is two people. In the protection and the security of the other one can feel good, let fall and feel safe.
You cannot buy such feelings and no insurance of the world can give us that feeling.
Thus, the power animal seahorse teaches the loving and respectful treatment of all children of the earth – whether humans, animals, plants, trees or stones – and helps you in the search for the (dance) partner for life.
Seahorse – Totem
The tender seahorse is native to the seas around New Zealand and South Australia; occasionally it was spotted again in the North Sea. It is its uniqueness among the sea dwellers, to whom the sea horse owes the designation “marvels of the seas”.
In addition to its extraordinary way of life, it is its colorful appearance and the mixed form of horse and worm that make its special feature.
Are you an equally dazzling personality who stands out from the crowd through her individual lifestyle and is especially esteemed for her otherness? Then the sea horse is certainly the power animal that accompanies you on your way in a strengthening way.
The seahorse is naturally very favored. Instead of a belly fin, it has a small dorsal fin, which allows him a fast locomotion and agility.
In addition, the skin of the seahorse is provided with bone plates, bones and spines, so that this animal is hardly exposed to predators. In addition, the seahorse can take on numerous camouflage colors to become invisible to enemies.
Its shape gives the gentle sea creature’s confidence and strength to secure a permanent place in the great ocean.
Thus, the Seahorse lives a life of permanence and feels well protected even to the strongest, allowing him to focus carelessly on his needs and exchanges with conspecifics.
This security would like to give your power animal seahorses on their way to life, so that you can overcome obstacles without great effort and go on carefree, in the knowledge that you are not alone and that you are given all that you need for your development.
You can have an equally calm and patient lifestyle as your power animal, with its wrap-tail simply clinging to the seaweed and waiting for food to float by, which is then absorbed almost effortlessly by sucking on it.
Like your seahorse powerhouse, which can move its eyes one at a time to focus on different things, you should always be confident and open so you can seize the opportunities that are offered to you.
If you want to go new ways, you will find a secure hold with your friends or your partner; with these people by your side you can go through the life well strengthened and calm – like the seahorse, which hangs itself with the prehensile tail to a certain conspecific and drives together with this through the water or dances closely with the partner for days or weeks, before it comes to mating.
Seahorse totem symbolizes:
- Patience
- Protection
- Perspective
- Persistence
- Amiability
- Joy
- Perception
- Generosity
- Good luck
Seahorse – Symbolism
Many depictions from Greece make it clear how much this mythical creature resembles a mermaid. Half a horse and half a fish it is said to have been a train and riding animal of various sea gods in mythology.
Greek mythology says that seahorses should even be the descendants of horses that pulled Poseidon’s wagons. There is even a vestige of this belief in Walt Disney’s movie “Arielle”. There the car is pulled by Arielle’s father Triton, the ruler of the sea, by seahorses through the water.
In heraldry, the seahorse is hard to find, but in Germany there is actually a coat of arms on which a seahorse is depicted. It is the coat of arms of the community “Timmendorfer beach” from the state of Schleswig Holstein.
There, the seahorse is pictured together with a sailboat as a yellow Silhoutte on a blue background.
In addition, the seahorse is a well-known premature swimmer badge for children and adolescents up to 17 years – of course with corresponding figure.
The symbolic meaning of seahorse tattoos is quite complex, diverse and as full of surprises as this little creature.
The seahorse is a rather unique animal, these inhabitants of the marine world have a series of characteristics that make them unique and deserving of the admiration of different cultures; who have attributed great symbolism and transcendence.
In most cases these symbolic meanings that have acquired these tattoos are due to the interpretations of several of the characteristics of these animals and their extrapolation to people, their needs, experiences and feelings. The symbolic meanings of seahorse tattoos inevitably go hand in hand with all these interpretations and the symbolic connotation that this fascinating creature has had for centuries.
To better understand the symbolism behind the seahorse, we have to see it in its natural environment. This relatively calm and peaceful creature seems specially designed to wander aimlessly through the seas. Their bodies are oriented to the type of induced and calm movement and not the speed.
These are a relatively calm creature and although they are not fast, they swim through the water in a very elegant way. Because of this they have been seen as a symbol of patience and joy (they are happy to be where they are and in no hurry to get anywhere).
One more element that reinforces this theory is the lack of evolution in the body of the seahorse; which has remained unchanged since its appearance. This last characteristic exploited in the symbolism of the animal as the representation of being happy and satisfied with what they are and not feeling the need to change.
However, this same resistance to change and its casual approach to progress, the seahorse can be a symbol of inflexibility and stubbornness.
A unique aspect of seahorses is that the male is the one who carries the eggs inside until it is time for the birth of the young. This is a message that has been used as a symbol of the need to share the burden in the home and daily life, as well as the equality of both sexes in their responsibilities during the upbringing of the little ones.
The seahorse has a protective exoskeleton that helps him survive in the hostile world where his life is spent; no doubt a symbol of protection. Their bodies protected with those armor are a sign that sometimes we may need to raise our guard to avoid being harmed.
On the other hand, it has the ability to change color when threatened, which symbolizes protection.
In the long list of symbolic meanings of seahorse tattoos we also find the idea of perception. This is sustained by the fact that the vision of the seahorse is incredibly strong; each eye can move independently giving these animals an incredibly wide range of visibility.
This characteristic has been interpreted as a symbolic message of the perception and awareness of ourselves and the situations around us.
Seahorse – Meaning
The seahorse is a small species of fish that is related to the perch. The appearance of the seahorses is rather reminiscent of a worm or a caterpillar with a horse’s head, from where it also has its name.
The seahorses lack the otherwise typical for fish wide caudal fin and these move not only horizontally, but also vertically – downward.
This gives you absolute precision when swimming and a quick escape from danger and predators. If the tail is not needed, it automatically rolls up. This is why it is called a winding tail. Two other special features underscore the uniqueness of the seahorse in particular.
On the one hand, not the females but the males carry the offspring (they can take up to 500 eggs in themselves) and on the other hand a seahorse can quickly adapt to the environment through a color change like a chameleon – especially in the famous mating dance of the seahorses the color change plays a big role.
Thus, seahorses underwater in many shapes and colors, which makes the distinction of individual species so difficult. For life, the seahorse prefers only warm and salty waters, which is why the seahorse is found only in tropical and temperate seas such as in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the Pacific – even on the shores of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
It is therefore missing in the Arctic, the Antarctic and some parts of Asia. Most species are found in the oceans off Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The diet of the seahorse consists mainly of aquatic plants, which are usually easy to grip with their tail or with their help pulled out by a staple grip.
Thus, the tail serves not only as a means of transportation, but also as a gripping arm for food procurement.
In addition, the seahorse also likes to feed on smaller crustaceans such as the water flea or hovering shrimp.