Mermaid skeletons are not only for Halloween. Tattoos of mermaid skeletons are spooky but gorgeous artwork that can take on a powerful meaning or simply look fascinating and mythical on your skin.
I searched the internet for the most beautiful mermaid skeleton tattoos and created this list of tattoos to marvel at and maybe get inspired for your own tattoos.
I included images from Instagram so you can directly find the tattoo artist’s accounts or can ask them if you are interested.
1 – Marvelling at the Ocean
This beautiful mermaid looks like she is sitting down marvelling at the beauty of the ocean while her hair flows in the water.
2 – Rock’n’Roll with a Sea horse
Why not express your love for the ocean and Rock’n’Roll in one tattoo? This is what it can look like.
3 – Beauty on an Island
This maritime tattoo represents all sides of the ocean – the beauty of the coast with its palm trees but also the scary creatures that lurk in the depths.
4 – Bony Mermaid Beauty
Despite her bony body, this siren looks absolutely beautiful and stylish with her jewellery and luscious hair.
5 – The Mermaid with her Scary Deepsea Pets
There are quite a few interesting creatures living in the ocean – why not make friends with them?
6 – Tim Burton Style Skeleton Mermaid Tattoo
This art style reminds me of Tim Burton stop motion movie The Corpse Bride. She definitely has something charming about her.
7 – Colorful Skeleton
This work of art reveals the bones of a beautiful and lively mermaid. Was she attacked? Whatever happened to her – she is still shining bright.
8 – Swimming up
This tattoo looks like something of an x-ray of a mermaid to me. Quite intriguing.
9 – The Vokuhila
Even dead mermaids can be punky!
10 – Red love
The red colour of this tattoo really accentuates her heart and the love she radiates.
11 – Death Stare Mermaid
With her long claw-like fingers and that stare, this one looks especially creepy in my opinion.
12 – Underwater Garden
This combination of ocean creatures like a turtle, jellyfish and even a manatee together with blooming flowers and a skeleton mermaid – that really is an interesting symbol of the beauty of life.
13 – Half Mermaid, Half Skeleton
A skeleton on the left, a mermaid on the right – and still gorgeous as ever.
14 – Mermaid and Diver
This one looks like straight out of a movie. A diver finds a mermaid skeleton in the depths. Sadly we can’t see his facial expression.
15 – Sassy Skeleton Mermaid
She looks fiery – even though she’s underwater.
16 – With a Skeleton Fish
This piece reminds me of Ariel with her sweet fish friend Flounder.
17 – Cute Skeleton Mermaid
This small mermaid tattoo looks very cute to me for some reason.
18 – Sketch with Air Bubbles
This one is simple but captivating at the same time – the way the mermaid looks at the air bubbles truly shows the beauty of the little things in our world.
19 – Long Locks
This boney lady has amazing hair.
20 – Rainbow Colour Skeleton Mermaid with Sea Shell
She has definitely never lost her love for beauty.
21 – Pastel Skeleton Mermaid with Heart
The pastel colors of this mermaid’s hair make it look like she is one with the vast and magical ocean behind her.
22 – Creepy Attack
If you love horror and want to scare people, this might be just the right mermaid skeleton tattoo for you.
23 – Enjoying the Underwater Breeze
She looks so happy drifting in the water and feeling the faint sun rays on her bones.
24 – Swimming with the Fish
Looks like she is just chilling with her fish friends.
25 – Gazing into the Depth
This one instantly makes me wonder what other creatures lurk down there in the depth of the ocean.
26 – Comic Style Half Skeleton
This one has an interesting style. Especially her fin looks amazing.
27 – Welcoming
How could you be scared of this beautiful lady – she looks so friendly after all…
28 – Colourful Shell and Coral Portrait
This pastel piece does not show the mermaid tail but still, it is clear that we are looking at an underwater princess.
29 – From the Abyss
Another super creepy option of an obviously very angry mermaid.
30 – The Queen with her Crown
This skeleton mermaid really looks like a goddess with her shining crown and beautiful tail.
31 – Swimming into the Light
The feeling of freedom and love for the vastness of the ocean is strong with this tattoo.
32 – Scary but Anatomically Fascinating
Another scary-looking mermaid – but she also has a very intriguing skeleton with a pair of leftover leg bones from living on the land millions of years ago (like in whales).
33 – Relaxed Gliding in the Ocean
She looks like she is enjoying relaxing in the ocean waves.
34 – Friendly Stare
This mermaid has something about her that makes her look curious about us – maybe it’s the way she looks at us.
35 – Symmetrical Twins
Another interesting idea for a mermaid skeleton tattoo – having one of them on each side of the body looking at each other.
36 – Mermaid holding the Skull of a Skeleton
The last one does not feature the mermaid as the skeleton herself but a mermaid that’s holding a human skeleton in her hands. The loving expression on her face and how she tries to dance with the deceased human leave room for interpretation.
What do Mermaid Skeleton Tattoos mean?
Mermaid skeleton tattoos can have several meanings: they represent ever-lasting beauty and love (even after death), the depth and dark side of the mind and ocean or they are simply a homage to pirate and horror aesthetic.
Conclusion
I hope you found this list of ideas for mermaid skeleton tattoos helpful. There are of course many more ways to design your very own mermaid tattoo. So let your creativity flow and have fun!