it never said why, unless I didn’t catch that part but im gussing that personal reason was a reminder of the event of almost killing her father with fire, dragons breath out fire. Thats just my assumption.

Posted by Jennifer N. in Seattle, Washington ,

Agree that Salander seems to get tattoos to act as visible reminders/markers of key events.

Posted by LNT in Fremantle ,

also the tattoo band she got, thats the one I can’t define. Remember right after she got rape she went to the parlor, she said it was reminder. Was it a reminder of what she needed to the bastard or was a reminder of being locked up in the “stimulus free room”? help?

Posted by Jennifer N. in Seattle, Washington ,

Author’s way of being intriguing….and a tatoo is often open to interpretation……it took a lot of time for her to project that image…..and pain. I should say, I do not have a tatoo,but my daughter, I know would…..so I requesed that she put it in a place whee it could NOT be seen in a job interview.

Posted by Linda Thamm ,

I’m guessing if Larsson was planning on 10 books, then the symbolism of the dragon tattoo, among others, would have become more evident.

Posted by Karin S. in Louisville, KY ,

jennifern are u obscessed

Posted by jeff p in malibu ,

in “played with fire” book two, she had it removed before heading out on her travels, she thought it was too easy to identify her, being that she stole all that money, she wanted to be less memorable, when she came home she took out most of her rings as well.

I thought she removed the wasp tatoo in book2

Posted by Gina in California ,

That’s correct, but in the final book she got all decked out again, right? At the trial?

Don’t think they meant she got re-tatooed. have toe re-read that part.

Posted by zeek in US ,

lisbeth had the wasp tattoo on her neck removed because it connected her to wasp enterprises and was too easily identifiable. she never removed the dragon tattoo. the band around her ankle i interpreted as a reminder of what she had been through and what she was fighting against (being controlled), something to look at for strength.

Posted by acamel in rochester ,

In book one, Lisbeth begins with 3 tattoos: the 1? wasp on her neck, a loop on her left bicep, a loop on her left ankle, and the dragon on her left shoulder blade.(See Armansky’s description in Chapter 2). After the episode with Bjurman, she has the band put on her other ankle. I assumed the original on on her left ankle was a reminder of being bound in the mental hospital.

Posted by Molly in Chicago ,

Oops! 4 tattoos – she begins with.

Posted by Molly in Chicago ,

but why did she have the dragon put done?

Posted by beachsidefreddy in boston ,

This is a question our book group asked..I thought she was drugged by a previous boyfriend who was violent..he drugged her and she woke up with dragon tattoo? Am I making this up. I too am trying to find out where or how dragon tattoo ca,e about.

Posted by Moe c in Lancaster ,

Molly in Chicago.

Yes, she also had a Chinese character on her hip. Doesn’t say which hip.

Posted by Tiny in Vancouver ,

does anyone know where i can find a full picture of her dragon tattoo?

Posted by Max<3 in sac ,

A picture of the dragon tattoo can be found on the internet – type in dragon tattoos – I did and had a dragon tattoo (same as Lisbeths) done on my shoulder – Looks BEAUTIFUL

Posted by Janina in Western Australia ,

I assume she had the dragon tattoo done as a connection to the fact that she tried to burn her father alive – hence she is a dragon!

Posted by AMM in Montreal ,

For me, I thought Larsson may have alluded to it on page 351 of the third book // it was more or less when she found out about the photographic memory.

“He (Fermat) was no longer a demon riding on her shoulder, demanding her attention and vexing her intellect”

Posted by Nacho in Maple Grove ,

lisbeth probably got the wasp tattoo because of the nickname she acquired from boxing, and it tells the reader about her personality; she is very prickly and if someone does something bad to her, she gets her revenge, as a wasp pursues its victim with its sting. A wasp is small but dangerous, and so is she.

the chinese character…refers to Mimi perhaps? it was never really important.

Posted by Avory M in Boston ,

I’m have only read num1 but I think they tells a story about her

They I think show her and what shes faced

In Japanese history,Samurai women had a dragon image embroidered into the back of their cloak as protection in the event of fire,as Japanese culture tends to see dragons as water creatures.Japanese fire fighters had a custom of getting dragon tattoos as protection,this custom was also adopted by the Yakuza.Kurikara Monmon is the name given to a full back dragon tattoo and the person as well.There is a Buddhist story of the deity Fudo who’s enemy takes on the form of a sword,so Fudo takes on the form of a dragon and swallows the sword.I wonder if all this explains Lisbeth’s tattoo,as she is a little warrior,she needs protection from fire and has plenty of people out to get her.

Posted by Jane Michele in Brisbane ,

re: dragon tattoo: ‘…. the monster inside of tearing itself out….” i remember seing this phrase in one of the books

Posted by Ming Bucibei in Ann Arbor ,

The meaning behind the dragon tattoo was going to be revealed later. The wasp tat is from her boxing handle. I assume the band she got was a reminder of the rape/her revenge for it.

Posted by Mgk ,

By having bands around both ankles. I think one symbolized the sexual abuse when she was in the hospital and her freedom afterwards. Reminding her to fight back and never be bound again. The second ankle tattoo reminds her that she was abused again and had revenge. Both seem a symbol of being controlled. And when she has them for reminder it’s not about the control. It’s more about the freedom she has after the fact. She is symbolic about her tattoos and being the misfit she is she adopts the attitude that they are not symbols of being controlled. It’s actually the opposit that she is now free from the controller.

Posted by Mary hoover in Rochester NY. USA ,

the wasp tattoo is because of her past in Quickboxing

One of the reason is that she is the great granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas II. Photo of the imperial tattoo in the links.

themauveroom.com/post/18917347692/did-you-know

40.media.tumblr.com/97524fa982d5fdb2c025dff2fa45c21a/tumblr_msbp87iuSK1s5rskqo1_1280.jpgm

Posted by The Dragon in Salanderville ,

My error. Great great granddaughter to the Tsar Nicholas II.

Posted by The Dragon in Salanderville ,