The Spiritual Side of Skull Beads: Symbolism and their Meaning

Human skulls and representations of human skulls are among the weirdest spiritual and religious accessories. This is because, unlike many accessories made from metal, wood, and stones, skulls are bones. As you can say, bones relate to death in one way or another, and for many of us, death is bad.

This alone should be a reason to trigger your curiosity. But the weird aspect of skulls used in religious and spiritual accessories does not end here. The fun fact is that most skulls used as religious accessors are human skulls. Okay, you will not find a true human skull, as that would be disrespecting the dead. But you will find the representation of the human skull being used in a wide range of accessories, such as human skull prayer beads in beaded mala and wrist mala beads bracelets.

The question now remains why?

Why are skull beads used in religious and spiritual accessories?

skull beads
Would you be surprised if we said human skull beads are used worldwide?

Skulls and representations of skulls have been used as religious and spiritual accessories since prehistoric times. One of the possible reasons is humans’ morbid curiosity, i.e., interest in the unpleasant things of life more specifically related to death.

This is the crucial aspect here, as regardless of the reason for using the skull and its representation, it ultimately leads to the significance of death.

The only issue here is that death and all things related to death have different significances depending on the culture and religion. In some cultures and religions, the representation of the skull is used to honor the dead. While in other cultures, they call upon knowledge and blessings from their ancestors, and in some, they symbolize the impermanence of life.

In short, skull beads and other representations of human skulls are used in religious and cultural practices as accessories because of their symbolism.

The question now becomes – what is the symbolism of skull beads?

What do Skull Beads symbolize?

Skull beads’ symbolism drastically changes depending on the location and culture. Since there are thousands of religions (roughly 42000 as per the estimates) worldwide, it would be impossible to list every symbolism of skull prayer beads. Furthermore, you must remember that skulls can often have multiple symbols in any culture they are used in.

So these skull beads are worn in the form of a skull beads bracelet.

That said, nothing is preventing us from listing out some of the popular symbolisms and skull bracelet meanings.

So, what does a skull bracelet mean?

The Skull bracelet meaning is not limited to immortality, it represents the power of life, bravery, hope and protection, and emptiness.

The meaning of skull bracelets is briefly described below:

Death
Not surprisingly, many cultures relate the skull with death as when humans die; the skull is among the most prominent of bones that gets left behind. The only issue with this symbolism is that death can mean many things depending on the culture and religion.

In some, death means the end of everything, while in others can mean returning to our nature. At the same time, death can be just another part of the endless cycle.

Along with this, skulls can also represent remembrance of those who are deceased rather than death itself as well. Therefore, although death is one of the most prominent symbolism of death, the meaning of skull bracelets and skull beads in general can vary depending on where you are.

The Power of Life
Life and death go hand in hand, so it should not be surprising that skull prayer beads represent life just as much as it represents life. Skulls are among the few things that can remain intact for eternity, even after the physical body has passed. Therefore, representing the skull on beads can symbolize eternal life. At the same time, skull prayer beads and skull representations can also mean the strength we have in our life.

Similar to death skull can also mean a permanent reminder of life and everything related to it.

Bravery
skull beads
Let’s be honest here, although humans have a curiosity toward the macabre, skulls can be quite scary. Back in our early days as humans, people used skulls of their enemies on their clan borders to warn them. Now while these brutal days are long gone, their use to ward off potential and negative influences remain.

The difference is, back in the day, this was done by symbolizing death, and in modern times, it is done by symbolizing bravery. It is a strong symbol of bravery to wear skull prayer beads as your necklace or a bracelet. Although skull prayer beads are not real skulls, you are a brave soul if you can wear that as an accessory.

Hope and Protection
Similar to the meaning of skull prayer beads in life and bravery, skull beads can also mean hope and protection. Wearing a skull bead can symbolize hope against fears surrounding death.

Wearing something that symbolizes a part of the human body that one can only