18 Meanings When You Dream About Snakes

The things that enter your dreams can tell you a lot about what is actually going on deep inside your subconscious. You sense a whole lot more than you’re conscious of, and the many things your mind picks up on can come back to you in the night.

But they may come back in forms that are not so direct and take some interpretation to understand.

Take snakes, for instance…

There are many reasons why you might dream about a snake. These animals generally have a dark, scary aspect, but they can represent a whole lot more than just danger.

18 Top Meanings When You Dream About Snakes

Let’s dig into what it means when you have a dream about snakes to help you understand your dreams, starting with…

Snakes in Nature and Society

The snake is one animal that really gets a bad rap. It’s true that there are many snakes out there that are dangerous. Some can constrict and squeeze you to death. Others have venom that can make you incredibly sick or can even be fatal. But almost none of these snakes actually hunt humans or go out of their way to hurt us.

At the same time, most snakes are actually completely harmless to humans. They can even be beneficial animals since they control pests like mice, which can spread diseases.

A Little Bit of History

People have been telling stories about snakes since we could tell stories. From the serpent who spoke to Eve in the Garden of Eden to the 7-headed snake that sheltered the Buddha while he meditated, the world is full of snake symbolism. Hercules was said to have strangled two large snakes in his crib as an infant. The cobra was a symbol of the Egyptian emperors and a sign of the Hindu god Shiva.

The feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl, decorated Aztec temples and was considered a bridge between the earth and the sky. As you can see, so much meaning has been attributed to snakes throughout the ages and across cultures. This can make it difficult to understand dreams about snakes, which often go deeper than these ancient stories.

What Does It Mean When You Dream About a Snake?

I wish there was one single answer for you, but dreams are never all that simple. The meaning of a snake in your dream can be any number of things, and it depends on a whole lot of details.

For example:

What size is the snake? What is the snake doing, and what are you doing in the dream? Where is the snake? Even the type of snake or color can have a specific meaning.

Snake dreams can represent so much, from money or sex to danger or spiritual awakening, and so much more. So instead of giving you a one-size-fits-all answer to why there might be a snake in your dreams, let’s instead look at some much more specific meanings when you dream of snakes.

1. Dream About a Big Snake

One of the most frightening dreams you can have is dreaming of a huge snake. For so many people, snakes on their own are already scary, but if the snake in your dream is big or even gigantic, this can be terrifying. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that a massive serpent in your dream is a bad sign.

A big snake in your dream can represent a huge challenge to overcome. This could be something that is currently holding you back and really blocking you. It can even be something that you sense coming in the future, a big obstacle that you will have to overcome.

But That’s Not All…

A huge snake in a dream can also represent something different. A snake is such a primal symbol – this could mean that you have something very spiritually important to deal with, perhaps a revelation or a new awakening that will change your life.

2 Dream About a Small Snake

Next on this list of Meanings When You Dream About Snakes is dreaming of a small snake. If you have a fear of snakes, a dream of even the tiniest snake can give you a real fright. But for others, a small or even a tiny snake in your dream might seem just weird or even funny.

Unfortunately…

People with ophidiophobia (people with an intense fear of snakes) are closer to the truth this time. A small snake is something to worry about. It can represent something that seems minor or unimportant, but that can do great damage to your life. After all, many of the most dangerous venomous snakes in the world are actually quite small.

This small snake dream should be taken as a warning. Perhaps there’s something that you’ve missed, or something you think is a small detail but is actually causing you really big problems.

3. Dream About an Aggressive Snake

Like a big snake in your dreams, an aggressive snake can be really frightening. This is a snake that seems to be out to get you, perhaps following you or snapping at you and trying to bite you. I once had a dream of being up in a tree with a large snake circling around and around the tree and slowly climbing up.

Still gives me the shivers!

Like a big snake, an aggressive snake in your dream can represent a big challenge or obstacle. But it’s also possible that this snake is a messenger. This kind of sign in your dreams is commonly understood to mean that there is something really, truly important that you have to recognize and deal with in your life.

The thing is, you’re not dealing with it – so an aggressive snake is meant as a wake-up, calling your attention to an issue that can no longer be ignored or brushed aside.

4. Dream About a Snake Chasing You

When a snake is chasing you in your dream, it might make you want to scream. But this dream should actually make you stop – and think. Like dreaming of a generally aggressive snake, dreaming of a snake chasing you is telling you there’s something to sort out.

That snake chasing you is the same – it’s a message that there’s something crucial for you to deal with in your life. This could be a person or a situation that is holding you back and causing you major life problems. And if you don’t deal with it soon, imminently, it will catch up with you and cause a real tragedy.

This Can Actually Be Positive…

While it’s frightening to dream of being chased by a snake, you should actually consider this a positive message to spring into action. I have actually heard of people dreaming of snakes chasing them, but with legs and even wearing shoes. This actually sounds hilarious, and many people would say it’s just the product of an overactive imagination.

And in general, that’s true. But in a surprising way. This likely means that you’re already running, but from a problem that you’ve largely invented or exaggerated. What you need to do is stop, turn around, and face the issue to see it for what it really is. Then you might be able to overcome it.

5. Dream About Chasing a Snake

Turn the situation around, and suddenly it’s you chasing a snake in your dream. Many people would think that this is a crazy thing to do, a recipe for certain disaster.

However…

That’s not what this snake dream means. Snakes can represent a lot more than danger in your dreams. The smooth skin and kinky slither of this reptile makes it a strong sexual symbol. Snakes can also represent wealth, though a wealth that’s hard to grasp and hold onto. A snake is also a complex spiritual figure.

So when you’re the one dreaming of chasing a snake, this represents heading towards positive new experiences. Those could be sexual, work or money-based, or spiritual.

6. Dream About a Snake Biting You

A snake biting you seems like one of the most terrifying things that can happen in your life. Well, luckily, this is not something to be terrified of if it happens in your dreams. When people are dreaming of being bitten by snakes, they generally report incredibly important realizations shortly afterward.

In many cultures…

Being bitten by a snake is actually an idiom for “getting something” or gaining a realization. Being bitten, having fangs pierce your skin, and perhaps having venom injected into your body is highly symbolic.

The bite can be the wake-up call you need or perhaps a sudden revelation that you need to move your life to a new level. The venom injection is actually an injection of knowledge or wisdom, coming from the depths of the universe. Let it enter you and show you what you need to see.

For more information, check out our in-depth look at Dreams About Snakes Biting You.

7. Dream About a Snake Squeezing You

I think that people who fear snakes dread constrictors even more than poisonous biting vipers. The idea of a huge boa or python wrapping itself around you and slowly squeezing you until you suffocate is positively terrifying. And yet, when it happens in your dreams, this should be taken as a message.

The truth about this dream is…

A snake enveloping you in your dream represents something that is holding you back in life. It could be a bad habit, an unhealthy environment, or even a toxic relationship.

But there is something there that is really squeezing the life out of you, even if you don’t know it. This dream, however scary, has to be considered a positive message – you need to really address something that’s holding you down in your life.

8. Dream About Lots of Snakes

Dreaming about being surrounded by snakes is something that might make you wake up in a cold sweat. So you probably wouldn’t think of this as a positive dream, but in fact, it usually is. The writhing, raw physicality of snakes slithering all over each other is actually an extremely sensual image.

This normally means that you’re getting in touch with something deep inside, which could be your own sexuality. For the artist, this is a dream you want to have. It represents a deeper understanding of yourself and the unlocking of potential. Or it could also represent an overtly sexual change or development.

9. Dream About A Snake In Your Bed

Unlike the previous development, this one is not normally interpreted as positive at all. Dreaming of a snake in your bed surely has sexual implications, but not normally positive ones. Instead, it means what you may have predicted. Finding something so unusual but also sensual in your bed portends a sexual problem.

And it could be serious…

I’m talking about two possibilities here. One is that physical conditions or even mental issues could be affecting or threatening your sexual expression.

The other possibility is infidelity. Dreaming of a snake in your bed has long been associated with a cheating partner. So if you have had suspicions in that direction, this dream might really open your eyes to the possibility that it is really happening.

10. Dream About A Multi-Headed Snake

Next, in my rundown of 18 Meanings When You Dream About Snakes, snakes with many heads have been seen in the myths of cultures from around the world. Some are considered good, but most are not. These are creatures that can hurt you from many angles and bite you from different directions.

This multi-headed snake dream suggests a danger in your life that you’ve been underestimating. It could be a work or financial situation, or very likely a relationship. Whatever it is, look out, because there’s something out there that can hurt you.

11. Dream About a Flying Snake

A flying snake in your dream can be seen as mysterious, bizarre, or comical. Unless you dream of a real flying snake (the golden tree snake of Indonesia can jump from trees and glide for a hundred yards), it’s more likely that you’ve dreamed about something mythical. And this unusual sign shouldn’t be ignored because it’s very positively associated!

Taking a snake from its normal environment, the ground, and putting it into the air, flying or gliding, means change. This is a re-organization or a newness that can be coming into your life. It could be a new job, a new place to live, or even a new and very different relationship. This dream is telling you to expect and embrace something out of the ordinary.

12. Dream About a Snake in Water

It may come as a surprise to many (and a fright to some!) that most snakes can swim. And not just the huge South American anaconda or the very venomous sea snakes. Big and small snakes generally can and do swim when they need to. And if you’ve never seen one do it, it’s actually a very beautiful gliding motion.

Water in dreams often represents the depths of your own psyche or mysteries of the universe (or both!) So a spiritually loaded creature like a snake in the water in a dream is very important. This would likely mean a spiritual awakening is happening, with deeper understanding and knowledge to come your way. This is the dream you want to have.

13. Dream About A Dead Snake

Some Native American people carried dead, dried snakes as charms. In some Hindu festivals, dried snakes are venerated. A dead snake is actually a very powerful spiritual symbol and one that shouldn’t be ignored in your dreams. Many people believe that snakes have power, and dead snakes can represent taking that power.

A dead snake can be symbolic of overcoming a major challenge or removing a heavy burden in your life. This shows that you’ve succeeded and gained power in the process.

14. Dream About A Snake Shedding Its Skin

We humans shed our old dry skin a tiny bit at a time, but snakes grow in a whole different way. They get bigger and fatter and then grow new skin under their old skin. When it’s ready, they break off their old skin and climb out of it, emerging fresh and new.

If this happens in your dream…

Whether you see a snake shedding its skin or even see yourself as a sort of human serpent doing the same thing, this is a good sign.

It represents growth, knowledge, and change in your life. This shows you that you are becoming a new person, someone new and better than before. So this is really a dream that, while it might seem frightening or gross, actually reveals something very positive about your life.

15. Dream About A Snake on Part of Your Body

This dream is different from the dream about being squeezed by a large constricting snake. There’s a reason why the ancient Greek symbol for medical care that we still use today is two snakes wrapped around a staff. People have long believed that, while snake venom can be deadly, snakes also have powers of healing.

When you dream of a snake sitting on or wrapped around a part of your body, this is something to pay attention to. We often have serious medical issues that develop without our awareness. But some part of your subconscious knows. And the snake on a part of your body is telling you to pay attention and get checked out. Don’t ignore this dream!

16. Dream About A Rattlesnake

Next on our list of Meanings When You Dream About Snakes is dreaming of a rattlesnake. With most snake dreams, the type of snake isn’t all that important. You could dream of a garter, an asp, or a viper, and there’s no real importance placed on the type. But with a rattlesnake dream, things are different.

The scales on the end of a rattlesnake’s tail have developed to be large and hard. When it shakes its tail, the dried scales bang together, creating its distinctive rattle sound. It does this as a warning. This snake is venomous, but it certainly tries its best not to bite if it doesn’t have to.

When you dream of a rattler…

This likely means one of two things. Either you’re headed toward a dangerous situation, or you’ve been ignoring something that’s damaging you. This rattle is a warning to really pay attention, and you might just find something right in front of you that you haven’t seen until now.

17. Dream About Being A Snake

This is a weird one, but it happens. Some people dream about snakes, but not seeing them – they dream about being snakes themselves. While this might make you think you’re looking down on yourself and seeing yourself as a lowly evil creature, this isn’t necessarily so at all. Snakes are known as creatures of the ground, living in the most intimate, close contact with the earth.

With this grounding also comes deep spiritual knowledge. If you’re dreaming of being a snake, you should expect to achieve great realizations about yourself and the nature of reality. Snakes are believed to go deep into the earth and come back, bringing knowledge of the great mysteries. This dream should help you to open your eyes and your heart to the world and let new things come into your life.

18. Dream About A Snake Biting Its Tail

This is a hugely important image and symbol that has been used by people from the Inca to the Vikings. A snake biting its tail, especially if it’s formed into a figure-8, is a symbol of eternity and infinity. This symbol is ancient and a very important one because it makes us look at the bigger picture and see our own place in the cosmos.

At so many times in our lives, we have big trouble on our minds. Our problems can seem so huge and impossible to overcome. Dreaming of a snake biting its tail is a sign to look deeper. You’re being told to take a new perspective, to see the things in your life as minor in the grand scheme of the universe.

Ultimately…

By seeing our problems as small and even insignificant, we can realize that even the most serious issue can be overcome. After they dream of this serpent, many people want to keep this image in mind constantly. Some people get tattoos. Others find rings representing the great serpent.

As We’ve Seen…

Dream symbols can have both good and bad meanings. Find out the meanings of a White Snake In Dream, as well as the Yellow Snake Dream Meaning, Dream Of Black Snake Meaning, Elephant Dream Meaning, Crying Dream Meaning, Bee Dream Meaning, and Scorpion Dream Meaning.

Also, find out the meanings of a Dream About Worms, a Dream About Bats, Dreams About Witches, Dreams About Ants, Dreams About Murder, a Dream Of House On Fire, a Dream About Bears, and Dreaming About A Dog Attack in 2023.

Interpreting 18 Meanings When You Dream About Snakes

When you interpret your dreams, it’s important to look at all the details you can remember. When you want to understand what it means to dream about a snake, it’s not all that straightforward. You have to think about where the snake is, what it looks like, and particularly what it’s doing.

But in general, dreaming about a snake isn’t nearly as bad as you might think. This might be an animal you’re petrified of, but that doesn’t mean that it represents danger. Sometimes a snake dream can open your eyes to obstacles in your life, lead you to make new discoveries about yourself, and even represent good things coming your way.

May all of the good things come to you!

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