Dreams About Snakes

Are you having dreams about snakes and are you wondering what these dreams mean? If so, you have come to the right place for a thorough interpretation and analysis.

Snakes can appear in many different dream scenarios, and it may surprise you to learn that snakes are a very common dream symbol. Whether the snake is crawling towards you, attacking you or trying to tempt you, the snake in your dreams is trying to tell you something about your waking life.

Are you ready to learn more about what your (recurring) snake dream means? Then simply keep on reading.

Our complicated relationship with snakes

Since ancient times, humanity has had a strained relationship with snakes.

The vast majority of people living today have never unexpectedly encountered a snake in the wild like our ancestors would have, but even so we are likely to associate snakes with negative connotations.

Even though modern life has rendered our human ability to spot a snake moving in the grass in a fraction of a second more or less obsolete, we still possess it. For many, seeing a snake in an old Indiana Jones movie is enough to send shivers down the spine.

But snakes aren’t purely negative symbols. Although they can represent potential danger, many cultures have also revered snakes as symbols of wisdom and life force, a concept encompassing both healing and fertility.

All in all, the snake is an incredibly powerful symbol – one that is always guaranteed to make us pay attention. This may be why dreaming of snakes is so relatively common.

Common snake dream scenarios and their meanings

Snake dreams is a broad umbrella covering all sorts of different dream scenarios involving snakes. Is your snake dream common or rare?

The specific details of dreams are always important. They lend nuance and depth to our interpretation of the dream in question. When it comes to dreams about snakes, details such as their color and behaviour can powerfully influence the overall meaning of the dream. This is why there isn’t one simple answer or one right interpretation of what a dream about snakes means.

A dream snake is always going to take on different connotations and shades of meaning depending on its color, behaviour, size and actions in the dream. A dream where you see a garter snake peacefully crawling through the grass simply cannot be interpreted in the same way as a dream about a massive python choking you and then eating you for lunch.

Here are some of the most frequent snake dream scenarios and what they mean. Keep in mind that your dream may involve a complete mix of these different snake dream scenarios:

You see a snake slithering in the grass or on the ground

Dreaming about snakes usually involves a scene where you see the sane slithering across the ground or through the grass. It may be slithering towards you or away from you, or it may even be seemingly oblivious to your existence.

Seeing a snake slithering symbolizes you suddenly becoming aware of something. In most cases, suddenly seeing a snake is going to give you a start. Seeing snakes crawling may immediately fill you with a sense of fear and foreboding, but it may also simply pique your curiosity in the dream. Either way, seeing a crawling snake represents your attention being grabbed by something or someone unexpected.

You are struggling against a snake

If the snake in your dream tries to hurt you or you perceive it as a threat, there is likely going to be a struggle involving you and the dream snake. This dream struggle is a struggle to maintain your control, your freedom and potentially your life.

Battling a snake in your dream represent fighting against a serious threat and other negative meaning the snake has. Sometimes, fighting snakes in dreams can be an indication of an internal struggle where the part of you that wants the best for you is battling destructive impulses.

An attacking snake always seems like an overwhelming and difficult enemy to fight in the dream. It is powerful, slithery, clever and potentially poisonous. And once it’s got you in its grip it will be very reluctant to let go.

A snake bites you

Getting bitten by a snake is one of the most common snake dream scenarios. A snake attacking and biting you feels like both a violation and a direct attack. It’s a shocking experience – even if it’s ‘just a dream.’

We all instinctually know and remember – even in dreams – that snake bites can be fatal. Because of this, getting bitten by a snake in your dream is very distressing.

If a snake bites you in your dream, it can be a representation of experiencing unwanted and unexpected consequences. It could mean that you have been playing with something that you cannot control, understand or domesticate. It can also represent betrayal, which could relate to either a person or a situation you thought you could rely on but were wrong about.

A snake chokes you

Dreaming about snakes may involve a scenario of you being choked by a snake. The feeling of being restrained and slowly smothered belongs to the domain of nightmares and is likely to result in you waking up with an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling.

Dreaming of getting choked by a snake can symbolise feeling overwhelmed and feeling smothered in real life. Here, the snake is a symbol of negative feelings, situations or people.

Generally speaking, feeling choked or restrained in a dream can represent feeling squeezed and put upon in real life. In other words, it can be a sign of stress. Could it be that there is someone in your life that you need some time and space to be away from? An overbearing parent, a controlling spouse or crushing responsibilities at work are all plausible explanations for dreaming about being choked by a snake.

A snake eats you

Snakes in dreams may try to eat you. They may even succeed.

Getting eaten by a snake can feel just as horrible and shocking as getting bitten. Here, it is clear that the snake has won the battle and that you are its helpless pawn, reduced to mere sustenance that keeps the snake alive.

Being swallowed up and eaten by a snake in your dream is a powerful and visceral symbol. It is a clear indication that you are feeling, quite literally, in over your head. You may be involved in a real-life situation that you can’t see your way out of. This, of course, could mean a great number of different things, and it is worth investigating what it could mean. Are you, perhaps without wanting to acknowledge it, someone’s pawn? Or are you perhaps in the grip of an addiction or depression that has taken over your life?

Whatever the snake represents in this case, it is something that has become utterly overwhelming. It is important that identify what it is and start taking back your freedom and control.

A snake temps you with a gift

A snake tempting someone with a promise or a gift is an ancient motif, familiar to Christians and most others throughout the world. According to the Old Testament, the snake embodies temptation and the subsequent fall into a state of chaos.

Dreaming of a snake luring, tempting or seducing you in some way is a common dream motif. In this kind of snake dream, the snake often represents something you desire but perceive to be forbidden or dangerous.

Because snakes are associated with the forbidden, they have all sorts of taboo connotations, not least forbidden sexual desires and urges. Of course, we could be talking about other forbidden character traits or urges as well, such as violent impulses or a desire to hurt or steal from others.

You find or are gifted a snake inside a box

If you find or receive a snake in a box in your dream, it is usually bad news.

Finding or receiving a boxed snake often indicates that there is something you are suppressing or refusing to look at in your waking life. Here, the snake represents something that has been secreted or locked away, waiting for the right right moment to (re)emerge.

A snake in a box represents something that is only barely and probably very temporarily contained. The boxed snake is not necessarily a sign that you have successfully managed to deal with what the snake represents. It could be an indication that you have suppressed your true feelings, urges and desires, or that there is a problem in your waking lie that you need to but are refusing to look at and grapple with.

You see a snake shedding it old skin

Another very common snake dream scenario is seeing a snake shedding its old skin.

Snakes outgrow their old skin on a regular basis and shed it when it becomes dull and uncomfortable. Because of this, snakes are powerfully associated with change, transformation and reinvention. Seeing a snake in your dream shedding its skin might be a message from your subconscious mind, telling your conscious self that it is time for reinvention; time to shed old habits and behaviors, and to leave negative or restraining aspects of your waking life behind.

Snake symbolism and variety

There are so many different possible snake dream scenarios and variations that we have only just scratched the surface. An entire book could probably be written about what snakes in dreams mean, but covering all of the ground is beyond the scope of this article.

Still, let us delve a little deeper by looking at some of the different types of snakes you may come across in your dreams.

Dangerous vs harmless snakes

There are boa constrictors, there are pythons and there are corn snakes. Not all snakes are equally dangerous, threatening or meaningful when you encounter them in dreams.

Because of this, a dream about falling into a pit of poisonous snakes is bound to have a very different meaning than a dream about a small corn snake coiled up in the grass and blowing soap bubbles.

Needless to say, a dangerous snake represents an entirely different level of threat and danger than a harmonies snake.

The snake’s behaviour

On a similar note, the dream snake’s behaviour is going to tell you a lot about how you should interpret your dream.

If the snake or snakes in your dreams are non-threatening and don’t do you any harm, they don’t indicate any sense of immediate warning or danger. If, however, the dream snakes overwhelm, attack and poison you, it is clear that their meaning is negative.

Black snake

The color black symbolizes mystery, the unknown, hidden knowledge.

If you see a black snake in your dreams, it could indicate that you are facing the unknown and that your longing for discovery is a driving force.

White snake

White snakes represent healing and positive transformation.

Often, seeing a white snake in your dream is an indication that you are standing on the brink of a new beginning.

Red snake

The color red is associated with fire, passion, drive and willpower. A red snake is often a positive snake representation, an indication of a profound drive and desire for change, growth and life’s experiences.

If you find yourself fighting a red snake in your dream, it could be a sign that you are resisting change.

Blue snake

Blue snakes are associated with creativity, originality, inventiveness and rebirth.

If we go all the way back to Ancient Mesoamerica, blue snakes were involved in the creation myth in the form of the powerful hybrid serpent and bird god, Quetzalcoatl.

Yellow snake

Yellow snakes in dreams often have negative connotations. The color yellow may represent fear and anxiety, often in connection with upcoming changes, upheavals or confrontations in your life.

Green snake

Green is the color of fertility and renewal, and seeing a green snake in your dream often signals that you are in a place of growth, discovery and learning.

On the other hand, a green snake can also indicate jealousy and resentment, so watch out for the context and storyline of the dream overall.

What snake dreams might be trying to tell you

By now you probably have a pretty solid understanding of what snakes in dreams represent. Still, putting it all together and arriving at a clear and concise dream interpretation can still seem challenging. Hopefully, these pointers will help clarify things for you even more.

A red flag

Seeing a snake – even in dreams – can be a bit of a shock. There is something about seeing and sensing the presence of a snake that jolts you out of whatever else you might have been focusing on and grabs you entire attention.

When you see a snake in your dream, it can sometimes be a wake up call, a sign that something is going on in real life that demands your complete attention.

Creativity

When you see a snake in your dreams – particularly if it is a blue snake – it can indicate that you are either experiencing or about to experience a period of creative blossoming.

Just like the creative muse, snakes are mysterious and alluring creatures. A dream about following or chasing a blue snake is very often a sign of that your creative spirit is calling out to you and is waiting for you to lose your inhibitions and follow.

Transformation

Seeing a snake in your dream is often a sign that transformation is needed in your life. This is particularly true if the snake you are seeing is either white or red, or if it is shedding its skin.

Snakes are incredibly flexible and adaptable creatures. When their old skin, their old persona, their old surroundings and mindsets become restrictive, they shed them and slither away. Your snake dream may be trying to tell you that you can and should do the same. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Sexual desire

A snake can be interpreted as a phallic symbol, or merely as a symbol of taboo or forbidden sexual desires.

Seeing or fighting against a snake in your dreams can indicate that unwanted yet powerful sexual urges are demanding that you pay attention to them – and that you feed them.

Overwhelm

Getting smothered or choked by a dream snake is a clear-cut sign of feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps you have crushing responsibilities or deadlines riding on your ability to stay on top of things, or perhaps you are feeling controlled or smothered by an important person in your life.

Physical healing

Snakes can sometimes represent healing. This is particularly true if you see two snakes either wrapped around each other or around a caduceus (staff).

In Ancient China, the snake was considered to be a wise healer, and to this day, the caduceus with two snakes wrapped around it is a familiar medical symbol, displayed on the fronts of many pharmacies, hospital and medicines.

Frequently asked questions about snake dreams