Snake dreams are one of the most common animal dreams you can have. This is reflected in countless dream interpretation books and websites, where there is at least one mention of a snake somewhere.
Depending on the culture you’re raised with, your associations, and traditions, snakes mean something different to everyone. But there is one thing that unites snakes in dreams: there’s a lot of symbolism to look through.
But there are worlds between the interpretations of snakes in dreams in general and snakes that attack in dreams. While these can be awful nightmares that leave you fighting for your breath, they can reveal important information about your waking life.
Let’s take a look.
What Does It Mean To Dream Of Snakes Attacking?
First, we have to figure out what snakes mean in dreams to take a look at what one attacking you means.
Sigmund Freud theorized that a snake is a phallic symbol. Seeing one in a dream represents fertility, power, and masculine energy, but it doesn’t necessarily refer to sex. If you’re familiar with Freud’s theories, you’ll notice that most dreams supposedly represent a phallus of some kind.
But that’s not exactly the whole scope of a snake (see also article titled ‘The Biblical Meaning Of Snakes In Dreams‘) dream. It’s one possible interpretation. Typically, snakes symbolize intuition, luck, prosperity, and wealth. But many other factors also affect your dream.
Consider The Appearance Of The Snake
Snakes aren’t hugely aggressive by nature. Most of the time, a snake will attack you if you’ve startled it, or if it can see no other way of getting away from you.
However, in dreams, snakes can be a little more villainous than their real-life counterparts.
And in the terror of a snake (see also article titled ‘What Do Many Snakes Mean In Your Dream?‘) coming after you in a dream, it can be difficult to try and recognize the species of the snake – if it was anything specific, to begin with.
Some dream interpreters will ask you to think back and remember if the snake attacking you was poisonous or not, and what kind of snake it was.
As this can be quite a struggle, especially if your dream didn’t provide you with this information, the best place to start is to look at the color of the snake that attacked in a dream.
Black Snakes
Black snakes (see also article titled ‘What Does It Mean To Dream Of A Black Snake?‘) imply that you’re trying to avoid something at all costs, but you know that you can’t run from it forever.
White Snakes
White snakes attacking in a dream can denote a lack of communication with someone you love or discord in your spiritual path.
Green Snakes
Dreaming of green snakes attacking suggests a new beginning in waking life. You might not see this change as the blessing it is, but you’ll come to.
Yellow Snakes
Yellow snakes attacking in a dream refer to your intuition or your finances.
Red Snakes
Dreaming of red snakes attacking represents rivals, frustration, or anger.
Common Dreams Of Snakes Attacking And What They Mean
To figure out what your dream of snakes attacking means, it’s worth looking at every detail you can remember. While we’ve talked about snake colors, which are a good starting point, another big indicator is how you feel during a dream like this.
What you might expect to feel doesn’t always match up with how you feel in a dream. A scary situation of a snake attacking you might not be what it seems at all. Maybe you weren’t scared at all, but you loved being challenged.
If you fought back with no fear or hesitation, this dream is a positive sign, denoting an optimistic change in your life.
However, if you felt sad once you defeated the snake, this implies that someone will go against you, and you’ll be forced to defend yourself in some way. You’ll be disappointed in them.
Snakes Attacking You In A Dream
Dreaming of snakes attacking you doesn’t sound all that good, to begin with. As signs go, it’s a fairly mixed dream symbol, encompassing both good and bad elements.
As the snake is attacking – causing you fear, pain, or stress – it symbolizes a problem or thought in waking life that is similarly affecting you.
You might be trying to avoid it at all costs, but this snake attacking you in a dream implies that you’ll have to face this problem sooner or later, no matter how you feel about it.
Whatever the snake represents, it could even be something that you’re not consciously aware of. Snakes can represent your instincts and intuition, and they are deeply connected to the unconscious parts of your mind.
They may appear in your dream to symbolize painful parts of your past or unresolved emotions or issues that you still need to deal with.
However, the act of fighting them in a dream represents how you are on the path to reconciling these, so you’ll be able to move on.
Dreams of fighting off snakes are a good sign, as long as you face the reptiles (see also article titled ‘What Is The Dream Interpretation Of A Crocodile?‘) head-on in your dream.
Dreaming Of Snakes Attacking You In Your Home
A dream where a snake attacks you in your own home is an unsettling image to be sure. When trying to interpret your dream, always look at the location and the associated dream meaning for more insight into your dream.
Houses in dreams – specifically your own house – is a place where you feel the safest. So it makes sense that in dreams, your subconscious fills this space with your most vulnerable self, and your deepest thoughts and fears.
A dream where a snake attacks you in your home implies that some negativity is affecting you to the core. Something in waking life has cut you deep. This might be someone close to you betraying you, or it can also indicate self-sabotaging behavior.
Consider also the room that you were in, as this offers further insight into your dream. For example, the basement in your dream represents the deepest part of your subconscious, while the attic represents your wisest self.
Dreaming of a snake attacking you in your childhood home can imply that you’ve still holding onto a negative experience that affected you when you were a child, or you’re having problems with your family.
Snakes Attacking You In Grass
This dream is one of the most realistic encounters you might have in waking life, so you might also see this scenario in your dreams.
Dreaming of snakes attacking you in the grass is one of the more unsettling, not just because it’s realistic, but also because the snake takes you by surprise.
Snakes can be extremely difficult to spot when they are in the grass, and you might not know they are there until you step on them.
This also reflects the meaning behind the dream, as the snake represents something that you won’t see coming. It can embody a fear of the unexpected and the anxiety that comes with the uncertainty of how you will deal with it.
This might be a person that means you harm in some way or a terrible situation that will come about all of a sudden.
The snake can signify any anxieties playing on your mind, and this is your way of figuring out how to deal with them.
Consider also the popular phrase a snake in the grass. Maybe someone in your life doesn’t have the intentions you think they do, or they’re not being honest in some way.
The action of the snake attacking you in a dream symbolizes how you will discover this soon.
Running From A Snake In A Dream
Running from a snake in your dream indicates how you are doing your best trying to avoid your problems. Essentially, you’re fighting a losing battle. After all, snakes are very quick, and sooner or later, you have to face your problems.
Just think of how you have to approach snakes in waking life, for example. You need to stay calm and make sure you’re not in their space. Sudden movements like running away (see also article on dreams about running away) from a snake will only make things worse.
If you have a dream like this, your subconscious is letting you know that you should face something instead of avoiding it. You might find that you’ve been building it up in your head, too.
Nightmares Of Snakes And Water
When dreams of snakes attacking involve water, it’s worth paying attention to what your dream is trying to tell you.
In waking life, snakes and water go hand in hand more than you might think, and this is reflected in dreams.
Water in dreams is associated with your subconscious mind, your deepest thoughts and fears, and any emotions that lie within. If you dream of being attacked by snakes while you’re swimming, this refers to a conflict within your subconscious.
More specifically, to do with unresolved emotions that are affecting you more than you might think. You might be ruled by an impulse to always be on the defensive if you feel vulnerable, or you have trouble keeping your emotions in check.
A dream of swimming naked and then being attacked by a snake suggests that you feel vulnerable or insecure in some part of waking life.
If you dream of yellow snakes in water, this refers to a troubling insight you’ve recently had, and you’re struggling to come to terms with something emotionally. Alternatively, it can reveal positive times ahead where you’ll be unable to control your happiness.
Being Swallowed By A Snake In Your Dream
What an interesting concept. Maybe you saw yourself getting swallowed up by a snake from a third-person point of view, in which case this dream might seem like a cautionary tale.
You might have seen this from a normal perspective too, where the situation feels less detached and more real. Was it real enough to wake you up at that moment? Or did the dream carry on?
If the dream did carry on, and you were inside the snake, this also has some interesting symbolism. It can suggest that difficult circumstances will force you into a period of transformation.
It can imply that you’re struggling to find your feet in a situation. Maybe issues are stacking up so quickly that you feel you can’t deal with them. Your dream urges you to trust your instincts – after all, snakes represent your intuition – and stay grounded.
What Is Your Subconscious Trying To Tell You?
While dreams can seem like a random assortment of unconnected experiences, they can also carry messages from our subconscious.
Sometimes it’s a bridge of communication between subliminal cues you’ve been picking up on but you’re not consciously aware of. This dream is a way of letting those small impressions and intuitions rise to the surface so that we can acknowledge them.
And when we’re ready to acknowledge them, they appear in our dreams as certain dream symbols.
So what does a snake dream symbol mean? When the snake is attacking in a dream, it’s something worrying or niggling away at you. You might be worried even without a specific reason to be, and the snake represents your generalized fear.
Additionally, the snake in your dreams can signify lingering feelings or grudges against people that you haven’t unpacked yet.
One thing to keep in mind is that snakes are a symbol of internal transformation and transition. While these reptiles can represent difficult things like anxiety, distrust, betrayal, and not listening to your intuition, they can also symbolize letting go of these things.
Dreams of snakes attacking you point to a difficult transition of change, but you will be better for it.
Why Are Dreams Of Snakes So Common?
Snakes are a feature in many people’s dreams, and you’ll find interpretations of why they appear in dreams spanning across the globe in many cultures.
And it doesn’t seem to matter if you’ve not met a snake in your life – the likelihood is that once or twice you will have a dream involving a snake. But why?
Well, one of the reasons why (even if you’ve not seen a snake in real life) is that they are so prevalent in media, from fables, and books, to TV and movies. They are embedded into our psyche from a very young age.
This also explains why there are so many negative interpretations of snake dreams, as they are often our villains in stories, fables, and religious tales, too.
Some people argue that how often you see a snake in your dream depends on how regularly you see them in waking life. If they are part of your daily life, or if you’ve been to the zoo, for example, they are more likely to appear in your dreams.
If you have a phobia of snakes, they will appear more often in your dreams, as this is your subconscious’s way of processing your fear, and figuring out how you will react to it if and when you have to face your fear in waking life.
The Dream Psychology Interpretation Of Snakes Attacking In A Dream
While we’ve touched on Freud’s interpretation of snake dreams, it’s worth exploring his theories, and some alternative interpretations a little deeper.
Freud believed that most dreams connect to our sexuality, our desires, repressed needs and wants, and any trauma that might have happened in the past. His theories always held to the idea that snakes in dreams are a symbol of the phallus.
For a man, this might represent your reality. It can also denote feeling threatened by another man, or represent your father figure, or the ‘ideal’ of a male authority figure.
So you might wonder what your dream means if you don’t have a penis (see also article titled ‘Penis Dream Meaning And Interpretation‘). Within this theory, snakes in your dreams can represent a male figure in your life or a repressed sexual desire.
If none of this sounds right to you, it’s worth looking at Carl Jung’s dream theories, as they are wildly different. Jung believed that dreams were a result of the mind trying to communicate to your conscious self, as a way of gaining insight into waking life.
He also believed that through dreams, you can connect to a collective unconscious, a well of human experiences. Snake dreams are very instinctual and spiritual experiences, providing healing and wisdom.
Jung also theorized that one particular physical aspect of the snake is important: the fact that snakes shed their skin. Dreams featuring snakes represent a transformative period in life and a new chapter.
The Islamic Interpretation Behind Snake Dreams
The Islamic interpretation of snake dreams is negative on the whole. A snake appearing in your dreams is usually a warning that bad luck is just around the corner.
They represent negativity which may affect your ability to see things clearly, and how you need to spot a negative influence from a distance.
There is a more positive side, too. Snake dreams encourage you to fight back and make sure you stand up for yourself.
If you convince the snake in your dream you’re not worth attacking, or you stand up for yourself, this denotes how you’ll overcome problems in your waking life.
The Biblical Interpretation Of Snake Dreams
Snakes in the Bible are considered to be symbols of temptation, betrayal, taboo, the devil, and evil. And you don’t have to look very far to see this, as the tale of the Garden of Eden is just one famous example.
What To Take From A Snake Dream
Snake dreams can be difficult to unravel, as there can be several layers of meaning. In modern dream interpretation, snakes represent difficulty, whether that’s a person or a troubling situation that you need to deal with.
But it’s not all bad news. Some dreams involving a snake also offer some solutions to complicated problems.
These dreams offer insight into how you will gain the wisdom you need to confront any problems in the future, by dealing with these problems now.
Dreams of snakes are also very versatile, and the message behind them depends on your associations and assumptions of snakes. For example, if you feel connected to snakes, or your spirit animal is a snake, it represents part of you in a dream.
Final Thoughts
Snake dreams have a lot of interesting things to say, and often offer deep insight into your waking life. They can warn you about upcoming problems, current issues, negative thoughts, betrayal, suspicious people, and more.
Always take a look at waking life after a dream like this. Once you’ve examined the details of your dream, you’d be surprised at how much it reflects your waking life circumstances and your own emotions.
These dreams also serve us in that they remind us that we can transform our lives at any point we wish. We only have to dream of it, and take steps to make it happen.