The Dream Dictionary from A to Z [Revised edition]: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams

A dream that features a donkey braying implies that the dreamer is on a liberating journey from some kind of family or health trauma. A dream in which the donkey is tied up attests to the dreamer’s fierce willpower that can ‘move mountains’ if directed toward a positive goal. If the ass or donkey is being ridden by or pulling someone else, you may be feeling you are doing all the hard work in a relationship, or working like a beast of burden.

Elephant

To dream of an elephant is to recognize the qualities of patience, long memory, strength, wisdom, and loyalty. It’s a particularly good sign if you are riding it. If other people are riding the elephant, it could suggest help from a friend or a close strong friendship. To feed an elephant suggests meetings with people in key positions. If you run from a herd of stampeding elephants, this could suggest being afraid of your own strength or inner power. If a rogue elephant stampedes, it could represent a chaotic element in yourself that threatens to wreak havoc in the waking world if it isn’t controlled. The question is, can we meet this enormous strength and energy in ourselves and learn to direct it positively? The elephant’s trunk is sometimes said to be a sexual symbol indicating the ability to satisfy needs.

Elk/Moose

Suggests the wild drives or emotions that can carry us along, or trample us.

Ferret/Ermine

Suggestive of inquisitiveness – the ability to ferret or find out things – as well of selfish actions that can injure another person’s feelings. (The ermine was traditionally linked with virgin saints and thus purity.)

See also PETS.

Fox

A fox symbolizes shrewdness in dealing with life’s challenges, but also a tricky person or relationship, or false or deceptive rumors. It also suggests unpredictable behavior and a refusal to conform. If the dreamer chases a fox in a dream, it suggests that they are too detached from reality and is in danger of floating in a sea of untruths. Do you need to be as ‘wily as a fox’ at present? Does your dream fox need protection from the hunt and, if so, what can this be linked to in your daily life?

Game Animals

Game animals – notably the deer, rabbit, and hare – offer encouragement, and dreamers should view their presence optimistically. The rabbit’s renowned ability to breed offers the promise of fertility in women and virility in men. Hares are closely associated with the moon goddess and they suggest an ability to see the magical in everything. Deer are also viewed as animals of the spirit. Due to the branching nature of their antlers, stags have been linked with the ‘tree of life’, and are thought to impart intuitive wisdom to those who dream of them.

Goat

Traditionally a symbol of virility, and so if a goat appears in a woman’s dream, it can be linked to a lover she desires, or to fertility and procreative power. Similarly, if a goat appears in a man’s dream, it attests to the amount of importance he ascribes to his virility and, in context with the rest of the dream, should be interpreted in this way. It can also suggest the ability to ‘climb’ and survive difficulties, personally or socially. Occasionally it is connected with natural drives which, if they become repressed, are associated with the devil. If the goat is attacking, this may indicate somebody butting into your life or some form of conflict.

Hare

In past cultures, the hare was often given great respect. It stood for intuition, rejuvenation, and resurrection, and thus of the immortal nature of humans. Because of the hare’s habit of bounding up suddenly from hiding places, to dream of a hare suggests sudden, powerful intuition. If the hare appears as a supernatural figure giving advice or as a sacrificial animal, it indicates the ability to draw on hidden potential and make great changes in life. On the other hand, dreams about hares and rabbits can also symbolize timidity and inhibition as far as sex is concerned. Having said that, if the hare is running or in flight it could suggest that great changes are about to take place, and a positive change in status, environment, and finance are on the cards. If you dream you are eating a hare, this can suggest envy – yours or someone else’s.

There is a legend that a hare breeder has only to tell a hare to kill itself and it will do so, thus showing its capacity for self-sacrifice. Are you making sacrifices at the moment? Are you thinking clearly or doing yourself an injustice?

Hedgehog/Porcupine

If a hedgehog or porcupine appears in a dream, it might indicate that the dreamer, or someone they know, is very prickly, easily offended, or irritated by the remarks or actions of other people. It might also represent a vulnerable part of oneself that is quick to withdraw, but can react by lashing out and hurting others.

Hippopotamus

A dream about a hippopotamus suggests the dreamer is suffering from feelings of inferiority. Those who dream about a hippo are not satisfied with themselves, physically or mentally. These feelings do not always have a basis in reality but represent how you view yourself. The hippopotamus is considered to be clumsy, ungainly, and fat, and you may also feel this way about yourself. Whether true or not in waking life, this inner feeling of being a loser will hold you back and prevent you from succeeding in life. The dream implies that the image you have of yourself is a figment of your imagination. If you could only shake it off and see yourself in a less critical light, you would feel much better about yourself and be able to attract success into your life. Dreams about hippos can also represent concerns about fertility and childbirth, as the female hippopotamus represents the Egyptian Great Mother, Amenti, the goddess of childbirth.

Horse

Studies show that the animals that most often appear in dreams are horses, along with cats and dogs, and women seem to dream of horses more often than men do; indeed, Artemidorus of Daldis (2nd century ad) lists horses among the most common dreams of women. Some dream interpreters suggest that horses represent male sexuality.

According to Freud, horses symbolize the sexual drive. Jung noted that horse dreams could often be indicative of health conditions. Horses, like dogs, represent urges and passions in ourselves that we have learned to harness or direct, and in general they represent positive things that are about to happen in a dreamer’s waking life. Horses suggest the sort of enthusiasm or feelings of well-being that can carry us through the day and through life. Having said that, much depends on the context of the dream; for instance, if the dreamer falls off the horse, this may suggest relating badly to urges and passions and the resulting tension this creates. If the horse is wild, this suggests undirected energy, such as sexual desires which override personal or interpersonal needs.

See also PETS.

Hyena

The appearance of a hyena in a dream suggests taking advantage of someone, or being taken advantage of. A dream about an attack by a hyena may foretell an attempt to ruin the dreamer’s reputation.

Jackal

Similar to ‘dog’, but a wilder version. The jackal is a cunning scavenger, and as a result is sometimes associated with death. It can also see in the dark, and the ancient Egyptians believed the jackal to be a pathfinder in the underworld – i.e. the unconscious – leading the dead to the other world or enlightenment. Be aware, too, of the pun: there’s a ‘Jackal and Hyde’ inside all of us.

Jaguar

Assertiveness and fierce anger.

Kangaroo

A dream about a hopping kangaroo suggests a problematic relationship, or the potential for problems, if one person spends too much time with other people or refuses to commit. It could also indicate problems with concentration and focus in waking life.

Lamb

The childlike, vulnerable, dependent, innocent, pure part of a person which, Christlike, has the power to defeat evil. A dream about slaughtering lambs will suggest success at the expense of peace of mind. If wolves or dogs are tearing lambs apart, it means innocent people are suffering at the hands of unscrupulous others. A dream about carrying lambs means that the dreamer is carrying the burdens of the people they love happily. If lambskins appear in a dream, this suggests that the dreamer or other people have been deprived of joy and comfort.

Leopard

The leopard’s spots – which can be seen as eyes – represent watchfulness or the need for it. As with all the big cats, leopards in dreams suggest anger, speed, courage, passion, and, in some cases, cruelty.

Lion/Lioness

Generally a positive symbol that suggests physical strength and success in waking life. It can also suggest self-assertion, or the need for this to be expressed in waking life because of the lion’s roar. If, however, the lion is small or injured, or in a vulnerable situation, this could suggest that the dreamer feels that they are in a dangerous place, but also that these difficulties can be overcome with strength and daring. If a lion is chasing you, this is most likely due to a struggle with natural feelings of anger or aggression.

Lynx

Shares the same qualities as all the big cats, with an emphasis on the vigilance and the keenness of the lynx.

Mole

Associated with solitude, seclusion and the avoidance of human company, the mole can represent the attitude of a recluse. It might also indicate problems festering beneath the surface, as in molehills.

Mouse

Suggestive of the mousy, shy, or timid part of the self, dreaming of mice could also suggest small but important developments or subtle changes that can gnaw away at our self-esteem. Dreaming that you are a mouse could mean you feel dull, undistinguished, and lacking in confidence in waking life. The sexual organ which goes in and out of a hole is another association. If a person sees a mousetrap or a mouse caught in a trap, it could mean they need to watch out for people who gossip or take advantage of them.

Otter

Ancient cultures saw the otter as a pure, holy creature, and to see an otter in a dream suggests an ability to adapt to circumstances without ‘drowning’ and to clearly see what is really going on under the surface of everyday life.

Ox

Very similar to ‘bull’, with the possible exception that oxen are often castrated, so dreams in which they feature could suggest frustration. Can you recognize the strength of the ox within yourself? Are you engaged in a task that demands great commitment?

Panther