Dreaming about spiders: what that dream reflects

What this dream usually points to (and what it doesn't)

Dream interpretation is not prediction and not diagnosis. This article separates what sleep research observes from what popular interpretation associates with the theme.

Dreaming about a spider is not a sign of envy, betrayal or money. Fear of spiders is one of the most common human fears, and that shows up at night too.

Read also: Dreams about flying: what happens in the brain and Dreaming about death: why it happens and what it does not mean.

Why frightening animals appear so often

Under the threat simulation hypothesis, dreaming rehearses risky situations in safety, and creatures our species learned to avoid fit that script easily.

Source: Revonsuo, The reinterpretation of dreams, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2000.

Add continuity: anyone who saw a spider at home, cleaned a dusty corner or watched something about insects is more likely to carry the scene into a dream.

Source: Schredl and Hofmann, Continuity between waking activities and dream activities, Consciousness and Cognition, 2003.

Dreaming about spiders according to Freud, Jung and faith

In Freud's psychoanalysis. One concept from The Interpretation of Dreams offers a fresh angle on this scene: displacement. For Freud, a dream shifts the emphasis and puts the spotlight on what seems minor. The fright may come from the spider, while the detail that matters is the web, the corner of the house where it appeared, or the person who watched and did nothing. That is why he looked at dreams piece by piece, asking what each part brought to mind.

In Jung's psychology. In Man and His Symbols, edited by Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz retells an Inuit legend: a young woman climbs down from the sky on a long rope, fails to open her eyes as quickly as she was told, and becomes a spider forever. She uses the story to describe the dark side of the Self, which can lead people to "spin" grandiose fantasies that end up wrapping around them. From a Jungian angle, a dream web may point to an idea someone is getting tangled in alone.

In symbols and faith. In A Dictionary of Symbols, Chevalier and Gheerbrant recall the Greek myth of Arachne, the mortal weaver who challenged the goddess Athena and was turned into a spider. Among peoples of West Africa, Anansi the spider is said to have prepared the matter of the first humans and created the sun, the moon, and the stars. And the highland peoples of southern Vietnam see the spider as a form of the soul that leaves the body during sleep: killing one could endanger the sleeper.

Bringing both views together. Creator, punished rival, keeper of the sleeping soul: few creatures carry so many meanings. Science explains why spiders crawl into our nights; traditions offer stories to think with. Before settling on a reading, notice what the spider was doing in the dream: spinning, attacking, or simply watching?

Sources: Freud, Die Traumdeutung, 1900; Jung (ed.), Man and His Symbols; Chevalier and Gheerbrant, A Dictionary of Symbols.

Common variations of dreaming about spiders

• A large, still spider: contained tension with no attack, usually with apprehension.
• A spider crawling on your body: mixes fear and loss of control.
• A web: shows up alongside a feeling of being stuck in a situation.
• Lots of small spiders: common when small worries pile up.
• Killing or chasing the spider away: an ending of relief.

What makes the scene more likely

Continuity adds to the threat explanation: anyone who saw a spider at home, cleaned a dusty corner or watched something about insects is more likely to carry the scene into a dream. The fear is real, but the trigger is usually ordinary.

Source: Schredl and Hofmann, Continuity between waking activities and dream activities, Consciousness and Cognition, 2003.

When the fear affects waking life

Dreaming about spiders now and then is ordinary. What deserves attention is different: intense fear that makes a person avoid rooms, trips or activities. That has a name, specific phobia, and it responds well to treatment, usually gradual exposure with professional support.

See also: Dreaming about dogs and Dreaming about cockroaches.

What dream dictionaries record

Livro do Sonho, a popular Brazilian dream dictionary, links the spider to betrayal, but sees a spider weaving its web as a sign of profit in business. Many restless spiders would speak of an intrigue nearby. In several cultures, the spider is also the patient weaver, a symbol of creation.

Freud described dream books as a kind of dictionary that translates each image into another with a fixed meaning. Artemidorus of Daldis, author of the oldest complete Greek dream book that has survived, advised looking at the dreamer's life before interpreting. If you see the dream as a message, both paths suggest the same thing: ask what this image brings to mind in your life right now. See dream meanings according to science and culture.

Source: Livro do Sonho, Brazilian dream dictionary; Freud, Die Traumdeutung, 1900.

What folk tradition links to this dream

Popular readings link the spider to envy, to a trap, or to patient work, since the web takes time to build. The readings contradict each other from one culture to the next, which is a good reminder that they are cultural, not universal.

See also dream meanings.

Read also: dreaming about scorpions.