Dream Symbols

Elephant Symbol and Dream Meaning

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Elephants are the largest mammal on earth, and commonly appear in our dreams. As there are many different associations for elephants, to dream of an elephant in your dreams can mean a number of different things.

Common Dream Symbols for Elephants

Power: An elephant is often a symbol of power and strength. Elephants are large and beautiful creatures who are often seen as a majestic and powerful animal. Seeing an elephant in your dream may be a reminder to be patient and strong through a difficult situation.

Enormous Problems: To be frightened by an elephant or to see an elephant blocking your path in a dream, symbolizes that you have a problem or obstacle you feel to be enormous in your life.

Family & Relationships: Elephants are well known in the animal kingdom to highly value family relationships.Dreaming of an elephant could mean there is an issue in your family that needs your attention.

Maternal Instincts: In elephant families, the female is in charge! Seeing an elephant in your dream could be a sign to pay attention to your feminine qualities, or be a symbol of someone who has a mother type of role in your waking life.

Running From an Elephant: To be running from an elephant in your dream shows that you have fears which are preventing you from feeling in control of your own life. You may feel like something is more powerful than you.

Riding an Elephant: To be riding an elephant shows you feel in power and control, or that you think others should be able to notice that you are powerful.

elephant dream meaning

Additional Elephant Symbol Meanings in Dreams

Sometimes when we see an object or animal in a dream it is because of a popular expression or saying. These types of things may manifest as a literal elephant in our dreams. Here are a few examples:

An Elephant in the Room: The expression, “let’s not ignore the elephant in the room”, means that there is an important issue that is obvious, but many people are hesitant to talk about. Seeing an elephant may mean you are not fully acknowledging something, even though it is quite large and apparent.

Memories of the Past: Have you ever heard the phrase “An elephant never forgets”? Elephants are known for recognizing and remembering things even after many years have passed. Often times to see an elephant in your dreams can symbolize that you are hanging onto memories that you need to let go of.

Conservative Viewpoints: An elephant is the symbol of the Republican party and as a result of this can sometimes be a symbol of conservative viewpoints, especially if you are a U.S. citizen interested in political matters.


Elephants as a Spirit Animal

Many people believe that elephants appear to us as a message from spirit. The elephant is often chosen to be a power animal to help someone with overcoming large obstacles in their life. As a spirit animal, the elephant reminds us to be gentle but to stand our ground.


Tips for Interpreting Your Elephant Dream

meaning of elephant in dream

Describe the Elephant: Describe the elephant using 5 words. Do these 5 words sound like yourself or someone you know? Does the elephant resemble a situation in your life?

What is Big in Your Life Right Now? As elephants are quite large, they often symbolize things that are big in our lives. You may have large problems, big success, or something else big happening in your life.

What feelings did you have in the dream? Your feelings during the dream will give you more insight into your dream. Were you afraid of the elephant or did it make you feel powerful?

Have any additional dream meanings and interpretations for elephant? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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57 Comments

  1. I saw one adult elephant and one baby elephant standing infront of my house and i kiss baby elephant.

  2. I dreamed an elephant looking for me and nextday in that dream then saw someone riding it and coming to my house. And i was scared .

  3. I was playing with an elephant passing the ball. And feeling was happy. Then when I checked for time I woke up it was around 1:30-1:40AM.

    1. The more I look at the elephant the more it became BIG and Powerful comparing to the other elephant in that open area. It also
      Come towards me though I am afraid that I didn’t run away from it. It runs past me .Can someone tell me the meaning if it??

  4. In my dream tonight I saw my father, who passed away last year, when I was still 19 yrs old. He had left me some paintings of great value/worth (in his life he didn´t have much wealth, but he´d always give me what he could); it was similar in my dream, he had given me change that he had left …
    2 of the paintings he left me had elephants on them and looked very old/vintage. They were both blue/greyish , rather dark. I don´t know what all of that is supposed to mean, but I was happy to see him/talk to him again, even though I knew he wasn´t here anymore. I even wanted to ask him what it was like to die, but I didn´t want to hear the answer and I didn´t get one.

    Greetings

  5. I Dreamed I was bottle feeding a baby girl elephant. I was not afraid and very excited, nurturing also happy . I also bathed the baby elephant . I very recently lost my Baby sister she past away and we were very close.

  6. Hi. There are many elephants in the rooms and I arrange them accordingly by batch. The elephants seems to follow my instruction.

  7. I had a dream that I was in a large warehouse type store that sold really nice used furniture, art and accessories at great prices. At one point there were people on either side of a teenage sized elephant in the aisle and they were just looking at me. I didn’t feel anything positive or negative. I just observed. They were not necessarily blocking the aisle, although retelling the dream it does seem like that was so. There were people in the dream shopping and buying things. I couldn’t believe how nice everything was and what great prices they were. The store seemed like a great find. Although I have downsized and am getting rid of stuff. I don’t need to buy anything, new or used in my real life.

  8. I had dream that a large grayish/black elephant got in my basement through a broken window. I noticed it because it’s trunk was sticking out through the basement stairs. At one point in the dream, I was wondering how could something that big get into something so small. I wasn’t afraid, but very puzzled and concerned.

  9. I had a dream of female elephant dying in water and a baby elephant sitting in water. I was weeping in my dream and was calling the dying elephant my deceased mother. I am very much disturbed by the dream. Does this mean my mother’s soul is in danger? Please guide me.

  10. I dreamed about elephant coming at me little by little and i feel so scared, I can’t open my eyes properly, I can’t scream, I can’t stand, I feel terrified.

  11. I use to dream as a child that I was being chased by elephants and there was no ground under me just air and I was jumping on logs that were spinning round and round very fast and I could not seem to find a safe place

  12. I had a dream last night where I saw a mother elephant tied and it’s baby elephant next to it. The place was near my house. The dream was so clear. I can’t stop thinking about it as I didn’t think about elephants in a long time and still had such a dream. They didn’t run or hurt me , the baby animal kind of ran a little behind me but got quite on its on..

  13. I wanted to go into a room and when I entered the hallway I saw a big elephant coming and it was accompanied by many small animals but my focus was on the elephant . I was not afraid but I gave it the right of way before I could go in.

  14. The dream i had was quit a long dream. But the only part that keeps returning to my memory is i was standing out side and in front of me to my right stood a white looking elephant and it fell on its right side to the ground and i felt so sad because I couldn’t stop it from falling and did know how to help get it back on its feet. Then other elephants came an they fell down also on their sides . then i looked again and it was a river or ocean filled with elephants. I cant remember anything else but the dream keeps coming to me.

  15. I had such a great dream last night. I dreamed a baby elephant was kissing my son’s feet (when my son was a toddler. He is now in is twenties) and wanting to play with him as well. I also dreamed that I was hugging the baby elephant and laughing because he was so adorable. I woke up feeling so happy.

  16. I know this is going to sound weird but I had a dream that I found that elephant in like a sewage ditch one of the ones I use in Like you can walkthrough and I went to go try to help it I felt like I needed to help in some way but I don’t know how and all of a sudden it disappeared when I went back to find it to see if it went back to the drain ditch to see if it went back down there and I seen a baby elephant like a miscarried baby elephant and I remember having to bury the baby elephant but we could never find the mother of the baby elephant anymore after we found the baby elephant very strange dream never had a dream like this before

  17. I had a dream of a baby elephant playing with a huge King Cobra, 30-40M long right behind my house & i’m watching them play. What does this mean?

  18. I dreamed that me and another person (male – unknown) were hiding from an elephant in a garage. Garage door was open and there were many boxes to hide behind. The elephant calmly walked in the garage, passing me, and then with his trunk grabbed the other person. He calmly walked out of the garage and went into the driveway where there was a huge pile of tartar sauce and dipped the man into the tartar sauce. The man got loose and ran back into the garage where the whole process started over again. The man was not hurt by the elephant. He had more of a look on his face like “Oh no. Not the tartar sauce again.”

  19. I dreamed that a grey baby elephant came out of my house. I was shocked and atonishied. My husband made the comment that his trunk was up. I noticed that he had my purse in his mouth. As the elephant came around the corner towards me, I started to run away

    1. I dreamt of to sitting on elephant along with my kids and to come down an hilly place, and the elephant control was in my hand and the elephant started climbing done the stairs very fast.

      I was little scared and started chanting god’s names to go down safely.

  20. In my dream last night, I was passing through a shed where…I saw, bunch of elephants(not too young and not too old in age)were sleeping there and after walking when I came back to saw the elephants… One of them was dead.
    What does it mean to have such dream..?

  21. Hi, I had a dream where I was looking out the window in the night an elephant suddenly appeared and was blowing it’s trunk aggressively in my direction. Afterwards in the dream I had asked for an interpretation ( I was dreaming in the dream) and my aunt and siblings all told me it meant the death of a loved one. It was a near life experience I’m really scared please help.

  22. I dreamed of an elephant. It was huge and grey in color. It was standing in the swimming pool at the edge with one guy and elephant and that guy both were drinking some juice from the glass. Saw a glimpse of a happy elephant and after seeing this I was very excited and happy.

  23. I dreamed Of a gigantic elephant it was to me twice as big as the average elephant and several stories high. It was a weird color like lavender or periwinkle and it sparked. It was looking at me and I was staring at
    It. I decided to make a run for it and when I went to move it moved and blocked my way, next think I know I woke up, But I keep wondering what
    It means

  24. If this is still an active forum…
    I had a dream that two of the three elephants in my room/house died. The baby elephant died from eating the poisonous fruit from a tree. The second elephant died from getting stuck from something. The third one stared in silence but was grieving for the other two from across the room. Yet every time I would try to tend to him he would disappear and hide and Id search the entire house looking for him. I mean how hard is it to find a huge elephant in your house?

  25. Hi, I saw herds of elephant from a distance in a market place and because of its size was stepping upon people’s goods and was blowing it’s trunk to my direction. Then I ran into the house but I wasn’t feeling scared, and I can’t explain the exact way I was feeling. Maybe I was happy. What does it mean

  26. Hi, I saw herds of from a distance in a market place and because of its size was stepping upon people’s goods and was blowing it’s trunk to my direction. Then I ran into the house but I wasn’t feeling scared, and I can’t explain the exact way I was feeling. Maybe I was happy. What does it mean

  27. I had seen that elephant flying and tied with a car in front. Suddenly they start landing and damaged a ceiling of a house.

  28. i had A dream of an elephant where am standing in front of my house suddenly I saw a elephant I went inside the house to bring banana to feed that elephant but why I dont know when I came back to feed that it bent on is knees and bowing me am surprised of that again I went inside I took one more banana while I came back the baby elephant also standing with that huge elephant I saw them together again it bowed me i tried feeding them but when I stepd forwed they stepd back and vanished

  29. In my dream the elephant was beautiful with vibrant beautiful color and it was swimming in what I thought it was a natural pool I gaze at the elephant with love . But did not went into the pool was afraid my dress will get wet

  30. Hi i dreamed that a elephant died during to war and I was trying to save him by taking him away from the enemies and I was on the side of a god who couldn’t help me and I couldn’t save the elephant even my mom tried to help me but at last in my dream another dream came that the elephant was at peace

  31. Hi
    Only last night I had a dream of a baby elephant rolling around the grass near where I live. I was driving pass and stopped to see, the elephant was really happy and just kept roly polying then came up to me it was a lovely feeling.

  32. Hi, I had a dream that there was a man dressed in an elephant head outside of my front door. Almost eager to get inside and started playing with me and my little cousin, (my front door has glass panels) so you can kind of see inside my house. We were worried when we realised he wouldn’t go away and stood at the door for ages. I felt really scared of it, my auntie opened the door and the man ran inside… I can’t remember what was said but he ended up going back outside so we slammed the door. He didn’t leave and broke the door, came running up the stairs and took his elephant head off. He was saying some really weird and scary things… As I tried to call the police him and my auntie went into frenzy and as I was on the phone to the police I heard a bang, one of them got shot but that’s what woke me up… I wonder what all of this means 🙁 it was definitely a nightmare!

  33. i dream a lot i mean a lot and very weird odd dreams .. last night i dreamed an elephant came up to me , not in the open but a zoo type of feel, it had walls, i was sitting at the top of a stair case when it appeared and telepathically , I KNOW!!, it said ” where you/are you expecting a baby girl ” indicating i was either pregnant or was .. so many angles with this one .. buy whats your input ..

  34. I had a dream that I was walking alongside an elephant who was just a little bigger than me. He was very friendly lovable. I was patting his back and he was caressing me with his trunk. My husband was watching us from a distance. Suddenly a tiger appeared, and my husband said not to let go of the elephant. The tiger came close, saw the elephant, and walked away. We got into a nearby house,after which the elephant disappeared. Later we could hear someone cry, indicating that the tiger has killed someone.

  35. I had a dream in which elephant was on the roof of my house and i called some people to take him down.

  36. I don’t remember how I reached there, but I could say that I was with my family ( my mother, sister and grandmother). The place was a shed. There were actually 2 elephants ( mother and a baby). We were all very happy and were playing with the elephants. Even the elephants seemed to be in a very good mood. I couldn’t get the meaning. What does these elephants signify?

  37. I dream of elephants sarrouding the room that we were in and they would get so angry when we want to get out because our daughter was stuck in another room and we wanted to get here but later they did move away n we got our daughter and brought her to the room we were. What do this dream really mean?

  38. I just had this dream this morning. It was a Palace and I saw different sizes of elephants, fully grown big elephants to the smallest standing in a row. We couldn’t find the baby elephant, as that adorable baby is running around. The person who takes care of the elephants got hold of the baby elephant. I loved it! I want to pet it and be with it. Seeing my intention in my eyes, the helper connected my hand with the baby’s trunk. It was a lovely moment I could always remember. Later baby elephant pulled me and we both were running into the Sun. That’s all I could recollect. It was an adorable dream! I want to know what does it mean for my future.

  39. I had a dream of looking after a baby elephant he was so cheerful and happy and naughty and we were so close. I also rode a horse alongside our journey. The baby elephant then fell and helped it up. And then it was kidnapped from me and I rescued it. And we kept going on this journey. And elephant and a horse. I wonder what it meant.

  40. Hi,

    I had a dream where I was riding an elephant. I was with friends who did not want to ride the elephant. I was very fond of the elephant hugging and petting as we walked. When I got off elephant, i fed it pototoes. I was a little nervous,because I had never fed an elephant, but the elephant ate the potato and then it saw something and was running toward it. I panicked and chased it fearing the elephant would get hurt. It was then struck by a car, but was still alive as I was running toward it, it was struck by another car, which killed it. I cried uncontrollably, there was an older man standing there who knew the elephant. I hugged him and cried on his shoulders until I woke up. I woke up deeply saddened.

  41. I had a dream in which the elephant touched my leg through trunk and made me sit comfortable, what does it mean

  42. I dreamed of going into an elephant-shaped island. The road condition on the island is very rough.

  43. i had a dream of an elephant, it was great in color and very huge, i was so frightened that i even started calling people help, luckily it was very in love with me, surprisingly it started licking my hands and aims romantically but was so frightened with fear i tried to escape from it in a contrary it followed me up, it was really in need of me and i never wanted to make it angry so i was calm but with fear

  44. At night in a former school where my childhood was molded, with classmates from a current university, and my highschool teachers.

    There is a school event, I went to the school field where the school event will happen. There where heavy smoke everywhere and the ground is being shaken by elephants. I hear elephant sounds and there is this feeling of joy and excitement.

  45. Hi, I dreamed of a massive huge enormous elephant that was being used to labor a school ! Like I was on the phone with a friend of mine the she was telling me how attractive I was and how she likes me? And I felt super awkward then I noticed the moon go from a full moon to a half full moon it was huge too and that’s when I noticed the elephant and I felt so shocked to see this all happening I couldn’t believe it the elephant was grey but old with light white old spots, the elephant was sad and over worked and frustrated so frustrated that the elephant banged his trunk against the rocks so hard it’s trunk ripped off and that’s when the elephant lost it! It was so upset I could feel it’s pain and see it’s shock so much I started to cry so hard in the dream to the point my friend on the phone was asking what happened but I couldn’t answer because I was deeply hurt and crying until I woke up.

    1. Thanks for sharing you dream with us Antoinette! Elephants in our dreams certainly can help bring attention to VERY BIG feelings, such as feeling very frustrated or overworked. Those feelings can sometimes be very overwhelming to experience in their entirety.

      One thing that may help you understand this dream is to ask – is there anything I feel frustrated about? Do I feel overworked? Does someone I care about feel overworked or frustrated who I feel I am unable to help? The moon in your dream may suggest it relates to a semi-recent change or transition – is there anything happening in your life or with others where you are uncertain what the outcome will be?
      Asking these sorts of questions about the dream and determining what an elephant means to you personally can help you better understand what your dream may mean.

      1. I saw a dark black baby elephant running towards me and suddenly stopped in front of me and blessed with his trunk and entered my home and ate some food and went. Can anyone please explain me about this dream

        1. Maybe you encountered a ‘hungry ghost’: a disembodied consciousness that has not moved on to its next life, because it is still attached to the life it lost. Often, hungry ghosts are people who have died suddenly, by accident, and find themselves lost in ‘no-mans-land’. They almost always come asking for food.

          If I encounter a hungry ghost in a dream, I always tell them that they are free, free to move on to their new life, to go beyond, and be liberated from the suffering caused by attachment to their old life.

          If you are a lucid dreamer who can control the situation in your dreams, perhaps you may like to try this method.

          Om, gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi, swaha!
          Om, go, go, go beyond, go completely beyond, into liberation, so be it!

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