Animal Symbols | Dream Symbols

Turtle Dream Meaning

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Did you have a dream about a turtle? Let’s explore the meaning of turtles in dreams and how you can use that wisdom in your day to day life.

Close up Turtle

What It Means to Dream About Turtles

Turtles can symbolize a number of things, but we often see three main themes in dreams about turtles.

The Pace of Your Life

Dreaming about turtles often signify life is moving too quickly or too slowly.

Turtles are slow and steady animals, who never try to do too much at once or go too fast.

This is the perfect analogy for how you should approach your life. If you’re feeling that life is going by too quickly or if you feel paralyzed and stuck, this animal is here to remind you it’s okay to take a calmer pace in life. It is all about balance!

Security and Protection

Turtles have a strong shell that protects them. Likewise, seeing a turtle in your dream can be a symbol for your own “shell” in life – the things that make you feel safe and secure.

This sense of security can be about our physical needs – food, shelter, and stability – or it can be about our emotional needs for security.

Feeling secure about oneself means feeling confident about who you are and what you can do. So if you dream of a turtle, reflect on what makes you feel safe and secure in life.

Sea Turtle

A Life of Peace and Harmony

Turtles are animals that live in harmony with themselves, as well as their environment. They take everything as it comes and make the most out of every situation, no matter how bad. Turtles live day to day without any ambition or goal bigger than the one they have in front of them.

This is similar to the popular saying, “The journey is the destination.”

They do not look too far ahead, or worry about what might happen tomorrow. They just enjoy today and every moment that comes with it. These animals live a life of peace and harmony within themselves, as well as their environment.

This is a lesson we can all take in our day to day lives and this is the main reason why turtles can be prominent in our dreams. You might just need to take a moment to slow down and find some peace and harmony in your day to day life.

Now that we’ve looked at these common themes you might see in a dream, let’s look at some specific examples.

Turtle in the Grass

Common Turtle Dreams and Their Meanings

Turtle in the Road:

Dreaming of a turtle crossing the road means that you are ready to make some decisions in your life. You might be worried that you can’t make the changes in your life fast enough, or that it will be too hard to turn back if you do make the changes.

Seeing a turtle retreating into its shell: If you see a turtle retreating into the safety of its shell, it’s important to consider whether there is something in your current life that you want to hide from. This could be a painful situation you want to avoid, or it could mean you are trying to hide your real feelings from someone else.

Dreaming of a turtle in water:

Water in our dreams often symbolizes feelings. If you dream of a turtle swimming in water, it’s important to think about how you feel in your current situations in life. Do you feel like things are moving too fast or too slow? Do you feel safe and secure about your career and relationships or do you feel like hiding from your problems?

Dream About a Turtle as a Pet:

Pets in our dreams usually represent companionship. A pet turtle in your dream means that you are looking for the security of friendship. You might be in search of some people you can turn to during a time of struggle.

Feeding a turtle in your dreams can mean you want to feel the love of a friend or family member. Turtles in our dreams can also mean that we want to feel safe and secure about not only ourselves, but others as well. If you dream of feeding a turtle, this might be an indication that you are ready to open up to people.

Group of Turtles on Rock

Seeing a Turtle on a Tree:

Sometimes we dream of seeing turtles on trees, especially among the tall tropical trees in our dreams. This might tell us that we are searching for something that is above and beyond ourselves. We are trying to find something higher than our everyday life, just like the turtles need to climb a tree in order to find safety.

Dream About Turtles Being Hunted:

If you dream that a turtle is being hunted, it can mean that you need to look at how you are feeling threatened in your current situation. You might be worried about outside influences forcing their way into your life and stealing the things that make you feel safe.

Dreaming of an Injured turtle:

If the turtle in your dreams is wounded, it can indicate deeper feelings of insecurity. You may feel threatened in some way in your life. You may feel like you aren’t good enough or like a failure in life. If you feel like giving up, it’s important to remember this symbol comes in our dreams to remind you there are always other options to explore. It is time to make some positive changes!

What it means to Dream about Turtles

Dreaming of Turtles Dying:

When we dream of turtles dying, it means that are ready to move on from something or someone in our lives. We can no longer sit still and wait for this person or situation to end, we now have the courage to make a positive change for ourselves.

Being Bitten By a Turtle:

If a turtle bites you in a dream, it can mean that you are being threatened by outside influences in your life. The dream is trying to tell you that you need to be careful of all the people and experiences that could hurt you.

Turtles are very peaceful animals, however, sometimes we have trouble seeing our own peace and harmony. If this happens in your dreams, it might be time to look inside yourself and make sure you are on the right track in feeling safe, secure, and happy in your life.

Dreaming of Eating Turtle:

While not an everyday food for most of us, turtle can be considered a delicacy in some parts of the world. When we dream of eating turtle, it means that we are ready to take a more relaxed approach to our lives.

Dreaming of Giant Turtles:

This can symbolize a person or situation in your life that is overwhelming you. It may be the feelings of a job you have, someone you are in love with, or even yourself. We can feel like turtles when we feel overwhelmed by life and are confused about what our next step should be.

Carrying a Turtle

Carrying a turtle in your dreams can mean that you are going through a challenging time in your life. You need to find balance and patience during these difficult times. It can also mean that you are ready to move on from something that was holding you back in life.

Snapping turtles in a dream can mean that you are going through an unexpected change in life. You might be caught off guard about something.

Sea Turtles in a dream represent fertility and protection. Turtle eggs mean you are going through a time of growth in your life.


When interpreting your dreams about turtles, it’s important to think about the context of the dream and any other symbols that may appear in the dream.

Here are some related symbols that might help you with your turtle dream interpretation:

Have you had a dream about turtles? Share your dreams and what you think they mean in the comments section below!

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3 Comments

  1. I dreamed last night of being inserted into and trapped within a giant sea turtle shell by a black magician or evil shaman. My arms are free and my legs are free to walk but I am definitely confined. My head is free but my torso completely encased and the turtle back is on my back and the turtle under-part is on my front like an unwanted armor. I am unable to discern who has done this to me.

  2. I dreamt about a giant turtle in a theme park of some kind that was swimming around. The care taker was talking about how the turtle was the oldest animal they have at the park as well as it’s not been feeling good lately as it’s teeth were an issue. Then the next thing I saw were kids were trying to ride the turtle as that was happening the turtle was getting more and more aggressive then it ate a kid.

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