Wolf Dream Meaning
Did you have a dream about a wolf? Learning more about the symbolism and wisdom of a wolf can be very helpful in understanding what the dream means in your life.
Wolf Symbol Meaning
Wolves are known for being pack animals, and are often naturally found in the wild. There are also some wolves which are solitary – the lone wolf is a common saying which means someone is independent and does not want to be around others.
Animal symbols often appear in our lives in many ways. They can appear in our dreams, or they can appear as a sign we see often in our waking life.
For example, you may notice images of wolves appearing everywhere in your waking life. You might see one on TV, in a book, while visiting someone, or you may even see one in the wild when they do not normally live where you are.
Wolves are complex animals. It can often feel quite majestic if you have ever experienced an encounter with one in real life.
On the positive side, a dream about a wolf can be a symbol for community, leadership, strength and power. On the negative side, the wolf dream can mean aggressiveness, anger, greed, or untrustworthiness. How you feel in the dream and the context of which the wolf appears can help you determine what your wolf dream may symbolize.
Negative Aspects of the Wolf:
Wolves are often mysterious and misunderstood animals. Some people may view them as negative – whether they are ferocious or seen as being untrustworthy. After all, if you’re familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood, we know the wolf tricks her into thinking the wolf is her grandmother and then tries to eat her!
Here are some negative characteristics of wolves:
- Aggressive
- Ferocious
- Untrustworthy
- Angry
- Greedy
Positive Aspects of the Wolf:
On the other side of the spectrum, there are many positive traits of the wolf. Wolves are pack animals, which can mean community and connection. They are also often viewed as a symbol of strength and power.
Positive characteristics of wolves:
- Connection to Community
- Strong
- Powerful
Understanding the negative and positive characteristics of wolf symbolism will help us better understand the next section of what some common dream symbols of wolves mean and how it might relate to your life.
Here are Some Common Symbols of Wolves in Dreams:
Sense of Community: Do You Feel Like You Belong or Are you a Lone Wolf?
Wolves are pack animals and often need each other for survival. Just like wolves, we as humans also rely on others, whether we like it or not. Imagine a world where you had to do everything for yourself – there would be no walking into a grocery store or even the internet!
Dreaming of a pack of wolves that are peaceful can mean that you have a general sense of well being with your current relationships. This can mean working well with your co-workers or feeling a sense of a strong and supportive family.
If you dream of being a lone wolf or seeing a lone wolf however, this can mean that you are feeling isolated. You may feel like you don’t belong or that there is something inherently “wrong” with you that makes you different from everyone else. You may be feeling lonely or like you are missing connections with others.
Of course, in some cases, especially if the dream is a very positive one, the dream meaning of a lone wolf can be a symbol that you need to break away from the influence of others. Maybe you are too dependent or maybe their lifestyle and opinions don’t match yours. This can be a sign its time to branch out on your own or find a new group of people to connect with.
A wolf doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of sheep.
Strength + Power
As wolves are quite strong, it’s not surprising they can also be a symbol for strength and power in our dreams. They can rip their prey to shreds.
Dreaming of a majestic powerful wolf can mean that you are feeling strong – or you may be feeling weak or vulnerable if you find yourself running from them. If you are afraid of the wolf in your dream, you may feel there are forces greater than you that you are not powerful enough to control or change.
Leadership Abilities
If you are familiar with wolves in real life and their behavior, you’re probably aware there’s usually a “leader” of the pack. Dreaming about the leader of the wolf pack can be a symbol of your own leadership abilities.
A strong leader is able to make decisions for the well being of everyone in the group – and of course makes sure everyone is cared for.
Dreaming of a pack of wolves with a leader of the pack can mean you are thinking about jumping into a leadership role in your career or community. It could also mean that you are nervous at the idea of being the person in charge – after all that is a lot of responsibility!
Now that we’ve covered the basic themes we often see in dreams, let’s talk about the different dream scenarios you might encounter and the dream interpretation of what it means to dream about a wolf.
Common Dream Examples About Wolves Explained
These dream examples about wolves {or wolf} will give you a good idea of what the dream means. As always however we remind you that you are the best interpreter of your dreams, so if you’re new to dream interpretation, check out how to interpret dreams here.
Dream of Being Attacked by A Wolf or Pack of Wolves
Dreaming of being attacked by a wolf can mean that you feel like you are under attack in your waking life. You may feel like someone is coming after you or has it out for you.
You may also feel like responsibilities are mounting up and you cannot run or escape from them. See our dream meaning of being chased for more details.
If you are dreaming about being attacked by a pack of wolves, it can mean that the forces against you seem impossible to overcome. You may feel like you are literally being “thrown to the wolves” by someone in your waking life. Someone may be putting you in a scenario you would rather not be in.
The outcome of the wolf attack in the dream can also give you some further insight in what this dream means. If you are able to successfully overcome the attack by the wolves, you will be able to successfully overcome obstacles in the waking life.
If however you lose against your battle with the attacking wolves, you will probably struggle with a certain situation until you are able to find a better resolution. This dream may occur as a warning to you that action is required to prevent difficulties in the future.
It may seem hopeless right now – but often times if you think out of the box for solutions or have patience the turmoil will eventually become easier to deal with. It could even be a symbol for you to look to others for help – after all, wolves are pack animals and it makes sense that you might need to call for outside help in the situations you’re dealing with in life.
Dream About Being Eaten by a Wolf or Eating a Wolf
There are plenty of fairy tales where the big bad wolf eats someone – and so it’s not too surprising this theme also shows up in our dreams about a wolf from time to time!
To understand what it means to be eating or eaten in a dream, our post on eating in dreams can be very helpful to understand that symbolism.
Generally speaking, to be eaten by a wolf means that you feel consumed by something. This could be your work, a relationship, family demands or other responsibilities.
To eat a wolf in your dream means you might be “power hungry” and are looking for shortcuts to gain prestige or success. Of course, these shortcuts rarely work out well in our best interests!
Dreaming of a Lone Wolf
To dream of a lone wolf often symbolizes your place in the community. You may dream that the wolf is lonely – or that it is happy and content being by itself.
If you sense a presence of danger when seeing a lone wolf, it can be a symbol of your own insecurities about being alone. Life is hard for all of us, and so this can be a call that you should reach out to others, whether its a close and trusted family member, friend, or therapist.
If the lone wolf seems happy and content, it is quite likely you also usually feel happy and content when alone. You may be seeking more independence or may be finally achieving a sense of peace about the end of a relationship.
Dream About a Wolf Howling
Wolves howl as a form of communication. They may howl when they are lost, find food or sense danger. To see a wolf howling in your dream can mean that you need to improve your communication skills with others. Is your message coming across clearly?
Dreaming You Are a Wolf
This can be a fun dream to have, because you are the wolf! This dream usually represents your own sense of power, strength and security. You may feel like you are on top of the world, or you may feel like you are in need of others to achieve success.
If you dream that you are the wolf, be sure to check out our resource on characters as parts of ourselves in dreams to understand more on how this may relate to you in your everyday waking life.
Dreaming You Have a Pet Wolf
Dreaming of a wolf as a pet can be another interesting dream you may encounter. Wolves are the wild version of dogs, and so it’s not surprising they may manifest as pets in our dreams!
Pets in general in our dreams often symbolize loyalty. To have a pet wolf in a dream means you may be looking for a nurturing relationship that is built on loyalty, trust, and is strong enough to withstand any kind of struggles life might throw at you.
Being Protected by Wolves
Wolves are very protective of their packs, and you may have even heard the phrase “being raised by wolves”. Although this saying often hints at someone being barbaric or wild, a wolf will always do what it takes to protect the ones important to it.
In your dream, this may mean that you are feeling vulnerable and looking for outside help. It could also mean that you have someone you are worried about and you feel the need to protect.
You may also feel a sense of security – or lack of – in your life. Pay attention to how the wolves act. If they are keeping you safe, what are they keeping you safe from? This can give you further insight on the meaning of the dream.
Dreaming of an Injured or Sick Wolf
To see an injured wolf in your dream, or a sick wolf, can mean that you are feeling ill about a situation in your life. This symbol usually means you have lost power or control in a situation.
If you care for the wolf or nurture it back to health, this can mean that you are able to overcome obstacles that you are currently facing with time and patience.
Dreaming about Baby Wolves and Wolf Cubs
Like many animals, wolves are quite protective of baby wolves and the wolf cubs. To dream of young wolves often symbolizes a new idea or project that depends on others for its success.
If you are trying to find the baby wolf’s mother or pack in the dream, this further emphasizes that new endeavors in your life will require some outside help. Don’t be ashamed to ask others for feedback or assistance! Sometimes just talking about it with a close friend or therapist can help you brainstorm of ways to make your new project a success.
Dream of Crying Wolf
One common fairy tale about wolves is the story of the “Boy Who Cried Wolf”. In the story, the boy is watching sheep and bored, so he decided to pretend there was a wolf.
Well, there was no wolf and the people got very mad at him. He continued to “cry wolf” even though nothing was actually wrong.
Then one day a wolf really did show up – and no one would help him!
To dream of crying wolf means that you need to be careful of asking for help if you do not really need it. It can also mean that you need to be honest with yourself or someone else in order to build up trust with that person.
Dream About a White Wolf / Albino Wolf
Wolves come in many different colors, although black and dark brown fur is slightly more common. The color white can have different meanings for different people, but often is a symbol for purity, innocence, or new beginnings.
To see a white wolf in your dream can mean that you are ready for a fresh start in life or it can mean that you felt betrayed by someone in your life and you wish to find out the truth about a situation. It can be a symbol for allowing yourself to trust and connect with others again.
Black Wolf Dream Meaning
A black wolf in our dreams can mean a feeling of darkness or grief. It can also mean that you feel a loss of strength. If the dream is positive, seeing a black wolf in your dreams can mean that you are feeling strong and do not rely on others very much.
For more about what colors mean in our dreams, see our post on Color Dream Meanings.
Dream About a Wolf in the Snow
Snow in dreams can mean freshness and newness. Seeing a wolf or a pack of wolves in a fresh, crisp blanket of snow in your dreams can mean that you are thinking about starting a new project or stepping into a leadership role.
On other other hand, snow can also mean cold and sometimes brutal weather. If you see the wolves during a snowstorm or you have a negative feeling about the dream where snow is present, it can mean you are dealing with someone who is “cold hearted”.
Wolves in our dreams can be very interesting indeed and I hope this post helps you understand what your dream about a wolf may mean. Did you have a wolf in your dream? Tell us about your dream in the comments below and what you think it may mean!
