◎ Lucky dream Traditionally a lucky sign
A sea yokai said to prophesy and ward off plague: health recovering, misfortune kept away.
Category: Japanese yokai (how to read this category)
Psychology
Amabie, the plague-warding yokai, can reflect wishes for health and safety, or a longing for hope and protection amid uncertainty. Faced with the unknown, we seek something to believe in; Amabie may embody that need for a charm.
Folklore and history
According to a late Edo broadsheet, Amabie rose from the sea off Higo in 1846, foretold good harvests and epidemics, and told people to copy and share its picture before returning to the sea. It has long hair, a beak and a scaly body. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people drew it widely as a prayer for the illness to end.
Folds down to a compact roughly 12×19.5×6cm with a storage case, and assembles into a 3-way shovel, hoe, and pick. A portable shovel for freeing yourself from mud or snow on a mountain trail or around a ruin, or for clearing footing on an animal trail.
Takagi KANUCHI OUTDOOR 3-Way Portable Shovel with Storage Case, Black
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This site's view
In this site's view, the heart of Amabie's message is to copy and share its image: prayers are meant to be shared. Showing it to someone means your care will support others now. Seeing it alone suggests sharing your worries will lighten them.
Going deeper: our reading
Late in the Edo period, broadsheets spread tales of strange creatures emerging from the sea or mountains to foretell epidemics or harvests, now sometimes grouped as 'prophetic beasts'. In anxious times, such stories brought comfort as well as dread. In this site's reading, those who dream of Amabie often carry the same mix: worry about what lies ahead, and a wish to hear that all will be well. Notice whether Amabie spoke. Clear words may be your own intuition taking shape. If it simply looked at you and returned to the sea, your heart may seek the feeling of being watched over even without answers. This is our speculation, but if Amabie rose from glittering water, a way out of an anxious period may be coming into view.
What to do on waking
Send someone dear a short note asking after their health. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a doctor early.
In this scene
- ◎Good It helps you or gives treasure: like the zashiki-warashi, luck is coming (good)
- ▲Warn Tricked or taken: a hidden trap, or words to doubt (warning)
- Seeing what it really is: a fear becomes clear and fades
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Sudden rain during haunted-spot exploration can soak a backpack full of camera gear and batteries and cause equipment trouble. A waterproof cover that wraps around the whole backpack protects everything a rain poncho alone can't reach.
CAPTAIN STAG FEEL BOSCO Backpack Cover 25, Black M-9866
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of amabie a good or bad sign?
A. Traditionally a lucky sign. A sea yokai said to prophesy and ward off plague: health recovering, misfortune kept away.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of amabie?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of amabie?
A. Send someone dear a short note asking after their health. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a doctor early.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Japanese yokai"
- A Satori
- An Azukiarai
- A Burning Wheel
- A Pillow Flipper
- A Shape-shifting Fox
- A Raiju
- A Kudan
- Nure-onna (The Wet Woman)
- Jorogumo (The Spider Woman)
- Sunekosuri
- Kamaitachi (The Sickle Weasel)
- Amanojaku (The Contrary Imp)
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
