◇ Depends on the scene Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below
A symbol of fears or problems grown too big. Confronting one shows your courage is growing.
Category: Monsters & myths abroad (how to read this category)
Psychology
A monster can stand for shapeless anxiety or a problem grown too big. Jung's shadow — the parts of yourself you refuse to see — may appear in monstrous form. If it resembled you or someone close, that reading may fit.
Folklore and history
In Japan nameless fears took shape as oni and mononoke. Oni are driven out at Setsubun, yet in some places visiting spirits bring blessings. Monsters embodied untamed nature and fate. Dream lore reads facing one as overcoming hardship.
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This site's view
In this site's view, read the distance. Far away means time to prepare; right behind you means a postponed problem has come due. If it shrank when you turned to face it, much of your fear was grown by imagination.
Going deeper: our reading
Monster dreams can resemble a monster movie, with a creature taller than skyscrapers wrecking a city. In this site's reading, a monster that shakes a whole city reflects anxiety less about personal troubles than about large events beyond one person's control, such as changes at work or in society. If you were among the fleeing crowds, it shows the helplessness of being swept along; if you watched calmly from a height, you may slowly be getting ready to accept the situation. Some people secretly keep or look after a monster. This is our speculation, but that may mean you are nurturing anger, desires or unmanageable worries alone, hiding them from others. If the monster proved gentler than expected and grew attached to you, those feelings can be handled once faced. A weeping monster may show your heart realising that hurt feelings hide behind a frightening form.
What to do on waking
Name your worries one line at a time. Named monsters shrink.
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
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of a Monster a good or bad sign?
A. Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below. A symbol of fears or problems grown too big. Confronting one shows your courage is growing.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of a Monster?
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 a Monster?
A. Name your worries one line at a time. Named monsters shrink.
Related dream essays
- The Science of Nightmares: Why We Dream of Fear
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
Ghost stories and haunted places linked to this dream
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Monsters & myths abroad"
- A Dragon
- A Dinosaur
- A Devil
- Space or Aliens
- Zombies
- A Clown
- A Witch
- A Skeleton
- A Fallen Angel
- A Vampire
- A Werewolf
- An Artificial Being
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
