Tigers are known for being intelligent and vicious. They symbolize power and fear. These mighty animals also signify the feeling of being restrained and other subtle emotions. The presence of a tiger in dreams provides a variety of meanings.
Dreaming about tigers is associated with both good and bad interpretations. These dreams may signify a situation, position, or object that an individual finds powerful, fearful or both. They represent power, intuition, strength, freedom, understanding, protection, and free spirit.
These dreams also symbolize unpredictability, uncertainty, and unexpected changes to the dreamer’s plans. Tigers represent courage and dreaming about them might be a sign that the dreamer will overcome the challenges and obstacles that he might encounter soon.
Understanding the behavior and wisdom of tigers may help the dreamer address his dilemmas in his waking life. Having enough information about the different contexts of these dreams may provide the dreamer with guidance and other benefits.
The Symbolism of Tigers in Different Cultures
The Chinese appreciate and adore tigers. They see them as magical and mighty creatures. An Old Chinese belief considered a White Tiger as one of the four guardians of the earth. The Chinese treat them as spiritual creatures and associate these powerful mammals with royalty, magic, power, and wealth.
The Native Americans considered tigers a symbol of courage, strength, ambition, and power. They also associate them with justice, integrity, release of fears, and standing for the truth.
In Hinduism, tigers denote a vehicle for a great female deity while a white tiger represents the Mountain Spirit in Korea.
Tigers signify fearlessness, wrath, and loyalty in Christian beliefs. In certain African tribes, these mighty mammals represent beauty, cruelty, speed, ferocity, and feminine power.
Meaning of Dreams About Tigers
White Tigers
White tigers appear as rare as one in 10,000 wild tiger births. In dreams, white tigers represent the dreamer’s unique, intuitive and exceptional gifts. It might be a sign for the dreamer to embrace, recognize, cultivate, and have the courage to make use of these gifts productively to be successful in life.
Blue Tigers
The appearance of an oddly-colored blue tiger is a sign of the dreamer’s difficulty to be expressive of his real emotions. It’s the manifestation of the dreamer’s pent-up frustration when it comes to handling his feelings.
Black Tigers
Seeing a black tiger in your dream connotes that an enemy is trying to hide in shadows. Your foe may represent himself as a friend to harm you and pursue his hidden agenda. This is a reminder for the dreamer to be observant, careful, and vigilant.
Sleeping Tigers
A sleeping tiger in a dream could be a hint of a hidden source of strength or talent. This may represent the dreamer’s knowledge or ignorance of his capabilities and anticipation to discover and showcase them. This may also mean that the dreamer must awaken and take control of his life.
Alternatively, a dream about sleeping tigers suggests an unpredictable incident or situation.
Tiger Protecting You
This dream means that a certain situation or incident in your life that you perceive as negative might turn out to be a good thing. This symbolizes a significant change in your life such as a new business venture, a shift or career, or a new relationship.
Noticing a Tiger
A dream of a roaming tiger in a harmless manner is a positive sign. This symbolizes the dreamer’s confidence, fearlessness, and courage. This is a reminder to make use of one’s competencies to achieve great things in life.
Killing a Tiger
Dreaming of killing a tiger may represent the feeling of being all-powerful and invincible. The dreamer may currently have the feeling that he can face anything that comes his way. However, the dreamer should avoid provoking others because of this feeling. This dream may also mean that the dreamer may be committing acts of bullying, power play, and underestimating the people around him.
Even if the dreamer feels superior and invincible, he should learn to stay humble. This is a reminder for the dreamer to be sensitive as too much pride and confidence might have their corresponding repercussions.
Killing a tiger in a dream could also signify the need to prove the dreamer’s worth. Slaughtering an animal as massive and vicious as a tiger is a risky and bold move. It could represent the dreamer’s unsettled desire to take some risks and prove his worth.
A Hunting Tiger
Tigers have superb instincts. Dreaming of them may imply the need to follow or improve one’s instincts. There might be an indecisive moment in the dreamer’s waking life where he needs to take action. It could also represent situations when the dreamer becomes doubtful and opt not to do anything to stay away from troubles. This dream symbolizes that the dreamer needs to listen to his inner senses, follow his gut feeling, or hunch when he is in doubt.
Dreaming of a hunting tiger may be an indication of the dreamer’s strategic ways. It may represent the dreamer as being goal-oriented and focused. This may also mean that the dreamer needs to think about his plans carefully. A tiger’s courage and knack for strategy make this mighty mammal a successful predator.
Eating Tiger Meat
This dream is an indication that you are getting into a new chapter of your life. This symbolizes your ability to develop courage, confidence, and strength.
If your dream is about enjoying eating tiger meat, this denotes that your character is similar to a tiger’s might and intelligence. However, if your dream showed that you are not enjoying eating the tiger meat, this is a sign that your behavior matches the negative aspects of a tiger which are unpleasant and predatory.
Becoming a Tiger
Tigers are often used as mascots for success. Dreaming of being one might represent that the dreamer sees himself as being successful in his endeavors. It might signify that after careful planning and gathering ample courage to reach a certain goal, the dreamer will finally be able to take action and achieve the best possible outcome.
Tigers as Negative Manifestations
As a symbol of power and fear, a tiger can be represented as a force that works against the dreamer in his waking life. Tigers may also represent the dreamer’s feelings of anxiety and horror. Dreaming of a tiger may be a representation of something that the dreamer finds frightening. Such dream could be a manifestation of too much anxiety building up in anticipation of a fearful event or situation.
The dreamer may have persisting thoughts about an upcoming event that he is very scared of. It could also be about a specific encounter that he is not looking forward to having with someone due to various negative aspects associated with this person.
Tiger in Your Bedroom
Dreaming of a tiger in your bedroom is a reflection of pent-up emotions that affect your focus, relaxation, and peace of mind. This dream is a symbol that something is bothering you. It could be a problem in finances, illness, or a betrayal of a person close to you.
Tiger in Your Car
This specific dream is a manifestation that a very serious emotion is preventing your growth as a person. This could refer to regrets from your past decisions, inhibitions about the future, and depression. The car symbolizes your ability to be progressive and the tiger is a sign of negative feelings that give you limitations. This is a reminder for the dreamer to address these inner issues to be able to move forward and become successful.
Injured Tiger
Dreaming of an injured tiger implies the increasing ill feelings of a certain person towards you. This person is full of jealousy and he feels insecure about your success. The injured tiger is a sign that you are wounded and that your enemy might take advantage of this situation to harm you.
Singing Tiger
A dream about a singing tiger signifies someone in your life who is trying to harm you. A song in the dream symbolizes very deep emotions. This dream may also mean that a negative incident that will happen to you could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Tiger Attacks
Dreaming of being attacked by a tiger might be a sign of deep-seated guilt that is trying to haunt the dreamer. This dream may come from the fear that something terrible might happen because of past mistakes and bad decisions.
This may also represent a person who bullies the dreamer in his waking life. It might signify someone or something that consistently bothers or antagonizes him, resulting in a build-up of fear and anxiety.
A tiger eating the dreamer or his children is a possible representation of a need to have a fresh start. This can also be suggestive of the need to clean or declutter your home or office.
Tiger Chase
Dreaming of being chased by a tiger, or another type of predator, may represent deception. The dreamer must be wary of situations coming his way that may become the means for deceit and other negative outcomes. It could also mean that the dreamer is trying to run away from his personal feelings, emotions, or something that he knows has power over him.
Tigress and Cubs
A dream about a tigress protecting her cubs may come from the dreamer’s fear for their loved ones. Tigresses are very cautious and protective of their cubs. This can mean that the dreamer might be worried about his loved ones’ safety, for a particular reason or just in general. This proves that the dreamer is willing to go to lengths to protect and save the people who are important to him.
Tigers and Territory
Tigers are territorial animals. Dreams about tigers being aggressive or being wary of their territories may suggest that the dreamer is having thoughts that something or someone is threatening to take an object of his possession or a piece of his territory. It could signify the dreamer’s room, workspace, or object of significant importance.
Tigers as Pets
Having a tiger as a pet in a dream may mean that the dreamer has desires to do things that most people find unusual. There is a deep longing to pursue something that most people might find peculiar. A dream about a pet tiger inside a cage denotes repression of the dreamer’s ideas and will. This may be a representation of a life-long dream or passion that he had been keeping to himself due to the fear of being judged.
In addition, dreaming of a tiger as a pet could also be a symbol of controlling one’s instinctive traits.
Final Thoughts
Dreams about tigers can have various meanings for different people. The above dream interpretations are general, and your understanding of the symbolism behind tigers (whether they represent courage or fear) might mean differently in your dream.
To decipher its precise and personalized meaning, it’s best to seek the help of psychics who specialize in dream meanings, as they can provide readings that are specifically tailored for you. You can get in touch with professional dream interpreters on this website for a more in-depth interpretation of your experience.