Squid Symbolism & Meaning (Uncertainty & Threat)

A squid most often symbolizes uncertainty, feeling threatened, or general uneasiness.

squid symbolism

Despite its generally negative connotation, a squid may also be a symbol of your determination to find inner peace and stability.

Squids have long been used in myths, literature, and even film to depict an unknown danger.

If you dream of a squid, it is often connected to a real event or circumstance that makes you feel uneasy. If you know what that is, you will be able to locate the source of your negative feelings. 

Remember that symbolism is subjective. The below are examples of possible interpretations only, and may not be the correct interpretations for you and your situation.

Squid Symbolism

squid dream meaning

1. Danger

Much like in the ancient stories, dreaming of a squid is often considered to symbolize possible harm.

The threat you are feeling might be conscious or subconscious. It is up to you to evaluate which of the two it is. Taking a closer look at your surroundings might help you find out. 

There is additional meaning in dreaming of tentacles in particular, as they hold their own subtext. Most often, they are also a sign of aggression or even an attack.  

Related Article: 8 Squid Adaptations

2. Clouded Judgment

squid meaning

If you are about to take an important decision, seeing a squid in your dream might be a sign that you are not seeing things clearly.

Being subjective or overwhelmed by emotion will hinder you from making the right decision. 

This interpretation is again connected to fear though it is not necessarily the emotion that is clouding your judgment. 

You should take a deeper inner look and search for the negative emotion and the reason for it. This is the only way to move forward.

3. Greed

what does squid symbolize

In some cases, a squid in your dreams can mean that you are pursuing your goals without any regard for those around you. 

If you are too focused on an end at the expense of someone else, a squid that shows in your dream can be a sign that this is not the right way to go. It can be your subconscious showing at the surface and taking control. 

Alternatively, it can also be a symbol for someone in your life who is acting with disregard towards you. In any case, it is up to you to take action.

Whether you should change your way or the emotional distance to the person, the squid is a symbol that you should eradicate greed out of your path towards your goals.

4. Self-Consciousness

squid spiritual meaning

If you are eating a squid in your dream, it may symbolize your concern about the way others perceive you.

This may be a permanent or only a temporary feeling. It can be a sign that you find it easier to isolate yourself from other people instead of risk judgment from them. 

Consider whether this is a short-term solution that will be helpful or if it is just a manifestation of your fears.

Just because you think it might be easier to detach yourself, doesn’t mean it is the right path to choose. Take your dream as a sign of what might be troubling you and not as a lesson of what you should do.

5. Being Overwhelmed

There might be too many options for you to choose from or too many directions to take, if you are dreaming of a squid.

If you are at the cusp of making an important decision, a squid is symbolic of your uneasiness to make a choice. Another similar interpretation is that you are frustrated at someone’s expectation. 

If in your dream a tentacle is reaching for or grasping you, this is also a symbol of losing control or power. You should carefully consider whether someone in your life is asking too much of you and whether this is starting to take its toll.

Keep in mind that it is not excluded this someone might be yourself.

6. Peacefulness

While not very common, the squid can also be a symbol of your inclination to find inner peace and stability.

Some also interpret the presence of a squid as an ability to detach oneself from unpleasant situations.

Putting aside the myths and legends, regular squids are considered to be nonintrusive and non-confrontational.

While unconventional, this is one valid interpretation of the symbolism of squids that is worth exploring. It is also connected to previously mentioned ways of thinking about what a squid symbolizes.

Think about whether you can remove yourself from excessive emotion to achieve greater equilibrium or reach a peaceful resolution of a problem you are faced with.

The Squid as an Ancient Threat

In literature and art, squids have been used as a symbol of a strange and unseen peril, and have served as an inspiration for many popular legends about sea monsters. 

The Gorgon of the Greek mythology or the Kraken in the Nordic legends are only two of the more popular examples, which are considered to be inspired by the squid.

The fascination with the sea creature can be traced even to the Egyptian culture – there is a hieroglyph with the shape of a squid. 

Communities at different continents through different ages are connected by their distress with squids, and have depicted them as malevolent and terrifying enemies.

It is believed that especially the Kraken’s origin can be traced back to ancient sightings of the real but highly elusive giant squid. It is not surprising that an encounter with a creature so strange and previously unseen could result in such a powerful and durable myth.  

Probably because there is still so little known about the giant squid, it is to this day a symbol of the mysterious and unknown. In dreams, it is as elusive as it is in real life.

Conclusion

Though generally considered to symbolize the mysterious and even perilous, dreaming of a squid can also be a sign that you can get out of a situation in a peaceful and balanced resolution. 

The reason why most sources supply relatively negative connotations is that for centuries the elusiveness of the actual creature has made people afraid and unsecure.

Take whatever interpretation suits your situation. The symbolism of squids serves as a proof that there is always at least one positive way to look at things.