Dreams of Demons: 9 Symbolic Interpretations & Meanings

Dreams of devils, demons or even Satan himself (or modern representations of evil such as Darth Vader from Star Wars or Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter books) may be seen as a representation of your dark, unconscious and primitive urges.

Devil dreams tend to occur when people break with tradition in some way, or go out of their comfort zones.

They may also be related to the “evil” or negative aspects within a person that they are trying to repress or deny.

A demon dream might also be linked to a recent or impending decision or action in waking life that can “rock the boat.”

Culturally speaking, we see devils and demons as the personification of Evil, or as Lucifer, who was originally supposed to bring enlightenment to the world, but eventually became its negative shadow.

It needs to be reminded however that the Devil also represents the Ego, or part of us that refuses to “return to the light”.

In order to deal with the out-of-control side of ourselves, we often need to have an object or image to confront. In dreams, as in fantasies, the Devil allows us to do this. If we fear our own wrongdoing, that fear can also manifest as the Devil.

In previous times, the figure of the Devil was one to be feared and hated. Our wilder, more instinctive side will often appear in dreams as the conventional figure with horns and a tail.

Once we see the demon as an adversary we should confront, or as something belonging to all of us, the Devil loses its power over us.

Dreams about demons often have the opposite meaning of dreams with or about angels.

The demon represents repressed emotions

In general, devils and demons in dreams represent something inside of you, rather than an external force.

Demons and devils usually symbolize the most negative and least developed parts of yourself, such as those that are ignorant or destructive.

Thus, the demon often represents feelings you are denying, but have taken hold of you, such as aggression, disgust or envy.

Since we instinctively associate demons with evil, you also consider those emotions to be “bad”, and so you might feel guilty simply for experiencing them.

Because of this the fears, regrets and anxieties we have in waking life become the monsters that haunt our dreams.

In reality, the unconscious contains all the energy and wisdom we need for healing and wholeness, if only one tries to understand it.

It might be said that our fundamental human task is to convert the devil within ourselves, that is, converting negatively charged (rebellious, destructive) psychic forces into positively charged (life-enhancing and unifying) powers.

However, the “devil” that represents your inner fears cannot be tamed with brute force, but only through love and acceptance.

The negative psychological energies and traits within you can transform into positive forces if acknowledged and integrated carefully into your waking life.

Ironically, the more you repress your fears and anxieties, your personal demons as it were, the stronger the tendency to project these traits on to others and thereby give fuel a sense of hatred and a desire for destruction in the world.

Demon dreams can be omens of bad luck

To dream of demons can often be a premonition, a sense that you know something negative is about to happen.

In this case, the demon represents a danger that looms on the horizon. What sort of danger depends on the person and their circumstances: sickness, poverty, anger, jealousy etc.

In a similar note, the demon can simply represent your fear of bad luck, or to be cheated by bad people.

Speaking to a demon symbolizes temptation

If the demon in your dream speaks to you, then it may represent an inner temptation you have to do something that is not morally, or even legally, right. It could be a temptation to cheat on a spouse or to break an agreement.

However, if you simply observe the demon without speaking to it means the temptation has been avoided, even if you know it is there.

Being chased by a demon represents a difficult situation

If a devil pursues or threatens you in a dream could mean you have trouble getting out of a difficult and painful situation.

On the other hand, it could also suggest you feel your adversaries will do everything in their power to prevent you from achieving your goals.

However, a dream where the devil has caught you and you’re running away suggests you have given up in your efforts and are now just “praying to God” that whatever happens to you isn’t as bad as you think it will be.

An imp demon in dreams represents disorder in life

In popular cultures, imps are seen as lesser demons and, although evil, are mostly an annoying nuisance rather than a dangerous threat.

Thus, an imp in a dream usually suggests you feel a sense of disorder and difficulty in waking life.

The imp can also represent the uncontrolled negative part of ourselves, that part that instinctively creates chaos simply because it seems fun, even if it brings about costly consequences.

A good example of this “dream imp” are urges tempting us to break social norms.

On the other hand, dreaming of an imp could be a warning from your subconscious that you’re getting involved with people or circumstances that are not completely trustworthy and might deceive you.

Finally, the imp could just be a sense of inner restlessness and agitation that weaken your energies and damage your inner sense of equilibrium.

Dreaming of sex with succubus or incubus demons

Dreaming of a demon or evil being that lies on your chest and tries to seduce you is likely a symptom of sleep paralysis and warrants medical attention if it happens frequently.

Outside of this, dreaming of sex with a demon, succubus or incubus can have multiple interpretations.

As mentioned previously, demons in popular thought are considered “evil”, so dreaming of having intercourse with a demon suggests the person has a negative association with sex.

This negative emotion can be caused by anything: abuse, a very strict upbringing, a sense of guilt, a dislike of one’s sexual partner etc.

Finally, the demon in this type of dream could in fact represent a romantic rival, meaning someone that can or is about to steal away your current romantic partner or the person you desire to be with.

Positive demon dreams

Dreams of demons are not always dreams of evil, or even symbols of torment. Devils can, for example, represent intelligence, cunning (“devilishly clever!”), and even sexuality (“You devil, you”). These traditional representatives of the dark side often symbolize the unconscious, especially one’s shadow self.

The image of the devil in a dream (whether he has horns and tail) indicates that you should not be tempted to use illegal means in order to achieve your goals. It means that you are in an obscure, hidden situation, or that you have a double intention.

Dreaming of exorcising or casting out a demon

Dreams where you or someone else is possessed by a demon or an evil spirit represents a neurosis, meaning a mental condition where a person is overwhelmed by depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior, hypochondria etc.

We experience possession dreams because we feel we are not in control over our emotions in waking life and suffer terribly because of it.

As such, in dreams where we exorcise or cast out demons suggests we either wish to get rid of these tumultuous emotions or that you are in the process of solving these difficult experiences.

Dreaming of fighting and killing a demon

If you are able to kill your dream demon or evil spirit, this suggests you have the strength and determination to kill your innermost fears in waking life.

In a similar note, striking a demon or someone possessed by a demon, could mean you can achieve victory over any waking life adversary.

Finally, if the demon represents a difficult situation in waking life, killing it could mean you are finally about to resolve and are about to make a great gain.

Demons as authority figures

Any code of conduct, such as those imposed by parents or workplaces, suppresses aspects of our personality.

This struggle with authority or power imposed on us is often represented as the devil.

By changing the code of conduct (such as leaving the parental home or quitting the current job), it becomes possible to meet the devil because the part of your personality that was suppressed is now free to express itself.

In a slightly different case, the demon can represent an authority figure such as a boss, tax official, parent etc. that we are terrified off.

Dreaming of Satan

To dream of Satan itself, and not just any demon, suggests the internal issues that haunt you are more crystalized and wide ranging in their impact, but also that you are more aware of what these issues are, since Satan carries a name, while most other demons are nameless.

Thus, the dream Satan is a symbol of one’s complete Shadow self, and not just isolated aspects or fears.

The Shadow self, according to Jungian psychology, is composed of every aspect of ourselves that we find unacceptable and try to stamp out or pretend it is not there.

For example, it can be laziness, arrogance, envy, fickleness etc.

The psychological Shadow can also contain your fears, passions, rages, or hates.

Dreaming of Satan means that you are denying a huge part of your personality because it doesn’t fit with the ideal version of you.

However, the process of squashing these undesirable parts of yourself is consuming your entire mental energy and giving you room for nothing else.

Thus, the Satan in your dream is the disliked half of your personality that is trying to fight back and earn the right to be acknowledged.

Ultimately, humans are flawed by nature and unable to achieve perfection.

The solution in this case is not to pretend your faults do not exist, but instead to acknowledge and accept their presence and figure out ways to work around these faults.