frog

Universal Landscape: Potential. Malleability. Fast escape.

Dreaming Lens: Was there one frog or many? Was it in a natural setting or appearing in a location unusual for frogs? Was it repulsive to you, or did it interest you? Was it sitting still, or hopping away? How did you respond to the frog? Did you kiss it?

Personal Focus: There is no escaping the fairy tale of the frog that might turn into a prince when kissed by a young maiden. This has implications for both men and women. Through this myth, young girls are taught that if they kiss enough frogs, they are bound to find their prince. This can foster a pattern of being drawn to inappropriate partners in the belief that they can change the frog they’ve met into the prince they desire. The inverse psychology of this for men connects to the part of the story where the prince was turned into a frog by an angry witch. This can manifest as an unconscious feeling of being a prince trapped inside the shape of a frog, wishing for the right woman to come along to break the spell with a kiss. The essence of this construct is potential, which can be a powerful force for change if it is embraced. On either side of the equation, however, potential that is not met is of no value whatsoever.

There are other meanings associated with frogs because of their amphibious nature. They represent parts of us that can survive in both land and water. Unseen when under the surface of a pond, they can hop out at any moment, just as a strong emotional response can sometimes hop out of the unconscious without warning. However, keep in mind that they cannot go very deep into emotional depths, nor can they reach very high levels of intellectual consideration.

Their ability to avoid capture by propelling themselves back into the pond in an instant represents the elusiveness of these emotions. Ironically, the legs that provide them the ability to jump and suddenly escape danger are the same legs that invite harm to them, as many consider frog’s legs a delicacy.

In a way, all the notions connected to a frog symbolize the apparent curses in your life that may well end up being blessings, with a little love and acceptance.

(1) This may be a sexual symbol, representing male genitals. As such it would appear in a woman’s dreams and might express fear of sex, or an ambivalent fear-fascination feeling towards it.

(2) The frog may symbolize the unconscious, or some part or function of the psyche that still lies buried in your unconscious, perhaps something you find horrifying or disgusting because of some traumatic experiences that gave rise to anxiety and / or guilt-feelings.

(3) Perhaps the frog in your dream comes from the story of the Frog- Prince. In the story a young woman is visited in her bed by a frog. At first, the girl is horrified and pushes the frog away. On the third night, however, she relents, and in the ensuing embrace the frog is transformed into a handsome prince.

Ernest Jones, a follower and biographer of Freud, says this is a story of a virgin overcoming her sexual fear.

For Joseph Campbell, an authority on mythology and a Jungian, the frog in the story symbolizes the unconscious, which at first sight is frightening but, when assimilated by the conscious ego, reveals itself for what it is - the total psyche, beautiful and true.

One might add that in both these interpretations what brings about the psychic transformation is a sexual embrace, but in the second

interpretation it is an inner embrace, an intermingling and mutual penetration of the masculine and feminine sides of your psyche. (For anima / animus, see Brother / Sister, section (4))

A frog in a dream represents a pious and a religious person. Sitting with frogs in a dream means having a good relationship with one’s family and being friendly with one’s neighbors. Eating a frog in a dream means receiving benefits through a relative or a neighbor. Eating a frog in a dream also means gaining authority or accumulating extensive wealth. Frogs in a dream also represent people who practice magic arts and sorcery.

If one earns his livelihood from dealing with sea life, or ifhe sells spring water for living, then seeing frogs in his dream means profits.

If one sees frogs leaving a town in a dream, it means that a calamity is lifted through prayers and atonement. Hunting frogs in a dream means winning over one’s rivals or competitors. Frogs in a dream also represent lobbyists, readers, dervishes, ascetics or they could represent noisy people or someone who is on a constant move from one place to another. Frogs entering a town in a dream represent a calamity that will befall the dwellers of that town. In a dream, frogs also represent a chaste, pure and a religious woman who never cause harm to anyone.