Hedgehogs are small little rodent mammals. They are often found on the forest floor of most countries in Europe, as well as in Northeast Africa and West Asia.
Hedgehogs have become a symbol of protection for many people. Mainly because of the sharp porcupine-like little quills that cover their backs.
If it detects a predator and is quick enough on the draw, this little animal can curl into a ball to protect itself from attack from other animals.
It’s a defense that is tough enough to stand up to badgers, foxes, and even owls and birds of prey.
They are a symbol of a plucky underdog in a world much bigger than itself.
They are also considered symbols of health and vitality, and a strong connection to the Earth itself.
Perhaps due to them being rodents, they are symbol of fertility in some parts of the world. Hedgehog medicine draws on all these qualities to help heal ailments tied to all sorts of different health, whether spiritual, sexual, or physical.
Their attached meaning to vitality comes from a connection to the element of light, and to the sun.
Their quills can sometimes end in a lighter flourish, making them shine quite bright when light hits them.
Although you’ll often struggle to find a hedgehog out in the day, as hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, seeing one in the daylight is certainly not a normal sight to see.
Hedgehogs are also symbols of nightlife and the often bustling environment that comes alive in woodlands under the cover of darkness.
The call of the hedgehog might be reaching you if you feel that you need to be a little more curious in your life.
Perhaps you have settled into a new routine, and are ready to add a little something to it.
Or maybe you’ve been stuck in a rut for a long time now. That lack of change is just messing with your game, ruining your energy.
The hedgehog is a creature that is naturally curious when it can be. Exploring its woodland home, investigating anything new it finds along the way.
Despite their size, hedgehogs can be pretty fearless of finding new things. Try and embody this boldness in your everyday activities, and go beyond that.
You may also feel like you need to call on the spirit of the hedgehog for other reasons, not just for feeling adventurous.
If you feel that a distance has opened between yourself and others. The hedgehog is there to give you the time you need.
When it seems like there is something stopping others from knowing you and getting through to you, sometimes it is worth just taking a break for a moment.
Take that time for a little introspection. The spirit of the hedgehog understands this.
Just make sure that you don’t try to close off forever. Even if it’s interacting with others for just a little time, you can’t stay by yourself forever.
So, your spirit totem is a hedgehog? Unless you’re a fan of video game mascots from the 90s, that might not sound too exciting.
But you might be surprised at what being tied to the hedgehog can mean for you.
For a start, you’re certainly an inquisitive little critter. You’re ready to find the next big thing.
There is the odd occasion where you do like sticking your nose into people’s business at item. Such might be a little frustrating for others. But, they understand that it’s just the byproduct of an inquisitive mind.
You can’t just stay in one spot forever, doing the same thing. That gets old! That gets boring, especially for you!
The hedgehog is also known for being one of the most reclusive animals too. It’s rarely coming into contact with other creatures or people.
Now, this might sound like a contradiction for a lot of people. How can you be both curious, and shy? Those are surely polar opposites, right?
Well, not exactly. Animal and people’s spirits are very rarely so clear cut and clean as it might seem at first.
Our spirit, our experiences, the little quirks that add to us. All mean that we have traits that would probably surprise a lot of other people.
And in any case, being curious doesn’t mean that you don’t get caught off guard at times by what you find. It also doesn’t that you don’t need to take a break from time to time.
Even the boldest of us need to stop sometimes, if only for just a moment.
The hedgehog is a spirit you tend to call on for power when you have run out of options. It is an energy that you draw from if those around you that you care about are in danger of some kind and need protecting.
The hedgehog is a naturally defensive creature. Being only a small animal, they are often the target of badgers, owls, and a whole array of other predators.
Because it faces danger from so many places in the wild, they are also among the shyest animals you’ll find.
Calling on the spirit of the hedgehog means that you have found yourself acting as the hedgehog does when it feels in danger.
Feeling the need to protect your loved ones from harm is a noble cause. But the way dangers manifest in a hedgehog’s world and ours are usually very different.
An owl is unlikely to end your brother or sister’s day.
Because of this, you should draw on the hedgehog to try and release some of that pent-up anxiety you are likely feeling.
The problem that you are facing won’t be solved by just curling up and hoping that it goes away.
Release that negativity from inside you, and trust that you are part of a wider system that can help.
Whether that’s your friends, your family, or even the energy of the earth itself. You should never have to feel alone when dealing with an issue.
Hedgehog – Dream
The appearance of a hedgehog that has wandered into your dreams could mean a lot about what you are going through right now.
Given the tendency for hedgehogs to be quite jumpy and animals when startled, perhaps something is going on in the waking world that is making you feel the same way.
Has something in your life left you emotionally laid bare? Has this caused a rift in your life, perhaps? Are other people making wild conclusions from it?
The first instinct you might have, very much like a hedgehog, is to curl up from public life, to retreat, and go on the defensive.
However, before you give in to that instinct, make sure that you’re taking the time to consider all your options? Are you sure that you’ll be exposed this way? Or are you just overthinking what probably was barely even an event in their eyes?
If you are a person who finds that their mind is constantly racing, trying to understand the world around them, then this could be a result of that line of thinking.
Make sure that you are calm whilst trying to figure this out, otherwise, you find yourself spiraling again.
For a more positive interpretation, a hedgehog in your dreams might mean that a friendly new face will come into your life soon.
Being a skittish animal, gaining the trust of a hedgehog is a sign that great faith has been placed in you.
If you do happen to meet this person out in the world, then you can be sure that the bond you establish with them will be strong, and last for many years to come.
Hedgehog tattoos are pretty rare when compared to many other larger and more iconic animals.
Still, it isn’t hard to find a person that the hedgehog means something to, and who might want a tattoo of them on their person.
They are often tattooed onto a person if they want to try and stay strong and protective, even if they find it difficult to do so at times.
The hedgehog’s spiny quills are defensive tools used to scare off predators, even when the hedgehog itself is scared for its life.
The spine serves as a reminder that, even if you are terrified at that moment, that doesn’t mean you can’t still stand up for yourself.
A hedgehog is also a tattoo that you might see on people if they want to show their independence from others.
Outside when they raise their young, hedgehogs mostly keep to themselves, able to live on their own without any help from other hedgehogs.
The tattoo serves as a reminder that, if a little old rodent that scurries across the forest floor can manage to live on its own, then it’s worth trying to do the same for ourselves.
Hedgehog – Spiritual Meaning
As we already made not of, the hedgehog is the embodiment of the naturally curious spirit.
The need to see the world around them is too great to stay in one place, and they find themselves constantly on the move because of this.
The hedgehog is also an animal that spiritually embodies the idea of knowing when to wait.
Despite what video games and popular culture might have us think, hedgehogs are pretty… well, they’re very slow.
They aren’t about that fast lifestyle like other animals. That means that they need to be able to play the long game when it comes to getting what they need and want.
The spiritual aspect of the hedgehog is being able to stick to its course, no matter how difficult it might look, or even as mundane as it might feel at times.
Not only that but hedgehogs are often seen spiritually as pretty big risk-takers, because of their general slowness.
Once they make a decision, it is unlikely that they will see quick results once they have started.
This means that the hedgehog understands that it needs to think carefully about its options, whilst also seeing the opportunity that will come on the horizon with that big chance.
According to Primal Astrology, those born Rabbit year of the Chinese zodiac, whilst being born in the tropical sign known as Taurus, will find that they have been born with the sign of the hedgehog.
If this is your sign, you are probably the kind of person who it takes people a while to get to know them. Not through any fault of their own.
A hedgehog person is someone well-meaning, polite, and thoughtful to those around them. But they are not crowd people.
It’s very difficult to get to know this kind of person in public, or where there are lots of people. They also are pretty reserved when it comes to new people in general.
This might seem a little strange against what we’ve already discussed about the hedgehog’s spiritual symbolism.
But also remember that curiosity doesn’t mean a lack of caution. Hedgehog people will open up if you give them the time and patience that they give to the new places they go and the people they meet.
Underneath that quiet, perhaps nervous-looking exterior is a person that is warm, accommodating, and very friendly. Not everything needs to go around at the speed of sound, after all.
Hedgehog – Celtic Mythology & Other European Folklore
Because of their survivalist abilities, hedgehogs live across the British Isles and Mainland Europe and have a whole range of myths and folklore surrounding them.
It was believed by many people, during the Roman Empire and the medieval period, that they would carry their food on their quills, so that they could carry and store it in a different location, like hamsters in that regard.
Despite this not being the case for hedgehogs, they have since gained a reputation for being hard-working animals, something that isn’t exactly misplaced.
Partly because of this pre-conceived idea of being carriers of food, and because of their hibernation routine, hedgehogs are often pictured as symbols of fall in the UK, as they are preparing for the cold months that are ahead, playing into their significance as practical survivalists of the woodland wilds.
Hedgehogs also play a role in several creation myths around Europe.
Amongst the Veps people, a group of people that originally came from the Finnish and Baltic area, a giant hedgehog was responsible for helping to create dry land, as it brought dirt and sand from the ocean on its back.
Another myth of the Lithuanian origin states that when God was creating the world, he had accidentally created heaven smaller than Earth.
The solution, given to him by a hedgehog, was to compress the earth down until it was finally smaller than heaven.
For his wise advice, God gifted the hedgehog handsomely. Because of this and a few other regional tales, hedgehogs are regarded as symbols of wisdom.
Hedgehog – Egyptian Mythology
Hedgehogs actually appear on certain amulets in ancient Egyptian folklore.
Whilst folktales of hedgehogs in many other parts of the world range from benign to outright symbols of disaster and ill fortune, Egyptians seemed to have quite a high respect for these little mammals.
Although their exact importance has been difficult to measure, it is widely held that hedgehogs were widely considered to be animals of good spirit by the Ancient Egyptians.
Because of their ability to hibernate, and to awaken in the springtime, they were often considered symbols of rebirth and rejuvenation, a popular theme with many of Ancient Egypt’s religious practices.
This meant that alongside the scarab, the hedgehog may have been an incredibly important symbol to many Egyptians, where rejuvenation through the seasonal flooding of the Nile river would have made rebirth a common idea in the local people’s minds.
Appearing when food and plant can start growing again seems to bring with it some perks of divinity, it seems!
The hedgehog, as we have come to learn, has meant many things depending on the time and place we are talking about.
Here are just some of the most important and common symbols they embody:
Protection
Reclusive
Curiosity
Adventurous
Vitality
The Night
Independent
Shy
Survivalist
Rebirth
Conclusion
The hedgehog is a jungle little mammal. Quite content to search the ground and soils of the earth to find what it needs, it has come to mean many things connected to the earth itself, such as being a survivalist, to the rebirth of life itself, as well as being a plucky little protector of itself and those around it.
We hope this guide has shown you just what the little hedgehog is capable of!
Hi, my name is Gloria White, and I’ve always been interested in spirituality, and how crystals, numerology, and symbols can have a direct impact on our lives.
It’s a big passion of mine, and one I have always wanted to share with others, to provide them with a better understanding of the topic.
A lot of people are unsure of the significance of chakras, and crystals, and how influential they can be in our lives. Even dreams and numbers we assume are irrelevant often have a deeper meaning, and are significant.
I hope to provide readers with a better understanding of spirituality as a whole. From the significance of animals appearing in dreams to the seven major chakras, I will be covering everything you need to know.
