Famous - FAQ - Lore - Lucid - Meanings - Nightmares - Oneirology - Quotes
Artemidorus and the OneirocriticaThe First Dream DicionaryThe ancient Greek Artemidorus of Daldis was not a myth like the Oneiroi but an actual person. He lived in the second century CE and was one of the first serious writers on the meaning of dreams whose work has survived. His classic five volume work "Oneirocritica" is known as "the original dream dictionary". You can buy the English translation under the title Interpretation of Dreams .
Artemidorus was not the first dream researcher or writer but drew upon a wide
range of written and unwritten lore, many previous authors being cited.
Artemidorus considered dreams as falling into two distinct categories: those that reflected the dreamer's current situation (Enhypnia) and those that predicted the future (Oneiroi). He was especially interested in the latter and rejected Enhypnia as not worthy:
"People who live an upright, moral life do not have enhypnia or any other irrational fantasies, but rather oneiroi and generally ones that are directly predictive." The interpretations of dreams by Artemidorus are subtle. A dream sign doesn't have one specific meaning - its meaning will vary from person to person, from culture to culture and from situation to situation. The symbolism needs to be interpreted in context. He summarised this in the well known line:
"the interpretation of dreams is nothing other than the juxtaposition of similarities" It's interesting to note the commonality between this ancient Greek scholar and some of today's modern psychological theories of dreams.
All original material Copyright © Trevor Mendham 2003-2005. See home page for contact details. This is not a medical site. Nothing on this site constitutes personal advice. Please read the site terms of use. |