Oneirocritica
Encyclopedia
Oneirocritica is an ancient Greek
treatise on dream interpretation
written by Artemidorus
in the 2nd century AD, and is the first extant Greek work on the subject, in five books. The first three volumes were intended for the general public, providing an encyclopedic treatment of the subject matter of dreams, and the remaining two volumes were written for the private use of the author's son, a novice dream interpreter. Artemidorus inscribed the book "Artemidorus of Daldis", despite having been born in Ephesus
, to commemorate the little-known birthplace of his mother in Lydia
.
Artemidorus suggests that dreams are unique to the individual, and that a person's waking life will affect the symbols in his dreams. He shows awareness of the dreaming mind's capacity to use metaphor
s in its messages.
Artemidorus' Oneirocritica is the point of reference of Michel Foucault
's The History of Sexuality, Vol. 3: The Care of the Self
, which analyzes the text as a practical, experiential guide rather than a moral reflection or evaluation. It reveals culturally salient patterns relating to "the ethical experience of the aphrodisia."
The second books treat objects and events in the natural world, such as weather, animals, the gods and flying. The section on animals includes mammals (domestic and wild), sea creatures, reptiles, and those that fly. Section 12 reads, "There is an affinity between all wild animals and our enemies. A wolf signifies a violent enemy ... A fox
indicates that the enemy will not attack openly but will plot underhandedly."
The third book is miscellaneous.
Artemidorus moves from dream content to the technique of dream interpretation in book four, which is addressed to his son. He states that the interpreter needs to know the background of the dreamer, such as his occupation, health, status, habits, and age. The plausibility of dream content should be considered, which cannot be done without reference to the dreamer. The interpreter should find out how the subject feels about each component of the dream. In book five, Artemidorus presents a further 95 dreams he collected, for his son to use as practice material.
Artemidorus stresses the empirical nature of his research. "I did not rely upon any simple theory of probabilities but rather on experience and the testimony of actual dream-fulfillments." His research took him to cities in Greece
, Italy
and its larger islands, and Asia Minor
. He indicates that he reviewed all available literature on dreams, and that he spent years consulting with oral interpreters.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
treatise on dream interpretation
Dream interpretation
Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams. In many ancient societies, such as those of Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be unravelled by people with certain powers...
written by Artemidorus
Artemidorus
Artemidorus Daldianus or Ephesius was a professional diviner who lived in the 2nd century. He is known from an extant five-volume Greek work the Oneirocritica, .-Life and work:...
in the 2nd century AD, and is the first extant Greek work on the subject, in five books. The first three volumes were intended for the general public, providing an encyclopedic treatment of the subject matter of dreams, and the remaining two volumes were written for the private use of the author's son, a novice dream interpreter. Artemidorus inscribed the book "Artemidorus of Daldis", despite having been born in Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
, to commemorate the little-known birthplace of his mother in Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
.
Artemidorus suggests that dreams are unique to the individual, and that a person's waking life will affect the symbols in his dreams. He shows awareness of the dreaming mind's capacity to use metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s in its messages.
Artemidorus' Oneirocritica is the point of reference of Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
's The History of Sexuality, Vol. 3: The Care of the Self
The History of Sexuality
The History of Sexuality is a three-volume series of books by French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault written between 1976 and 1984...
, which analyzes the text as a practical, experiential guide rather than a moral reflection or evaluation. It reveals culturally salient patterns relating to "the ethical experience of the aphrodisia."
Books
The first three books divide dreams into major groups. Book one is dedicated to the anatomy and activity of the human body: 82 sections interpret the appearance in dreams of subjects like head size, eating, and sexual activity. For example, section 52 says, concerning one activity of the body, "All tools that cut and divide things in half signify disagreements, factions, and injuries ... Tools that smooth out surfaces predict an end to enmities."The second books treat objects and events in the natural world, such as weather, animals, the gods and flying. The section on animals includes mammals (domestic and wild), sea creatures, reptiles, and those that fly. Section 12 reads, "There is an affinity between all wild animals and our enemies. A wolf signifies a violent enemy ... A fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
indicates that the enemy will not attack openly but will plot underhandedly."
The third book is miscellaneous.
Artemidorus moves from dream content to the technique of dream interpretation in book four, which is addressed to his son. He states that the interpreter needs to know the background of the dreamer, such as his occupation, health, status, habits, and age. The plausibility of dream content should be considered, which cannot be done without reference to the dreamer. The interpreter should find out how the subject feels about each component of the dream. In book five, Artemidorus presents a further 95 dreams he collected, for his son to use as practice material.
Artemidorus stresses the empirical nature of his research. "I did not rely upon any simple theory of probabilities but rather on experience and the testimony of actual dream-fulfillments." His research took him to cities in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and its larger islands, and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. He indicates that he reviewed all available literature on dreams, and that he spent years consulting with oral interpreters.
Editions and translations
- The definitive edition of the Greek text is by Roger Pack, Artemidori Daldiani Onirocriticon Libri V (Teubner 1963)
- A medieval Arabic version was made of the first three books (ie., the "public" books) in 877 AD by Hunayn ibn IshaqHunayn ibn IshaqHunayn ibn Ishaq was a famous and influential Assyrian Nestorian Christian scholar, physician, and scientist, known for his work in translating Greek scientific and medical works into Arabic and Syriac during the heyday of the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate.Ḥunayn ibn Isḥaq was the most productive...
, and published by Toufic Fahd with a French translation in 1964 under the title Le livre des songes [par] Artémidore d'Éphèse - The most recent English translation is by R.J. White, The Interpretation of Dreams (Park Ridge, NJ, 1975). White's original translation is not in print, but was reformatted for the non-academic market (ISBN 0-944558-03-8); key images appear in boldface type and are indexed at the end.
- The most recent Italian translation is by Dario Del Corno, Libro dei sogni (1974)
- The most recent French translation is by A.J. Festugière, Clef des Songes (1975)
- The "fragments" of other Greco-Roman oneirocritic authors were compiled by Dario Del Corno in his Graecorum de re Onirocritica Scriptorum Reliquiae (1969), with commentary in Italian. As many of the fragments are preserved by Artemidorus, Del Corno's work is also a partial commentary to the Oneirocritica.
- There is also a Dutch translation, by Simone Mooij-Valk, called Droomboek (2003)