A History of Dream Interpretation

American Indians | Australian Aborigines | Babylonians, The | Chinese, The | Egyptians, The | Greeks, The | Hebrews, The | Hindus, The | Muslims, The | Romans, The

American Indians

The American Indians have a rich history of dream interpretation. Still, unlike other traditional societies, many Native American cultures do not draw a concrete line between the dream world and the waking world. They highly value the ability to dream. In fact, the most gifted dreamers would be chosen as the community medicine man, or Shaman. Back to top

Australian Aborigines

Dreams were at the heart of ancient Australian Aboriginal beliefs. In fact, their creation myth centers on a period called "dreamtime." This dreamtime was a time man's ancestors were mythical spiritual beings who emerged from the ground and wandered across the earth, geographical markers on the landscape like mountains as signposts of where they had been. Back to top

Babylonians, The

In ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonians thought that good dreams were sent by the Gods. Still, they also believed that bad dreams came from demons or spirits of the dead and built temples to Mamu, the Babylonian goddess of dreams, hoping to save themselves from harm by worshipping at her alter. Back to top

Chinese, The

The Chinese believed the soul had two parts - a material soul, or "p'o," that is attached to the waking body and disappears in death and an everlasting soul or "hun," that survives death in a different dimension. At night, when they dream, the ancient Chinese believed the "hun" traveled freely in the dream world and talked with spirits and demons. Prior to going to sleep, the ancient Chinese would practice bedroom rituals and even painted their rooms red and gold, rituals thought to make it easier for the soul to leave and return the body. Back to top

Egyptians, The

The Egyptians also saw dreams as warnings, but they believed it was gods, not demons, showing the true nature of things that could not be seen by the conscious mind. They believed they entered another dimension when they went to sleep and could converse with gods and loved ones while they dreamed. As far back as 2000BC, the Egyptians interpreted their dreams and kept written records of these interpretations. The Egyptians believed that dreams could serve as oracles or messages from the gods and would induce, or "incubate" their dreams -- often in elaborate temples where they slept overnight in special "dream beds" in an effort to find answers to complicated problems. Back to top

Greeks, The

Greeks also believed there were good and bad dreams. They also practiced incubation. In fact, they had remarkably strict rituals to provoke dreams prior to an incubation session from abstaining from sex to laying on the skin of a sacrificed animal. According to Greek doctor Hippocrates, the father of modern day medicine, dreams were of divine origin and had the potential to predict events and health problems. He thought that interpreting dreams could help solve physical ailments. Also according to Greek mythology, the god Hypnos brought sleep to mortals by fanning them with his wings then his son, Morpheus, the god of dreams, sent dreams to the sleepers. Back to top

Hebrews, The

Ancient Hebrews also believed that dreams were divine. However, since they were monotheistic they believed it came from one god. They also incubated to receive these divine dreams and practiced cleansing and sacrificial rituals. Hebrews believed dreams were prophetic and several dreams are discussed in the Old Testament of the Bible. One of the most popular stories is of Joseph interpreting dreams for the pharaoh and predicting seven years of feast followed by seven years of famine. Back to top

Hindus, The

According to Hindu legend, 52 great prophets discovered how the universe worked during intense meditation. These thoughts were then written down in the Vedas, the sacred books of the Hindus. One of the Vedas, the Artharva-Veda, dating around 1000 BC, includes tips on dream interpretation and discusses the prophetic properties of dreams. Back to top

Muslims, The

The Qur'an also made a distinction between good dreams, sent by God, and bad dreams, sent by demons. They also had rituals to ensure good dreams and prevent the negative effects of bad dreams. Their processes and insights into dream interpretation later became the basis for much astrology. Back to top

Romans, The

The ancient Romans were quite consumed by the potential prophetic powers of dreams. As a result, they were the first to catalogue and classify information about dreams in a dream dictionary. One of the most comprehensive dream dictionaries was written by Artemidorus and called Oneirocritica, a Latin word meaning "The Interpretation of Dreams." This five-volume dictionary includes more than 3,000 dream reports from interviewees around the Roman Empire and was used to interpret dreams until the 18th century. Back to top

Article written by The Great Kristeeni

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