Oneiromancy

Key takeaways

Oneiromancy belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Oneiromancy to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Oneiromancy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Oneiromancy (from Greek όνειροϛ (oneiros) 'dream' and μαντεία (manteia) 'prophecy') is a form of divination based upon dreams, and also uses dreams to predict the future. Oneirogen plants may also be used to produce or enhance dream-like states of consciousness. Occasionally, the dreamer feels as if they are transported to another time or place, and this is offered as evidence they are in fact providing divine information upon their return.

Oneirocritic literature

Oneirocritic literature is the traditional (ancient and medieval) literary format of dream interpretation.

Ancient oneirocritic literature

Mesopotamia The ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia have left evidence of dream interpretation dating back to at least 3100 BC. Throughout Mesopotamian history, dreams were always held to be extremely important for divination and Mesopotamian kings paid close attention to them. Gudea, the king of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash (reigned c. 2144–2124 BC), rebuilt the temple of Ningirsu as the result of a dream in which he was told to do so. The standard Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh contains numerous accounts of the prophetic power of dreams. First, Gilgamesh himself has two dreams foretelling the arrival of Enkidu. Later, Enkidu dreams about the heroes' encounter with the giant Humbaba. Dreams were also sometimes seen as a means of seeing into other worlds and it was thought that the soul, or some part of it, moved out of the body of the sleeping person and actually visited the places and persons the dreamer saw in his or her sleep. In Tablet VII of the epic, Enkidu recounts to Gilgamesh a dream in which he saw the gods Anu, Enlil, and Shamash condemn him to death. He also has a dream in which he visits the Underworld. The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883–859 BC) built a temple to Mamu, possibly the god of dreams, at Imgur-Enlil, near Kalhu. The later Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (reigned 668–c. 627 BC) had a dream during a desperate military situation in which his divine patroness, the goddess Ishtar, appeared to him and promised that she would lead him to victory. The Babylonians and Assyrians divided dreams into "good", which were sent by the gods, and "bad", sent by demons. A surviving collection of dream omens entitled Iškar Zaqīqu records various dream scenarios as well as prognostications of what will happen to the person who experiences each dream, apparently based on previous cases. Some list different possible outcomes, based on occasions in which people experienced similar dreams with different results. Dream scenarios mentioned include a variety of daily work events, journeys to different locations, family matters, sex acts, and encounters with human individuals, animals, and deities.

Egyptian In ancient Egypt, as far back as 2000 BC, the Egyptians wrote down their dreams on papyrus. People with vivid and significant dreams were thought to be blessed and were considered special. Ancient Egyptians believed that dreams were like oracles, bringing messages from the gods. They thought that the best way to receive divine revelation was through dreaming and thus they would induce (or "incubate") dreams. Egyptians would go to sanctuaries and sleep on special "dream beds" in hope of receiving advice, comfort, or healing from the gods. The oldest oneirocritic manuscript hitherto discovered is the "Ramesside dream-book" now in the British Museum. A unique exemplar of a book of dream-interpretation from pre-Hellenistic Egypt, the surviving fragments were translated into English by Kasia Szpakowska. Between the paws of the Sphinx, there is a stele describing how Thutmose IV restored the Sphinx as a result of a dream, on the promise of becoming a pharaoh.

Greek Dream divination was a common feature of Greek and Roman religion and literature of all genres. Aristotle and Plato discuss dreams in various works. The only surviving Greco-Roman dreambook, the Oneirocritica, was written by Artemidorus. Artemidorus cites a large number of previous authors, all of whom are now lost. These include Astrampsychos, Nikephoros, Germanos, and Manuel Palaiologos. Seers who specialized at the interpretation of dreams were called enypniomantis (ἐνυπνιόμαντις) and brizomantis (βριζόμαντις).

In Book XIX of the Odyssey, Penelopē said that "dreams ... which issue forth from the gate of polished horn bring true issues to pass, when any mortal sees them." (Here, there may be a pun of /KRainō/ 'I fulfill' with /KeRas/ 'horn'.) Likewise, Herodotos distinguished /oneiros/ (or /enar/) as "the prophetic, God-sent dream" from /en-upnion/ "the non-predictive dream". In the scheme of Artemidoros, the "oneiros was subdivided into two great categories: ... allēgorikos, which corresponds to the Platonic theory of the predictive dream operating in the impure soul, and the ... theōrēmatikos, which is the dream represented in the pure state of the soul."

Biblical Dreams occur throughout the Bible as omens or messages from God;

God speaks to Abram while he is in a deep sleep (Genesis 15); God speaks to Abimelech, the king of Gerar, in a dream concerning his intentions regarding Sarah, Abraham's wife (Genesis 20); Jacob dreams of a ladder to heaven (Genesis 28); his son Joseph dreamed of his future success (Genesis 37), interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh of Egypt's cupbearer and baker while imprisoned (Genesis 40) and interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh of Egypt (Genesis 41); The Midianite's dream about the barley bread and his friend's interpretation of it being Gideon's army. Gideon overhears this and later defeats the Midianite army (Judges 7); Solomon conversed with God in his dreams (1 Kings 3); Daniel interpreted dreams (in the Book of Daniel 2 and 4); Joseph, when betrothed to Mary, was told in a dream not to fear taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1); the Magi are told in a dream to avoid Herod on their journey home (Matthew 2); Joseph, now husband of Mary, was directed in a dream to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt (Matthew 2); Pilate's wife suffered in a dream because of Jesus (Matthew 27); Paul was told in a vision to go to Macedonia (Acts 16) In Acts 2:17, Peter the Apostle quotes Joel 2:28, saying that because of the Spirit now out poured, "...your old men will dream dreams."

Medieval oneirocritic literature

Āstika The pertinent material is included in the several Purāṇa-s, such as the Liṅga Purāṇa.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oneiromancy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oneiromancy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Oneiromancy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Oneiromancy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Oneiromancy

In research: Oneiromancy appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Oneiromancy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Oneiromancy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Analytical psychology, Carl Jung, Divination, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oneiromancy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Oneiromancy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oneiromancy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Oneiromancy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oneiromancy in simple terms?

Oneiromancy (from Greek όνειροϛ (oneiros) 'dream' and μαντεία (manteia) 'prophecy') is a form of divination based upon dreams, and also uses dreams to predict the future. Oneirogen plants may also be used to produce or enhance dream-like states of consciousness.

Why does Oneiromancy matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Oneiromancy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Oneiromancy.