The Mysterious World of Dreams: El Misterioso Mundo De Los Sueños

To my wife Alicia

Copyright © 2017 by Ricardo Ferreira. 765603

Translation by Nora Dottori and Juan Manuel Fernández Bravo

ISBN:    Softcover    978-1-5434-6571-6

Hardcover    978-1-5434-6570-9

EBook    978-1-5434-6572-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 02/15/2018

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

DREAMS IN ANTIQUE MIDDLE EAST CIVILIZATIONS

The Sumerians And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Ancient Egypt

Dream Stories From The Bible

DREAMS IN GRECO-ROMAN CIVILIZATION

GREECE

ROMAN EMPIRE

MYTHOLOGY

DREAMS AND LITERATURE

Dreams In English Literature

Dreams In German Literature

Dreams In Spanish Literature

Dreams In Latin American Literature

Dreams In French Literature

Interview With An Expert (Nora Dottori)

DREAMS AND PAINTING

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

Luca Giordano (1632-1705)

Henry Fuseli (1741-1825)

William Blake (1757-1827)

Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978)

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989)

Marc Chagall (1887-1985)

Interview With An Expert (Francisco Baggiani)

DREAMS AND THE ART OF FILMS

Wild Strawberries (When the day runs away)

The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie

Dreams

Interview To With Expert (Luciano Monteagudo)

DREAMS AS A SOURCE OF CREATIVITY

Creativity Of Dreams In The Field Of Science

Creativity Of Dreams In The Field Of Literature

Creativity Of Dreams In The World Of Music

Dreams And Inventions

DREAMS AND SCIENCE

THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS

CURRENT PROGRESS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM OF

DREAMS

EPILOGUE

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

The meaning of dreams is one of the most fascinating topics of discussion and controversy since ancient times. The question where do dreams come from and how do dreams arise has had multiple answers in different times and according to whom it is addressed. For ancient civilizations, dreams were a form of communication with the gods. Currently, some argue that they are senseless, a mere fancy of the mind, while for others dreams are a reflection of our deepest desires, they may influence our behavior and even represent sources of inspiration and help us to solve problems.

With his psychoanalytic theory, Freud made fundamental contributions to the interpretation of dreams, which may be useful for individual cases, but his theory remains in the realm of speculation and in some respects is not in line with the latest advances in neuroscience. In short, none of the theories and hypotheses that have gone on through the centuries to the present has been able to solve the mystery surrounding dreams.

Neurosciences have progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few decades, largely because of the considerable advance of imaging studies and the location of the sleep centers, and there is strong evidence about the usefulness of sleep. We know that the role of sleep is fulfilling immune, endocrine and memory functions. But one thing is to sleep and another is to dream. And it is here that science does not have an answer because, as Freud pointed out: It is impossible to discern fixed laws in that crazy hustle that dreams are.

While we sleep we generate images and oneiric, extravagant stories, that violate the laws of physics, logic, ethics, and common sense. There are two main aspects of dreams that are essential and need to be: why dream images are presented as symbolisms and metaphors, and how is it possible for dreams to bring us memories of people and things that, we do not consciously remember but indeed occurred usually in our distant past.

That is why the human being, fascinated by the mystery of dreams, has recreated this mystery from the philosophical, scientific and religious points of view, without being able to reach any concrete goal. However, dreams have served to enrich other disciplines, such as every branch of art.

This book aims to provide an overview of dreams, beginning with the interpretation of the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia. We describe oneiric episodes from the Bible and other ancient texts. We highlight their presence in the stories of Greco-Roman mythology and of the Asian civilizations.We include chapters dedicated to dreams in painting, in films and, fundamentally, in literature, where this subject is extremely productive. One chapter is devoted to Freud’ s interpretation of dreams and another to creativity in dreams that inspired inventions, novels, poetry and music. Finally we will briefly describe the relationship between dreams and neurosciences.

A selection, certainly arbitrary has been made of such vast material, bearing in mind that, inevitably, some valuable characters of literature and visual arts will be excluded. We hope our readers will understand this limitation.

DREAMS IN ANTIQUE MIDDLE EAST CIVILIZATIONS

Come to me, come to me, Mother Isis; contemplate what I am seeing and go away from my city.

From The Book of Dreams

THE SUMERIANS AND THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

The first information about dreams and their analysis comes from Mesopotamia, the land surrounded by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The civilization, that existed 5000 years BC, filled clay tablets in cuneiform script. These were the first reports on dreams, which were considered by those civilizations as signs sent by their gods. Dreams and their meanings were recorded in inscriptions, literary documents, letters, funerary texts and books on the subject, showing the importance they had in government, religion and everyday life.

As the structure of dreams is often senseless and therefore impossible to understand, the existence of dream interpreters became necessary, usually with the rank of dream priests whom people respected and consulted. In Sumerian civilization, dreams predicted future events. Therefore, oneiromancy, the art of interpreting dreams, already existed since the earliest times.

The two oldest dreams known are the Epic of Gilgamesh and the dream of an Egyptian prince who later became pharaoh and who will be introduced in the corresponding chapter.

The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh is considered not only as the first story that includes oneiric themes, but also as the first literary work in the history of mankind. One of the most recurrent elements in the poem is, precisely, the presence of dreams. In this epic, Gilgamesh, a legendary figure in Sumerian mythology, is in search of immortality when he receives a message from the gods. In this case, it is Gilgamesh‘s mother who interprets it, perceiving in the dream the arrival of his friend Enkidu with whom Gilgamesh will carry out various adventures.

Seven thousand years have passed since the account of Gilgamesh and the custom of interpreting dreams by experts, still persists. In The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud’s book, we can appreciate the interest of the father of psychoanalysis in this subject.

ANCIENT EGYPT

The Egyptians inherited most of the Sumerian ideas and customs, and therefore, for them dreams were divine messages that had to be decoded by experts. This task was often accompanied by rituals that included prayers and sacrifices. The most important dreams were those the fharaoh had, since he represented God on earth.

In the British Museum, the so-called Book of Dreams is preserved as a papyrus dedicated to the interpretation of dreams. It was found in the town of Deir-el Medina founded by Pharaoh Tuthmosis I. In his texts it is recorded that each God had his own dream temple, where any Egyptian citizen could go after ceremonies of purification and fasting.

Egyptians considered that during sleep the eyes remained open and the word for sleep was "rswt", etymologically related to the root that meant to be awake. It was written with a hieroglyph represented by an open eye.

They established that certain oneiric images required symbolic interpretations. Thus, for example, a deep well meant prison, a mirror meant another woman, the full moon indicated forgiveness and a cat indicated a generous harvest.

Part of the predictions included in the Book of Dreams was devoted to the benefits of dreamers, such as receiving an inheritance or a new woman, or the losses, such as a robbery or a heavy tax. There were also predictions about changes in dreamers’ health, such as obesity, malnutrition, or the improvement of a disease.

In summary, prophecies could be good or bad and it is remarkable that in papyrus the word "bad" was a hieroglyph written in red.

But the dreamer had the possibility that the adverse prediction would not be carried out if he performed a rite consisting in eating fresh bread with herbs submerged in beer while reciting: Come to me, come to me, Mother Isis; Look at what I am seeing and make it go away from my city. After the ritual was finished, the bad predictions vanished from sight.

The earliest record of a dream in Egyptian civilization is that of one of the sons of Pharaoh Amenhotep II or Amenofis. He had practically no hope of obtaining the throne of Egypt, for there were other sons before him and, furthermore, his mother was a harem wife. While still a prince, he was taking a nap under the shadow of the Great Sphinx, who appeared suddenly in his dream whispering these words: Look at me, my son Tuthmosis, I am your father Harmakhis (the Sphinx), the kingdom will be yours, you will enjoy great wealth and you will have a long life. My face, as well as my heart, look at you with affection. I am covered by the sand of the area, remove it and I promise you that you will be my son. Tuthmosis fulfilled the request of the Sphinx, cleared off the sand and became Pharaoh Thutmosis IV.

It will never be possible to determine if this type of dreams were real, or mere speculations to secure power before a society that firmly believed in the significance of the oneiric phenomena.

In the Hellenistic Egypt of the city of Alexandria, during the time of Cleopatra, the schools of dreams flourished in the temples of Serapis, the Greco-Egyptian deity to whom Claudius Ptolemy, who mastered various sciences and was very fond of everything concerning dreams, proclaimed patron of the city. In that late period of ancient Egypt, priests devoted to the interpretation of dreams were nicknamed The Enlighted of the Magic Library.

DREAM STORIES FROM THE BIBLE

The oneiric subjects from the Bible are also included in this chapter because they belong to the same time and geographical area of the Middle East. In the Old Testament pertaining to the Hebrew canon, there is a strong presence of God through dreams. This kind of communication with men is virtually absent in the New Testament.

THE GREED OF ABIMELECH (GENESIS 20: 3-7)

Abraham and his wife Sarah, who was also his half sister, travelled to the city of Gerard ruled by King Abimelech. The king intends to include her in his harem, but at night while he sleeps, God appears in his dream with the following warning: Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not approached her and said, Lord, will you kill an innocent people?" God informs him that he will be forgiven if Abraham intercedes for him; otherwise he will be punished with the infertility of all his wives, and his death will be announced. The king apologizes for his innocence and ignorance. He seeks reparation giving Abraham gifts (sheep, cows, servants and slaves) and allows him to settle in the place he chooses.

JACOB FOUNDS BETHEL (GENESIS 28: 12-15)

Jacob was on his way from the village of Beersheba to the city of Haran. Night surprised him and he decided to take a rest. Soon, fatigue closed his eyes and he fell asleep. Then he dreamt with a long ladder that rose from earth and reached the sky, and many angels climbing up and others going downstairs. God was at the top, an He addressed Jacob with these words: I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie will be given to you, and your descendants will spread like dust to the east, west, north and south. And you and your descendants will be blessed. Look, I am with you and I will protect you wherever you go and bring you back to this land and I will not leave you until all that I have said has been fulfilled. When Jacob woke up said, Indeed the Lord is in this place and I was ignorant of it, and in fear he added: This is none other than the house of God, and this is the portal of paradise. In the morning he used a stone -the same one that had served him as a pillow- as an altar and poured oil on it and called that place Bethel.

JOSEPH THE INTERPRETER OF DREAMS (GENESIS 37: 2)

Joseph’s tunic. Diego Velázquez, painted in 1630. Monastery of the Escorial, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Joseph had two dreams that he did not want or was unable to interpret. However, he was the only one of the biblical characters who could decipher others’ dreams and used them to reach successfully one of the highest hierarchical positions of his time.

Joseph was the favorite of the 12 sons of Jacob, and for this reason they envied and hated him. This bad relationship was further accentuated when Joseph described to his brothers the following dream: Behold, we were tying sheafs in the midst of the field, but while mine rose and stood erect, those yours bowed before mine.

The brothers plotted to kill Joseph who was nicknamed the dreamer and threw him into a well to be eaten by wild animals. It was then that a caravan of merchants was passing by with the camels loaded with merchandise to be delivered in Egypt.

The brothers decided to sell Joseph to the merchants. They stained his tunic with sheep’s blood, and when they went back home, told Jacob that a beast had devoured him while showing him the bloodied robe. Jacob was desperate and for days he did not want to talk with anyone in the family.

In Egypt, Joseph was sold to one of the officers of the Pharaoh named Putifar. Before long, Putifar’s wife tried to seduce him, but he remained unscathed in the face of her siege. The woman finally denounced him to her husband, reversing the facts and Jose ended up in jail. There, he made friends with the cupbearer and the baker of the pharaoh, both accused of robbery. They told Joseph that they were concerned about dreams whose meaning they could not understand, so he asked them to describe them. The chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand. Joseph replied that the branches represented three days and that, after that time, the cupbearer would be declared innocent and would be returned to the court of the pharaoh.

The baker also asked Joseph to interpret his dream and said: I dreamt that I was walking with three baskets full of white bread, but some birds came and ate them. Joseph foresaw that the baskets symbolized three days, at the end of which the pharaoh would behead him and order his body to be hung from a tree that would be pecked by the birds.

After three days, both dreams came true: the baker was beheaded and the cupbearer returned to the pharaoh’s court. Two years later, the pharaoh dreamt about seven fat cows and seven skinny cows coming out of the Nile, and the former devouring the latter. He then pointed out that the same outline was repeated, but this time with seven ears of wheat. The pharaoh turned to his advisors, who failed to decipher the meaning of his dreams. It was then that the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told the Pharaoh that there was a prisoner who had the skill to decipher them. Once brought to his presence the pharaoh told Joseph what he had dreamt and he replied as follows: "The Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same. God has revealed to you what to do. The seven fat cows and the seven years of wheat are seven years of plenty. The seven skinny cows and the seven dry years, ruined by the east wind, are seven years of deprivation that will follow the previous ones. God has pointed out to the pharaoh what to do. He will have to