Of all the ancient texts devoted to dreams, none has been so widely read, copied and discussed as the Oneirocritica of Artemidorus of Daldis. Written in the second century AD, it is the most extensive work on dream interpretation that the Greco-Roman world has left us. Even today, anyone who approaches dream symbolism seriously finds in these pages a surprisingly modern method.
Who Artemidorus was
Artemidorus came from Asia Minor and presented himself as a professional interpreter of dreams. What sets him apart from the authors of simple lists is his approach: he tells us he travelled widely, in Greece, Italy and Asia, to hear people's dreams and compare them with what later happened to them. He distrusted improvised soothsayers and tried to ground his art in experience.
The work is divided into five books. The first set out the method and review a great many images; the last gather examples and guidance intended for his son, whom he wished to train in the same profession.
Two kinds of dream
Artemidorus first distinguishes between two broad categories:
- Dreams concerning the present: they arise from the state of body and mind, such as hunger, fear or desire. They should not be interpreted as announcements, because they merely reflect the dreamer's condition.
- Dreams that seem to concern what is to come: these, in his view, deserve interpretation.
This first distinction alone is enormously valuable: it invites us not to load every night-time image with meaning.
Direct and allegorical dreams
Within meaningful dreams, Artemidorus distinguishes further:
| Type | Feature | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | What is seen corresponds to what happens | Dreaming of receiving a letter and receiving it |
| Allegorical | One image stands for something else | Dreaming of a tree in blossom as an image of prosperity |
Most of the interpreter's work concerns allegorical dreams, which require grasping the relationship between the image and what it represents.
The importance of the person
Artemidorus's most famous principle is that the same dream does not mean the same thing for everyone. The interpreter must know the dreamer: age, occupation, social standing, health, habits, state of mind. A dream of sailing means one thing to a sailor, another to a merchant, and yet another to someone who has never seen the sea.
Artemidorus also urged considering whether the dream image was in keeping with, or contrary to, the nature, laws, customs and profession of the dreamer. An action that was normal in one person's life could have a completely different meaning in another's.
The role of words
Like the ancient Egyptians, Artemidorus paid attention to wordplay and names. An image could take on a certain meaning because its name sounded like another word. It is an insight we will find many centuries later in modern theories of dreaming: dream language plays with sounds and double meanings.
The legacy of the Oneirocritica
Artemidorus's work was translated into Arabic in the Middle Ages and, in the Renaissance, into Latin and modern languages. It influenced generations of interpreters and popular "dream books". Sigmund Freud cited it in his work on dreams, crediting Artemidorus with grasping the importance of associations.
What we can take from Artemidorus today
You do not need to share Artemidorus's faith in the predictive value of dreams to appreciate his method. Some of his teachings remain valuable:
- Gather many dreams before drawing conclusions: the principle behind the dream journal.
- Distinguish dreams born of your present state from those that seem to carry a message.
- Always consider the dreamer: no dictionary applies to everyone.
- Observe the language of the dream, with its echoes and double meanings.
- Be wary of hasty interpretations, as Artemidorus was wary of street-corner soothsayers.
Studio Esoterico Cornelio considers the Oneirocritica essential reading for anyone who wants to approach dreams seriously: an ancient example of how symbolic tradition can combine respect for mystery with rigour in observation.
In short
- The Oneirocritica of Artemidorus of Daldis, from the second century AD, is the most extensive ancient work on dream interpretation.
- Artemidorus distinguished dreams tied to one's present state from those considered meaningful.
- Among meaningful dreams, he separated direct from allegorical ones.
- His central principle is that meaning depends on the person who dreams.
- His method, grounded in experience and attention to language, remains relevant.