The Dream Book of Artemidorus II: Gods, Wealth and Journeys

About this book

What does it mean to dream of the rising Sun, of sailing in a great ship, of finding treasure or of meeting a god face to face? In the second book of his Oneirocritica Artemidorus of Daldis turns from the body to the wide world: the sky and its gods, the sea, the road, power and money. This is the second of three books that together translate his work in full, from the Greek text printed in Paris in 1603.

The Sun rising bright and clear from the east is good for everyone: it brings undertakings, the birth of children, freedom to the slave and property to all the rest. It is better to sail in a great ship with a steady cargo than in a small boat. To hold burning torches at night is good, especially for the young, for it signifies affairs of love and success in business. Each god has a meaning of his own, and the gods of the sea, of the earth and of the underworld each promise different things.

Book II covers chapters 1 to 75: waking and greeting, clothes and mirrors, fire, hunting and animals, fishing and sailing, farming and trees, rivers and mountains, courts, doctors and power, war, the gods of heaven, earth and the sea, the Sun, the Moon and the stars, money and treasure, marriage, flying and the length of life.

Translated into modern English by BlusaBooks directly from the Greek text of the Paris edition of 1603 (N. Rigault; Duke University copy, archive.org); the Latin translation printed beside it served as an aid, and the text is in the public domain. The translation is complete except for a few dreams of forbidden sexual relations, which are omitted and marked in the text; the beliefs of the period are kept as written, and our explanations stand only in the notes at the foot of the page. No images of the printed edition are reproduced.

What is inside

• Artemidorus’ Book Two, complete: 75 chapters on animals, sailing, power, the gods, the Sun, Moon and stars, money, treasure, marriage and the length of life.
• One dream, many fates: read differently for the rich and the poor, a woman, a slave, a king.
• A foreword on Artemidorus and how to read his book.
• Notes on strange words, places and customs, at the foot of the page.
• A commentary in plain words: what the dreams promised, by wish (wealth, a safe journey, power, a good marriage).
• PDF, A5 page size (148 × 210 mm), 87 pages, readable on phone, tablet and computer.

Who it is for

Readers of dream dictionaries and dream journals, of Greek mythology and the ancient world, of astrology and esoteric texts, and anyone who wants to know what the most complete ancient dream book says the Sun, the sea or a god in their dreams foretells.

A historical source: the book gives an ancient Greek text and what historians know about it. It shares old knowledge and promises no results. What it says about illness is an ancient belief, not medical advice. Digital PDF, delivered for download after payment.