Dream-Book of Manuel Palaiologos

[the prognoses (apodoses) are largely derived from puns on words]

p.

#

protasis

apodosis

597

1

living fish

fear

   

fishes praepared for cooking

profit

 

2

lobsters, crab, crayfish

being harmed

 

3

ring as pledge

worthless business

   

smashed ring

violation of business

 

4

mice into & out of one’s house

secret disclosed

 

5

blind person in one’s house

secret business

598

 

blind person’s one eye open

secret partly disclosed

   

blind person’s both eyen open

secret completely disclosed

 

6

hounds & asses

enemies

   

bitten by hound or ass while riding horse and then dismounted and was left alone far from army

about to suffer harm at hands of enemies

 

7

wells, cisterns

women

   

drank water from well, cistern

sweetness through woman

   

washed in water from well, cistern

discourse merely with her

   

fountain or pool

wealthy woman

   

neither drank from nor washed in fountain or pool

anxiety, worry because of the woman

   

fell into well, cistern, or pool {Yosep}

about to fall into danger because of a woman {Pot.ipar’s wife}

599

8

carrying parasol & staff in royal palace

harsh illness, but will recover

 

9

eating hot bran-bread

disease of costiveness

   

eating cold bran-bread

find lost profit

   

eating cold white-bread

sufficient profit

   

eating hot white-bread

will be sickly

   

eating or distributing kubaroi-loaves

idleness, abuse, being captured

 

10

eagles

tumults for kings

600

 

partridges

garrulous noble women

   

doves

true, honest designs

   

crows

deceitful women

   

swallows

news, information from afar

   

nightingale

joy

   

sparrows

vagabond crowd, rabble

   

impeded by numerous sparrows

death at hands of commoners

   

escaped from sparrows

be delivered from the danger

   

overpowered by sparrows

struck down by populace

601

11

riding swift horse

hear good report

   

sluggish, lame horse

hear heart-breaking words

   

riding an ass

be promoted

   

fell off the ass

die or receive bad luck

   

camel

difficulties

   

mule

evil

 

12

apples & apricots

erotic affair

602

 

Damascus-plums

troublesome woman

 

13

eating pomegranates

illness

   

figs

slander, false accusations

 

14

very large trees

noble men

   

falling of very large trees

death of noble men

   

small trees

paltry men

   

roses

erotic women

   

pears

ill-success

   

nut-trees

well-bread women

 

15

grape-vine

family

   

white grapes being gathered

death of saecular person

   

black grapes being gathered

death of monk

603

16

wine

rancour

   

onions, garlic, leeks, watercress

vehemence

 

17

garments of Franks, Tartars, Turks, Indians, Scythians

freedom

   

white garments

good

   

scarlet or red garments

honor, esteem

   

yellow, green, or black garments

bitterness, anger

   

deep purple

glory

 

18

belt

power, strength

   

loss of belt

weakness, indolence

   

sandals

bonds

   

sandals being thrown away

freedom from evils

 

19

one’s penis strong & erect

strong & erect in activities

   

one’s penis flaccid & contracted

week, inactive

 

20

many and longs hairs of head

numerous worries, anxieties

604

 

hairs of head fall out

very great freedom

   

beard

family, gathering of friends

   

beardlessness

lost of family & friends

 

21

nose

honor

   

nosebleed

plans will undergo harm

   

nosebleed from both nostrils

plans will be totally ruined

 

22

eyen

friends & relatives

   

losing one’s eye

will be deprived of them

 

23

phlebotomy

loss in business capital

 

24

sailing in boat

will see corpse

   

boarded large ship

will be called by Emperor

   

ship was struck by wave

condemnation or murderer

605

 

ship sailing well

prosperity for ruler of country

 

25

sword

magnificence

   

sword was lost

undermining of glory

   

wearing dagger

put enemies to flight

   

lost dagger

reconciled with enemies

   

dagger was broken

be beaten by enemies

 

26

large roll of white bread

year-long trip with profit

   

large roll of coarse bread

year-long trip with distress

   

small roll of bread

month-long journey

606

 

small kaletza

week-long journey

 

27

entered Hagia Sophia

be amidst universal tumult

   

entered other church

be amidst lesser tumult

   

carrying sword or branch inside church

will receive trophies & triumph in the tumult

   

icons of martyrs

will battle in the tumult

   

singing or playing lyre

find great bitterness

607

 

some with playing music

will hear bitter news

   

became a priest

short trip

   

priest came to see one’s self

will have foreign visitor

   

bishop spake with one’s self

honorable commission from Emperor for trip

   

fumigating someone with incense

will grieve a death

   

received Gospel-Book from bishop

will hear honest words from distant magistrate

 

28

fire brought into one’s home

misfortune

   

light of this fire

wealth, repute

   

extinguishment of this fire

loss of profit in business

608

29

candle

woman

   

candle was extinguished

wife will lose her chastity

   

candle was extinguished by a bird flying past it

virgin will be seduced by a stranger

   

coals completely burned

harm from one’s enemies

 

30

magnificently built houses

great fortune for owners

   

collapse of these houses

owners’ misfortune

 

31

acquired a wife

honorable life-style

   

wife shameless

cheap & common life-style

   

acquired wife unlawfully

cling to cheap life-style

   

acquired wife lovingly

release from cheap life-style

 

32

by woman of her beautifying herself

illustrious in sight of her husband

   

by woman of her holding mirror

wondrous in her conduct

609

33

sheep-meat without fat

lawsuit and struggles

   

sheep-meat with fat

profit from lawsuit

   

pork

conspicuous profit

   

beef

trial with aid

   

beef with fat

trial bringing freedom

   

olive-oil & linseed-oil

distress

   

milk

obtaining of one’s hopes

   

cheese

anxiety, worry

   

buttermilk

calmness of mind

   

cream & cream-cheese

delightful

 

34

flying just above the earth

will be exalted at place where one dwelleth

   

flying at a great height

trip to foreign land where one will be considered honorable

   

flying above the clouds

will soon be deprived of life

610

35

lost one’s parasol

licentiousness

 

36

received royal staff

will obtain honor from Emperor

 

37

sitting upon royal throne

will obtain dominion

   

honored with crown, diadem, and red sandals

dishonor, persecutions, accusations

 

38

dragon was poised for attack

tyrant roaming, despot in strife

   

dragon was wounded by thunder-bolt

tyrant or despot will incur ruin

611

 

was attacked by lizards

will be attacked by the evil & hateful

   

frogs were croaking

the vulgar causing tumult

 

39

kissing trees or plants

will acquire a wife

   

being praegnant

will be sick 9 months

   

gave birth to a child

one’s misfortune will be disclosed

 

40

kissing a woman’s young child

will love that woman

   

this child was baptized

child will be submerged in water and die

612

41

caught a rabbit

will discover power and will rule

   

caught live rabbit

will tame people peaceably

   

choked the rabbit to death

will be ruined

 

42

wolf entered one’s city

great plague will kill citizens

 

43

bees

"rebellion by the commonality"

 

44

sheep came into one’s house

friends will stay with one

   

goats came into one’s house

ambassadors from other nations will stay at one’s house

613

45

holding eggs

will be away from his friends or kin that number of days

   

cracked or ate the eggs

will be impeded during journey

 

46

saw in a graveyard bare bones

about to fall into consternation

Steven Michael Oberhelman : The Oneirocritic Literature of the Late Roman and Byzantine Eras of Greece. PhD diss, U of MN, 1981. pp. 597-618 = cap. xv.