Dreams have been an intriguing phenomenon that have puzzled even the greatest philosophers and theorists for centuries. Various facts and studies have been put together to learn more about dreams but their definite purpose remains a question open to speculation. Just as modern civilizations have theories, ancient civilizations had their own theories about the interpretation of dreams. Exemplifications of dream interpretation is shown through a variety of ancient literature such as Gilgamesh, The Hebrew Bible, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. Throughout all of these pieces of literature, dreams are mainly interpreted as prophecies used to enlighten characters for what is to come or to give direct instruction from a divine or dead individual. Dreams …show more content…
This includes unclear dreams that require interpretation. These dreams are usually indirectly prophetic in that the prophecy is only discovered through the interpretation of the dream. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest piece of literature known and so consequently the first time dreams show up in literature, Gilgamesh has a dream and goes to his mother, Ninsun a wise god, to help him interpret it. In his dream, a meteor falls from the sky and Gilgamesh is sexually attracted to it. He then tries to lift it but can’t so he brings it to his mother who says it’s Gilgamesh’s brother (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 66). After Gilgamesh tells him mother about his dream, Ninsun deciphers it for him saying, “This [the meteor] is the strong comrade, the one who brings help to his friend in his need… you will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you. This is the meaning of the dream.” (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 66). Ninsun is automatically able to decipher Gilgamesh’s dream. She claims the meteor signifies a future friend of Gilgamesh’s that he will love. Essentially she interprets the dream as a sign of Enkidu’s coming. Ninsun’s claim isn’t wrong. Enkidu does come and becomes Gilgamesh’s best friend. Gilgamesh's dream in this scene is the type of dream that individuals are more familiar with in today’s society. In modern society, one would just brush off such dreams as meaningless and nonsensical images. But …show more content…
Unlike the unclear dream, these straightforward dreams contain direct instructions from divine individuals or individuals who are dead. The Aeneid is full of prophetic dreams, including multiple that are easy to understand. While Aeneas is attempting to find his destined homeland, the Phrygian hearth-gods come to him in his dream. They tell him, “Your settlement must be changed… there is a country, Hesperia, as the Greeks have named it… our true home is there…” (Virgil, 71) It’s quite common for divine individuals or even those who have passed away to visit characters in their dreams to give them direct instructions or forewarning. The Phrygian hearth-gods happen to be just that in this part of the story. They are ordering Aeneas to change his course and head for Italy. Since these dreams are trusted to be honest, direct communication by divine powers or those beyond the grave, anything said is taken as a decree. The gods sometimes abuse this power of unquestioning trust. Zeus does just this when he sends a false dream to Agamemnon that the gods are on the Archain’s side. Weston describes the dream as “a purposely misleading and deceptive manifestation, which comes directly from a non-human source…”. Zeus tricks Agamemnon into thinking the war is in his favor and therefore believes it’s safe to start fighting. Zeus is successful in tricking Agamemnon by