Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted

March 11, 2006 9:06 PM

"To dream of eating pancakes, denotes that you will have excellent success in all enterprises undertaken at this time." "To dream of lard, signifies a rise in fortune will soon gratify you." "Dairy is a good dream both to the married and unmarried." "To dream of seeing your thigh smooth and white, denotes unusual good luck and pleasure." "To dream of noodles, denotes an abnormal appetite and desires. There is little good in this dream." "To dream of seeing a marmot, denotes that sly enemies are approaching you in the shape of fair women." -- What's in a Dream? A Scientific and Practical Interpretation of Dreams by Gustavus Hindman Miller, published in 1901.
posted by Gator (24 comments total)

A few more highlights:

"To dream of weevils, portends loss in trade and falseness in love."

"If you dream of a labyrinth, you will find yourself entangled in intricate and perplexing business conditions, and your wife will make the home environment intolerable."

"To dream of hearing the music of an accordion, denotes that you will engage in amusement which will win you from sadness and retrospection."

"To dream that you maintain a harem, denotes that you are wasting your best energies on low pleasures."

"To dream of seeing shampooing going on, denotes that you will engage in undignified affairs to please others."

"To dream of an alligator, unless you kill it, is unfavorable to all persons connected with the dream."

"To dream of seeing a bed of radishes growing is an omen of good luck."

"To dream of trousers, foretells that you will be tempted to dishonorable deeds."

"Sickness sometimes follows dreams of old negroes."

"To dream that your hands are covered with hair like that of a beast, signifies you will intrigue against innocent people, and will find that you have alert enemies who are working to forestall your designs."

"To dream of eating raisins implies that discouragements will darken your hopes when they seem about to be realized."

"If you drink lemonade in a dream, you will concur with others in signifying some entertainment as a niggardly device to raise funds for the personal enjoyment of others at your expense."

"To dream of a swollen head, you will have more good than bad in your life."

"To dream of seeing lobsters, denotes great favors, and riches will endow you."

"To see a horse in human flesh, descending on a hammock through the air, and as it nears your house is metamorphosed into a man, and he approaches your door and throws something at you which seems to be rubber but turns into great bees, denotes miscarriage of hopes and useless endeavors to regain lost valuables." [Ummm...]
posted by Gator at 9:06 PM on March 11, 2006

"To dream of eating pancakes, denotes that you will have excellent success in all enterprises undertaken at this time."

Come on...
posted by ParisParamus at 9:09 PM on March 11, 2006

Sadly, I've seen books with this kind of information floating around and I've seen more than one person take it seriously.
posted by Citizen Premier at 9:24 PM on March 11, 2006

What if I dream of Metafilter?
posted by TwelveTwo at 9:29 PM on March 11, 2006

No one can interpret your own dreams but you. Though once my Ph.D in sleep research is done, I will assist you for a modest fee. Hell, I'll do it now.
posted by Eideteker at 9:33 PM on March 11, 2006

Don't be so cynical. Obviously our dreams are trying to tell us random generalities that could apply everybody.

Actually, since this is so old, it no longer applies to just about anybody. Although I particularly enjoyed this one: To dream of preparing or eating Welsh rarebits, denotes that your affairs will assume a complicated state, owing to your attention being absorbed by artful women and enjoyment of neutral fancies.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:34 PM on March 11, 2006

"To see a horse in human flesh, descending on a hammock through the air, and as it nears your house is metamorphosed into a man, and he approaches your door and throws something at you which seems to be rubber but turns into great bees, denotes miscarriage of hopes and useless endeavors to regain lost valuables."

Whoa, dude! How'd you get in my head like that?
posted by maryh at 9:34 PM on March 11, 2006

"To see or feel the earthquake in your dream, denotes business failure and much distress caused from turmoils and wars between nations."

Paging bukharin and tkchrist...
posted by maryh at 9:41 PM on March 11, 2006

To dream of seeing a marmot, denotes impending danger to your johnson.
posted by thanatogenous at 9:58 PM on March 11, 2006

What if you dream of pancakes, but they're resting upon the heads of bunnies?
posted by SenshiNeko at 10:37 PM on March 11, 2006

"For a young woman to admire her own legs, denotes vanity....If she has hairy legs, she will dominate her husband."

Clearly, the author was worried about his masculinity : but, that was merely an unconscious ploy - in fact, he was gay and thus unattracted to women ( hairy legs or not ).
posted by troutfishing at 10:40 PM on March 11, 2006

To dream of writing a book of utter rubbish that would be discussed 105 years later denotes...
posted by Cranberry at 11:07 PM on March 11, 2006

Funny, I dreamt of marmots last night. I rode on one's back across a river of lava.
posted by arcticwoman at 11:08 PM on March 11, 2006

Were they exceptionally large marmots, or were you tiny? That would surely affect any interpretation.
posted by brundlefly at 11:32 PM on March 11, 2006

Do CGI scripts dream of Metafilter?
posted by NewBornHippy at 11:53 PM on March 11, 2006

A great modern, tongue-in-cheek dream dictionary is The Dream Dictionary for the Modern Dreamer (Tim Etchells).
posted by infravires at 12:21 AM on March 12, 2006

I just woke up from a dream about tossing cold cuts...like a whole stadium of people flinging them at each other...
posted by gren at 5:50 AM on March 12, 2006

What if I dream of Metafilter?

I just woke up from a dream about tossing cold cuts...like a whole stadium of people flinging them at each other...

Yeah, that sounds about right.
posted by Eideteker at 7:20 AM on March 12, 2006

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Sounds about DELICIOUS.
posted by luftmensch at 9:52 AM on March 12, 2006

I had a dream where I was naked on top of an Aztec temple, dressed like an eagle, and the crowd was throwing hot dogs at me.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:13 AM on March 12, 2006

Astro Zombie: Are you sure it wasn't a dream where you were standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid, with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?
posted by squarehead at 11:58 AM on March 12, 2006

No, I'm the only one who has that dream.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:52 PM on March 12, 2006

I dreamed of drinking liquid Ajax by mistake last night, then panicking and not being able to dial the number (which was given in letters and numbers) for the Poison Control Center (why doesn't it just say 911?).

I can't find that one in there...
posted by darksasami at 2:03 PM on March 12, 2006

To dream of electric sheep denotes that you are a robot.
posted by Citizen Premier at 7:36 PM on March 12, 2006