"To dream of foreign flags denotes ruptures and a breach of confidence"

June 15, 2018 9:18 AM

/r/somnivexillology, for the study of flags that appear in dreams.
posted by nebulawindphone (15 comments total)

I don’t know how to express my appreciation for something this weirdly specific. Could some or most or all of these be made up? Who cares! I love weird dream stuff. But I’m also the kind of person who likes Victorian dream dictionaries and books from the 60s about how certain shapes and colors in your dreams can predict the future. I’m genuinely glad to know that people get together to share and discuss weird-ass flags.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 9:34 AM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

Some of these reditors are pretty good at flags.

(obligatory 99PI TED talk about flags)
posted by Horkus at 9:48 AM on June 15, 2018

This somnivexillology
It's worth it for the fevered dream
I've been driving 'round listening to the score
posted by hawthorne at 9:49 AM on June 15, 2018

This is the best thing ever.
posted by egypturnash at 9:54 AM on June 15, 2018

Hah.

"From a dream, where Austrailia was never chartered by Britian, and the USSR instead found it, and created a puppet regime, the USAR"
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:19 AM on June 15, 2018

Wow I love this.
posted by Young Kullervo at 10:35 AM on June 15, 2018

Even the more conventional r/vexillology gets quite a few very well-done posts of fictional flags, often of the form "flag of country A in the style of country B."
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:42 AM on June 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

I was a little disappointed that this focused on national flags rather than dreams of men in sailor trousers doing synchronized semaphore routines, but I guess one can’t have everything.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:09 AM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

This is really interesting. I've heard it said many times that you can't properly read in dream, and I've had many mundane dreams suddenly become disorienting or nightmarish when I came across a book or a sign, usually escalating in stress until causing me to wake up.

I wonder if flags (or other symbols of pictographs) work in the same way. Like, your mind is unable to hold them in a steady state, so they break the narrative.
posted by es_de_bah at 11:22 AM on June 15, 2018

I was a little disappointed that this focused on national flags rather than dreams of men in sailor trousers doing synchronized semaphore routines, but I guess one can’t have everything.


No semaphore, but does this help?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:23 AM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

From r/vexillology:

This flag was inspired by my fascination with both the Paleozoic Era, and the Memphis Group.

Awesome.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:25 AM on June 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

Huh. I don't think I've ever seen a flag in my dreams (and I tend to dream pretty vividly). I wonder if I'll start seeing them now that I've been exposed to the idea and have looked at a bunch of these.
posted by treepour at 12:10 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

No semaphore, but does this help yt ?

It’s a start. My dreams are better, though.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:41 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

So just adding "somni"... hmmm.... I'm often using "cryptoentomology" - the study of hidden bugs - to describe our computer security researchers work. So I guess I can call the study of the hidden bugs our hackers dream about "somnicryptoentomology"? Neat.
posted by DreamerFi at 1:55 PM on June 15, 2018

That "nightmare UK flag" is metal as fuck. I love it, but I get why the poster woke up in a fright.

My city is edging closer to having a flag. Any one of these is so much better than what I fear we'll end up with.
posted by bryon at 9:26 PM on June 15, 2018