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'''Nostradamus''', ([[December 14]], [[1503]] – [[July |
'''Nostradamus''', ([[December 14]], [[1503]] – [[July 1]], [[1566]]) born '''Michel de Nostredame''', is considered by some to be one of the world's most famous Judicial [[astrologers]] and authors of [[prophecy|prophecies]]. He is most famous for his book '''''Les Propheties''''' which consists of rhymed quatrains (4‑line poems) grouped into sets of 100, called Centuries. |
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Many people say Nostradamus predicted a number of events in world history, including the [[French Revolution]] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/nos/oon/oon15.htm], the [[atom bomb]] [http://www.altereddimensions.net/mystical/Nostradamus.htm], the rise of [[Adolf Hitler]] [http://www.nostradamususa.com/html/quatrain_2_-_24.html] and the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11 attacks]] on the [[World Trade Center]][http://www.nostradamususa.com/html/quatrain_10-72.html] and other numerous prophecies from the [[16th Century]]. |
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==Life== |
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Others complain that enthusiasts after his death in 1566, have used Nostradamus to support any number of global events scholars say are not attributed to the author. In any event, the mystical quatrains of Nostradamus continue to be controversial as they have been for centuries since first published in the 16th century. |
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===Childhood=== |
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Born in [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]] (see [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/map.html map]) in the south of [[France]] in December 1503 (his claimed [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/cgi-bin/showtour.asp?img=30 birthplace] still exists), Michel de Nostredame was one of at least eight children of Reynière de St-Rémy and grain dealer Jaume de Nostredame, who was also a prosperous home-grown notary. The latter's family had originally been [[Jew]]ish, but Jaume's father, Guy Gassonet, had converted to [[Catholicism]] circa 1455, taking the Christian name 'Pierre' and the surname 'Nostredame' (the latter apparently from the saint's-day on which his conversion was solemnized). In this, he was merely following the example of thousands of others, thanks to increasing official French persecution of Jews, many of whom were the descendants of former refugees from Spain, where they were known as the ''[[Marranos]]''. The names of Nostredame's known forebears seem to reflect this. While practice of the ancestral religion was apparently continued in secret, nobody knows whether this applied to Nostredame's family, or whether it still applied to him two generations later. His adult religious leanings suggest, however, that his upbringing was devoutly Catholic. |
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==Biography== |
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His known siblings included Delphine, Jehan (''c.''1507-77), Pierre, Hector, Louis (''b.''1522), Bertrand, Jean and Antoine (''b.''1523). |
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Born in [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]] in the south of [[France]] on December 14, 1503, Michel de Nostredame was the son of a grain dealer who was also a prosperous notary. His family was originally Hebrew but had converted to [[Catholicism]] during the previous century. Some biographers say that Nostradamus was from the generation of the tribe of [[Issachar]] who were ancient judicial astrologers. Jean de Saint-Remy, Michel's maternal grandfather, was physician and [[astrologer]] to [[Rene' the Good]] (1434-80). Jean was best friends with a Pierre de Nostradame, a highly-respected pharmacist and physician to Rene's son. Both men traveled western Europe with a mobile apothecary - using astrology to heal the sick. |
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===Student years=== |
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Little is known about Nostredame's childhood, although there is a persistent tradition that he was educated by his maternal great-grandfather Jean de St-Rémy – which is vitiated by the equally persistent tradition that the latter died when the child was only one year old. It is known, however, that at the age of fifteen Nostredame entered the University of [[Avignon]] to study for his baccalaureate. After little more than a year (when he would have studied the regular ''[[Trivium]]'' of [[grammar]], [[rhetoric]] and [[logic]], rather than the later ''[[Quadrivium]]'' of [[geometry]], [[arithmetic]], [[music]] and [[astronomy]]/[[astrology]]) he was forced to leave Avignon when the university closed its doors in the face of an outbreak of [[Black Death|the plague]]. In 1529, after some years as an [[apothecary]], he entered the University of [[Montpellier]] to study for a doctorate in [[medicine]]. He was promptly expelled again shortly afterwards, though, when it was discovered that he had been an apothecary, which was a 'manual' trade expressly banned by the university statutes. The hand-written expulsion document (''BIU Montpellier, Register S 2 folio 87'' – see facsimile on p. 25 of Lemesurier [2] under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostradamus#Sources '''Sources''']) still exists in the faculty library. After his expulsion, Nostredame continued working, presumably as an apothecary (though some of his publishers and [http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=inedites&sp-a=sp1002c832&sp-p=all&sp-f=ISO-8859-1 correspondents] would later call him 'Doctor'), and became famous for creating a "rose pill" that was widely believed (not least by himself) to protect against the plague. |
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At a young age, Michel was said to have shown signs of high intelligence. His grandfather Jean asked that Michel be raised at his home. Michel's parents were elated since Jean was versed in the sciences, [[liberal arts]], and was well-traveled. In addition to the rudiments of [[literature]], [[philosophy]], and [[rhetoric]], he also was instructed in the subjects of [[medicine]], [[theology]], [[mathematics]], [[Arabic]], [[Greek]], [[Latin]] and [[Hebrew]], Jean gave the young Michel his first taste of the celestial sciences - teaching him classical judicial astrology. |
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===Marriage and healing work=== |
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In [[1531]] he was invited by [[Julius Caesar Scaliger|Jules-César Scaliger]], a leading [[Polymath|Renaissance scholar]], to come to [[Agen]]. There Nostredame married a woman whose name is still in dispute (possibly Henriette d'Encausse), but who bore him two children. In [[1534]], however, his wife and children died, presumably from the plague. After their death he continued to travel, passing through France and possibly [[Italy]]. |
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Scholars believe that after Jean's death, Michel returned to his parent's home and his education continued by his paternal grandfather, Pierre de Nostradame, who continued Michel's education of astrology and the use of [[herbs]] in healing. When the elder Pierre had taught Michel all he could, the fifteen-year-old entered the University of [[Avignon]] to study for his baccalaureate. Though apt in grammer, philosophy and rhetoric, Michel was said to show the greatest interest in judicial astrology. So marked was this early interest that as a result of his frequent discourses on the celestial movements that his classmates nicknamed him "the little astrologer." |
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On his return in 1545, he assisted the prominent physician Louis Serre in his fight against a major plague-outbreak in Marseille, and then tackled further outbreaks of disease on his own in [[Salon-de-Provence]] and in the regional capital, [[Aix-en-Provence]]. Finally, in [[1547]], he settled down in Salon-de-Provence in the [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/cgi-bin/showtour.asp?img=2 house] which is still there today, and where he married a rich widow named Anne Ponsarde (nicknamed ''Gemelle'', or 'Twinny') and eventually had six children – three daughters (Madeleine, Anne and Diane) and three sons (César, Charles and André). Between 1556 and 1567, Nostredame and his wife would in due course acquire a one-thirteenth share in a huge [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/cgi-bin/showtour.asp?img=52 canal project] organized by Adam de Craponne to irrigate largely waterless Salon and the nearby Désert de la Crau from the river [[Durance]]. Parts of the network remain today: thanks to much larger supplementary canals, there is even a hydroelectric station in Salon itself. |
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In 1522, at the age of 19 he started three years of intensive medical study while secretly working as an apothecary, he entered the University of [[Montpellier]] to study for a doctorate in [[medicine]], but was promptly expelled again when it was discovered that he had been an [[apothecary]], which was a 'manual' trade expressly banned by the university statutes. He then continued work as an [[apothecary]], and using astrological techniques, created a "rose pill" that was widely effective against the [[Black Death|the plague]]. |
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===The seer=== |
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After a further visit to Italy, Nostredame began to move away from medicine and towards the occult. Following popular trends, he wrote an [http://biblionostra.ath.cx/ almanac] for [[1550]], for the first time Latinizing his name to 'Nostradam''us'''. He was so encouraged by its success that he decided to write one or more annually. Taken together, they are known to have contained at least 6,338 prophecies (most of them, in the event, failed predictions – see Chevignard and Lemesurier [2] under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostradamus#Sources '''Sources''']), as well as at least eleven annual calendars, all of them starting on January 1 (and not, as is sometimes supposed, in March). It was mainly in reaction to the almanacs that nobility and other prominent persons from far and wide soon started asking for horoscopes and advice from him, though he generally expected ''them'' to supply the birth-charts on which the horoscopes would be based. |
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In [[1531]] he was invited by [[Julius Caesar Scaliger|Jules-César Scaliger]], a leading [[Polymath|Renaissance man]], to come to [[Agen]]. There Nostradamus married a woman whose name is still in dispute (possibly Henriette d'Encausse), but who bore him two children. In [[1534]], however, his wife and children died, presumably from the plague. After their death he continued to travel, passing through France and possibly [[Italy]]. |
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He then began his project of writing a book of one thousand [http://www.propheties.it/no/nostradamus.html quatrains], which constitute the largely undated prophecies for which he is most famous today. Feeling vulnerable to religious fanatics, however, he devised a method of obscuring his meaning by using "[[Virgil]]ianized" syntax, word games and a mixture of languages such as [[Provençal language|Provençal]], [[Ancient Greek|Greek]], [[Latin]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]. For technical reasons connected with their publication in three installments, the last fifty-eight quatrains of the seventh 'Century', or book of 100 verses, have not survived into any extant edition. |
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He settled down in [[1547]] in Salon-de-Provence, where he married a rich widow named Anne Ponsarde Gemelle and eventually had six children – three daughters and three sons. After a further visit to [[Italy]], he began to move away from medicine and towards the occult. He wrote astrological almanacs for the year [[1550]], for the first time Latinising his name to 'Nostradamus', and was so encouraged by its success that he decided to write one or more annually. Taken together, they are known to have contained at least 6,338 astrological prophecies, as well as at least 11 annual calendars. He then began his project of writing 1,000 [[quatrain]]s, which form the supposed prophecies for which he is famous today. Feeling vulnerable to religious fanatics, however, he devised a method of obscuring his meaning by using "[[Virgil]]ianised" syntax, word games and a mixture of languages such as [[Provençal language|Provençal]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Latin]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]. For technical reasons connected with their publication in three instalments, the last 58 [[quatrain]]s of the seventh 'Century', or book of 100 verses, were never published. |
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The quatrains, published in a book titled ''Les Propheties'' ('The Prophecies'), received a mixed reaction when they were published. Some people thought Nostradamus was a servant of evil, a fake, or insane, while many of the elite thought his quatrains were spiritually inspired prophecies. [[Catherine de' Medici|Catherine de Médicis]], the queen consort of King [[Henry_II_of_France|Henri II of France]], was one of Nostradamus' greatest admirers. After reading his almanacs for 1555, which hinted at unnamed threats to the royal family, she summoned him to [[Paris]] to explain them, and to draw up horoscopes for her children. At the time, he feared that he would be beheaded, but by the time of his death in [[1566]], Catherine had made him Counselor and Physician-in-Ordinary to the King. |
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The quatrains, written in a book titled "[[s:Les Propheties|Les Propheties]]", of "The Centuries" received a mixed reaction when they were published. The vulgar, or ignorant, thought Nostradamus was a servant of evil, a fake, or insane, while many of the elite thought his quatrains were spiritually inspired prophecies. A well-known judicial astrologer, nobility were coming from far and wide to receive horoscopes and astrological advice from him. [[Catherine de Médicis]], the queen consort of King [[Henri II of France]], was one of Nostradamus's admirers. |
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Some biographical accounts of Nostradamus' life state that he was afraid of being persecuted for [[heresy]] by the [[Inquisition]], but neither [[prophecy]] nor [[astrology]] fell under this bracket, and he would have been in danger only if he had practiced [[magic]] to support them. In fact, his relations with the [[Church]] as a prophet and healer were always excellent. His brief imprisonment at Marignane in late 1561 came about purely because he had published his 1562 almanac without the prior permission of a bishop, contrary to a recent royal decree. |
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The book of prophecies, nonetheless, was all the rage among the Paris royalty and the first edition, printed in 1555, contained only the [[Preface]] along with Centuries I-III complete and Century IV with only 53 quatrains. |
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===Final years and death=== |
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By [[1566]] Nostradamus' [[gout]], which had plagued him painfully for many years and made movement very difficult, turned into [[edema|dropsy]]. In late June he summoned his lawyer to draw up an extensive will bequeathing his property plus 3444 crowns (around $300,000 today) – minus a few debts – to his wife pending her remarriage, in trust for her sons pending their twenty-fifth birthdays and her daughters pending their marriages. This was followed by a much shorter codicil. On the evening of July 1 he is alleged to have told his secretary Jean de Chavigny, "You will not find me alive by sunrise." The next morning he was reportedly found dead, lying on the floor between his bed and a makeshift bench. He was buried in the local Franciscan chapel (part of it now incorporated into the restaurant ''La Brocherie'''), but re-interred in the [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/cgi-bin/showtour.asp?img=12 Collégiale St-Laurent] at the French Revolution, where his [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/cgi-bin/showtour.asp?img=13 tomb] remains to this day. |
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The French royal court were speculating the meaning of one of Nostradamus' prophecies located in Century I, Quatrain 35, which forecasted the death of King Henry II: |
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==Methods== |
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Nostradamus claimed to base his predictions on [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/preface.html judicial astrology] – the assessment of the 'astrological quality' of expected future events – but was heavily criticized by professional astrologers of the day such as [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/videl/videl.htm Laurens Videl] for his incompetence and for assuming that 'comparative horoscopy' (comparison of future planetary configurations with the astrology of known past events) could predict the actual events themselves. |
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"The young lion will overcome the old one |
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Recent research (Brind'Amour [1], Prévost, Gruber, Lemesurier [2] and [3]) has suggested that most of his prophetic work was in fact based on paraphrasing collections of ancient [[eschatology|end-of-the-world]] prophecies (mainly [[Bible]]-based – the end of the world was expected at the time to occur in either 1800 or 1887, or possibly in 2242, depending on the [http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=Roussat&sp-a=sp1002c832&sp-p=all&sp-f=ISO-8859-1 system adopted]) and supplementing their insights by projecting known historical events and identifiable anthologies of [[omen]]-reports into the future with the aid of comparative horoscopy. It is thanks to this that his work contains so many predictions involving ancient figures such as [[Sulla]], [[Marius]], [[Nero]], [[Hannibal]] and so on, as well as descriptions of "battles in the clouds" and "frogs falling from the sky". Astrology itself is mentioned only twice in Nostradamus' [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/preface.html ''Preface''], and 41 times in the [http://www.propheties.it/no/nostradamus.html ''Centuries''] themselves, though rather more in his famously baffling dedicatory [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/letter.html ''Letter to King Henri II'']. |
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On the field of battle in single combat: |
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He will put out his eyes in a cage of gold: |
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Two fleets one, then to die a cruel death" |
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Queen de Medici summoned Nostradamus to Paris to explain the quatrain and to draw up the horoscopes of her children. So impressed she was by his discipline, discretion and astrological knowledge, she forced Henry to give Nostradamus a royal purse. Nostradamus was later made Counselor and Physician-in-Ordinary to the King. |
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His historical sources include easily identifiable passages from [[Livy]], [[Suetonius]], [[Plutarch]] and a range of other classical historians, as well as from the chronicles of medieval authors such as Villehardouin and [[Froissart]]. Many of his broader astrological references, by contrast, are taken almost word-for-word from the [http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=Roussat&sp-a=sp1002c832&sp-p=all&sp-f=ISO-8859-1 ''Livre de l'estat et mutations des temps''] of 1549/50 by Richard Roussat. Even the planetary tables, already published by professional astrologers, on which he based the birth-charts that he was unable to avoid preparing himself are easily identifiable by their detailed figures, even where (as is usually the case) he gets some of them wrong. (Refer to the seminal analysis of these charts by Brind'Amour, 1993, under [[#Sources|Sources]], and compare Gruber's comprehensive critique of Nostradamus’ horoscope for Crown Prince Rudolph Maximilian). |
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In the summer of 1559, four years after Nostradamus made the prediction, the House of France celebrated two marriages and on June 28, three days of festivities were highlighted by tournaments in the rue Saint-Antoine. King Henry II took part in the first two days. At sunset of the third day, July 1, Henry rode against Gabriel de Lorges, Comte. de Montgomery, Captain of the Scottish Guard. Failing to unseat him on his horse with lance on arm, Henry insisted on another bout. The horses charged and the lances met, but Montgomery's lance met the king's golden visor and splittered. Dropping his lance too late, the jagged point pierced the King's visor and was thrust through Henry's eye. The King reeled, clutched the pommel of his saddle and fell into the arms of his grooms. After surviving 10 days in utter agony, he died on July 10 - fulfilling the astrological prophecy of Nostradamus. |
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His major prophetic source was evidently the [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/mirabilis/mirabilis.html ''Mirabilis liber''] of 1522 (Brind'Amour, Lemesurier [2] and [3]), which contained a range of prophecies by [[Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius|Pseudo-Methodius]], the Tiburtine [[Sibyl]], [[Joachim of Fiore]], [[Savonarola]] and others (his Preface contains no fewer than 24 biblical quotations, all but two of them in exactly the same order as [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/savonarola/savonarola.htm Savonarola]). The book had enjoyed considerable success in the 1520s, when it went through half-a-dozen editions (see '''Links''' below for facsimiles and translations). The obvious question – why the ''Mirabilis liber'' did not sustain its influence in the way that Nostadamus’ writings did – is explained mainly by the fact that the book (like the Bible) was mostly in Latin and in Gothic script and, to make matters even more complicated for the general reader, contained many abstruse scholastic abbreviations. Nostradamus was, in effect, one of the first to present its prophecies (and others) openly in the French vernacular – as was also happening to the Bible at the time – which is no doubt why he has retained all the credit for them. The ''Mirabilis liber'', (some of the predictions of which had already lapsed by the time Nostradamus started writing) was not [http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=sp1002c832&sp-f=ISO-8859-1&sp-q=Bricon&sp-p=all translated into French] until 1831 – and this mainly for scholarly and antiquarian reasons at a time when knowledge of Latin was beginning to die out. See selected Engilsh translations from it [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/mirabilis/mirabilis-en.htm here]. |
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By [[1566]] Nostradamus's [[gout]], which had painfully plagued him for many years and made movement very difficult, finally turned into [[dropsy]]. At the beginning of July, after making an extended will and a much shorter codicil, he is alleged to have told his secretary Jean de Chavigny, "You will not find me alive by sunrise." The next morning he was reportedly found dead, lying on the floor between his bed and a makeshift bench. |
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Meanwhile, if Nostradamus' many competitors – and he had many – never accused him of copying from it, it was because copying and/or paraphrasing, far from being regarded (as it is today) as mere plagiarism, was regarded at the time as what all good, educated people should do anyway. The whole Renaissance was based on the idea. Copying from the classics in particular, often without acknowledgement, and preferably from memory, was all the rage. Only in the 17th century did people start to be surprised by the fact that much of his output was evidently based on earlier and often classical originals – which was no doubt why, according to the early commentator Théophile de Garencières, his ''Prophecies'' started to be used as a classroom-reader at that time. Nostradamus, it should be remembered, denied in writing on several occasions that he was a prophet on his own account. In translation: |
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Some biographical accounts of Nostradamus' life state that he was afraid of being persecuted for [[heresy]] by the [[Inquisition]], but neither [[prophecy]] nor [[astrology]] fell under this bracket, and he would have been in danger only if he had practised [[magic]] to support them. In fact, his relations with the [[Church]] as a prophet and healer were always excellent. His brief imprisonment at Marignane in late 1561 came about purely because he had published his 1562 [[almanac]] without the prior permission of a bishop, contrary to a recent royal decree. |
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:''Although, my son, I have used the word 'prophet', I would not attribute to myself a title of such lofty sublimity'' — Preface to César, 1555 |
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==Judicial Astrology and methods of prophecy== |
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:''Not that I would attribute to myself either the name or the role of a prophet'' — Preface to César, 1555 |
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Nostradamus was clearly familiar with the Latinized printed editions of a range of esoteric writings translated from the ancient Hebrew and Arabic astrological and prophetic texts. He was an excellent judicial astrologer and based his prophecies on astrological principles far ahead of contemporaries of his era. He was particularly adept in Arab astrological techniques and consumed the the Latin-translated works spread throughout western Europe. |
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:''...and some of [the prophets] predicted great and marvelous happenings: [though,] for me, I in no way attribute to myself such a title'' — Letter to King Henri II, 1558 |
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Nicknamed the "little astrologer" during his childhood, Nostradamus was known to constantly talk to friends and classmates about the motions and influences of the [[Sun]], [[Moon]] [[planets]] and [[stars]]. His medical studies of the day were strictly astrological before entering university. This accounted for Nostradamus' frequent clashes with the doctors and professors of the time who believed bleeding patients would heal them. Nostradamus was centuries ahead of his time as a medical doctor. |
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:''I do but make bold to predict (not that I guarantee the slightest thing at all), thanks to my researches and the consideration of what judicial Astrology promises me and sometimes gives me to know, principally in the form of warnings, so that folk may know that with which the celestial stars do threaten them. Not that I am foolish enough to pretend to be a prophet...'' — Open letter to Privy Councillor (later Chancellor) Birague, 15th June 1566 |
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He felt the constant bleeding of patients suffering from the plague was only bringing them closer to death. Nostradamus preferred using plants and [[herbs]] to heal the sick. His constant demands for cleaniness in hospital environments he considered filthy added to his wealth of enemies who cared little for his lectures to them on invading [[bacteria]] that could enter a patient's body. He often demanded doctors constantly wash their hands and arms before touching patients. He was often laughed and derided because conventional doctors of the era said they did not believe in bacteria because they could not see the germs. |
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This last is presumably why he entitled his book |
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{| align=center style="border: 0px; text-align: center;" |
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|LES<br />'''PROPHETIES'''<br />DE M. MICHEL<br />NOSTRADAMUS |
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(which, in French, as easily means 'The Prophecies, ''by'' M. Michel Nostradamus' – which is precisely what they were – as 'The Prophecies ''of'' M. Michel Nostradamus' – which, except in a few cases, they weren't, other than in the manner of their editing, expression and re-application to the future). Any criticism of Nostradamus for claiming to be a prophet, in other words, would have been for doing what he never claimed to be doing in the first place. |
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His historical sources include easily identifiable passages from [[Livy]], [[Suetonius]], [[Plutarch]] and a range of other classical historians, as well as from the chronicles of medieval authors such as Villehardouin and [[Froissart]]. Many of his astrological references, by contrast, are taken almost word-for-word from the ''Livre de l'estat et mutations des temps'' of 1549/50 by Richard Roussat. |
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Further material (see Brind'Amour, Gruber, Lemesurier [2] and [3]) was gleaned from the ''De honesta disciplina'' of 1504 by [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/crinito/crinito.htm Petrus Crinitus], which included extracts from [[Michael Psellus]]'s ''De daemonibus'' and the ''[[De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum]]''..." (Concerning the mysteries of Egypt...), a book on Chaldean and Assyrian magic by [[Iamblichus]], a 4th-century neo-Platonist. Latin versions of both had recently been published in [[Lyon]], and extracts from both are paraphrased (in the second case almost literally) in his first two verses. While it is true that Nostradamus claimed in 1555 to have burned all the occult works in his library, no one can say exactly what books were destroyed in this fire. The fact that they reportedly burned with an unnaturally brilliant flame suggests, however, that some of them were manuscripts on [[vellum]], which was routinely treated with [[saltpeter]]. |
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His major prophetic source was evidently the ''Mirabilis liber'' of 1522, which contained a range of prophecies by Pseudo-[[Methodius]], the Tiburtine [[Sibyl]], [[Joachim of Fiore]], [[Savonarola]] and others (his Preface contains no less than 24 biblical quotations, all but two of them in exactly the same order as Savonarola). Further material was gleaned from Petrus Crinitus's ''De honesta disciplina'' of 1504, which included extracts from [[Psellus]]'s ''De daemonibus'' and the ''[[De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum]]''..." (Concerning the mysteries of Egypt...), a book on Chaldean and Assyrian magic by [[Iamblichus]], a 4th‑century neo-Platonist. Latin versions of both had recently been published in [[Lyon]]. |
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Given that his methodology, clearly, was mainly literary, it is doubtful whether Nostradamus used any particular methods for entering a [[trance]] state, other than [[contemplation]], [[meditation]] and incubation (i.e. ritually 'sleeping on it'). His sole description of this process is contained in [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/inedites/inedites3.htm letter 41] of his collected Latin correspondence, as republished by Jean Dupèbe and translated by Lemesurier [2]. The popular legend that he attempted the ancient methods of flame gazing, water gazing or both simultaneously is based on an uninformed reading of his first two verses (see above), which merely liken his own efforts to those of the Delphic and Branchidic [[oracle]]s. In his dedication to King Henri II Nostradamus describes "emptying my soul, mind and heart of all care, worry and unease through mental calm and tranquility", but his frequent references to the "bronze tripod" of the [[Delphi]]c rite are usually preceded by the words "as though". |
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While it is true that Nostradamus claimed in 1555 to have burned all the occult works in his library, no one can say exactly what books were destroyed in this fire. Nostrdamus claimed they were ancient books on execrable magic - which he considered dangerous should the books fall into the wrong hands. The fact that they reportedly burned with an unnaturally brilliant flame suggests, however, that some of them were manuscripts on [[vellum]], which was routinely treated with [[saltpetre]]. |
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==Works== |
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[[Image:Nostradamus prophecies.jpg|thumb|right|A copy of his ''Prophecies'' dated 1672, located at The P.I. Nixon Medical History Library of The [[University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio]].]] |
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Scholars say that in his Preface to Cesar, Nostradamus writes to a future astrologer, who as his "spiritual son", would in the 21st Century, unlock the keys to all his astrological prophecies. Nostradmus writes - |
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[http://www.propheties.it/no/nostradamus.html '''''The Prophecies'''''] - In this book he collected his major, long-term divinations. The first edition was published in [[1555]]. The second, with 289 further prophetic verses, was printed in [[1557]]. The third edition, with three hundred new quatrains, was reportedly printed in [[1558]], but nowadays only survives as part of the omnibus edition that was published after his death in [[1568]]. Given printing practices at the time, no two editions turned out to be identical, and it is relatively rare to find even two ''copies'' that are exactly the same. |
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''"Events of human origin are uncertain, but all is regulated and governed by the incalculable power of God, inspiring us not through drunken fury, nor by frantic movement, but through the influences of the stars. Only those divinely inspired can predict particular things in a prophetic spirit."'' |
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The [http://biblionostra.ath.cx/ '''''Almanacs'''''] - By far the most popular of his works, these were published annually from 1550 until his death. Often he published two or even three in a single year, entitled either ''Almanachs'' (detailed predictions), ''Prognostications'' or ''Presages'' (more generalized predictions). See also [http://www.propheties.it/sitemap.htm here]. |
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Nostradamus continues to write in his preface stating - |
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Nostradamus was not only a diviner, but a professional healer, too. We know that he wrote at least two books on medical science. One was an alleged "translation" of [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/biblio/galen.htm Galen], and in his so-called [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/1555opuscole/opuscole.html '''''Traité des fardemens'''''] (basically a medical cookbook containing, once again, materials borrowed mainly from others) he included a description of the methods he used to treat the plague – none of which (not even the bloodletting) apparently worked. The same book also describes the preparation of [[cosmetics]]. |
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''"As for ourselves, who are but human, we can discover nothing of the obscure secrets of God the Creator by our own unaided knowledge or by the bent of out ingenuity. It is not for you to know times or hours, etc. However, now, or in the future there may be persons to whom God the Creator, through fanciful impressions, wishes to reveal some secrets of the future - integrated with judicial astrology - in much the same manner that in the past a certain power and voluntary faculty came over them like a flame, causing them to judge human and divine inspirations alike. For of the divine works, those which are absolute God completes; those which are medial, the [[angels]]; and the third kind, the evil spirits."'' |
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A manuscript normally known as the [http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=Orus&sp-a=sp1002c832&sp-p=all&sp-f=ISO-8859-1 '''''Orus Apollo'''''] also exists in the [[Lyon]] municipal library, where upwards of 2000 original documents relating to Nostradamus are stored under the aegis of Michel Chomarat. It is a purported translation of an ancient Greek work on [[Egypt]]ian [[hieroglyphs]] based on later, Latin versions, all of them unfortunately ignorant of the true meanings of the ancient Egyptian script, which was not in fact deciphered until the advent of [[Champollion]] in the 19th century. |
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Nostradamus '''clearly''' used applied principles of judicial astrology. He was strict in maintaining that those who practice "magic" were to be damned by God and that magic was forbidden - |
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Since his death, only the ''Prophecies'' have continued to be popular, but in this case they have been quite extraordinarily so. Indeed, they have seldom, if ever, been out of print. This may be due partly to popular unease about the future, partly to people's desire to see their lives in some kind of over-all cosmic perspective and so to give meaning to them – but above all, possibly, to their vagueness and lack of dating, which enables them to be wheeled out after every major dramatic event and retrospectively claimed as 'hits'. |
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''"Furthermore, my son, I beg that you will never want to employ your understanding on such dreams and vanities as dry up the body, put the soul in perdition and cause trouble to the weak senses. I caution you especially against the vanity of the more than execrable magic; condemned of yore by the Holy Scriptures and by the Canons of the Church.'' |
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==Hazards of interpretation== |
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Skeptics of Nostradamus state that his reputation as a prophet is largely manufactured by modern-day supporters who shoehorn his words into events that have either already occurred or are so imminent as to be inevitable, a process known as "[[retroactive clairvoyance]]". It has been stated, probably correctly, that no Nostradamus quatrain has ever been interpreted as predicting a specific event ''before'' it occurred beyond a very general level (e.g., a fire will occur, a war will start). |
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''"However, [[judicial astrology]] is excepted from this judgement. For it is by this, together with divine inspiration and revelation, and continual nightly watches and calculations, that we have reduced our [[prophecies]] to writing."'' |
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A good demonstration of this flexible predicting is to take lyrics written by modern songwriters (e.g., [[Bob Dylan]]) and show that they are equally "prophetic". (For Dylan see ''Masters Of War , As I Went Out One Morning, Gates Of Eden, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding''), etc.) |
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There are those who would attempt to say that Nostradamus used [[astrology]] just a little bit and that he was not heavily invested in the celestial sciences. But, from his own writings, Nostradamus makes clear that his prophecies are based in judicial astrology and he says so in the Preface to Cesar, in his book, "The Centuries" - |
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Some scholars believe that Nostradamus wrote not to be a prophet, but to comment on events that were happening in his own time, writing in his elusive way – using highly metaphorical and cryptic language – in order to avoid persecution. This is similar to the [[Preterism|Preterite]] interpretation of the [[Book of Revelation]]; [[John of Patmos|John (the Divine)]] intended to write only about contemporary events, but over time his writings became seen as prophecies. |
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''"But what I do want to make clear to you is the judgement obtained through the calculation of the heavens. By this one has knowledge of future events while rejecting completely all fantastic things one may imagine. With divine and supernatural inspiration integrated with astrological computations; one can name places and periods of time accurately; an occult property obtained through divine virtue, power and ability. By means of this, past, present, and future become but one eternity: for all things are naked and open."'' |
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The well-known prophecy that "a great and terrifying leader would come out of the sky" in [[1999]] and 7 months "to resuscitate the great King from [[Angoumois]]" has been much over-stated. The phrase ''d'effraieur'' (of terror) in fact occurs nowhere in the original printing, which merely uses the word ''deffraieur'' (defraying, hosting). On the basis of Nostradamus's by-now well known technique of projecting past events into the future, Lemesurier [3] suggests that [http://www.propheties.it/no/decima%20centuria/c10q72.htm X.72] therefore refers back to the restoration to health of the captive [[Francis I]] of France (who was Duke of [[Angoulême]]) following a surprise visit to his cell by his host, the then Holy Roman Emperor [[Charles V]] in 1525. No fewer than five of the planets were in the same signs on both occasions. |
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== His works == |
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The bulk of the quatrains deal with disasters of various sorts. The disasters include plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, battles and many other related themes. Some quatrains cover these in over-all terms; others concern a single person or small group of persons. Some cover a single town, others several towns in several countries. All of them are presented in the context of the supposedly imminent end of the world – a conviction that sparked numerous collections of [[eschatology|end-time prophecies]] at the time, not least an unpublished collection by [[Christopher Columbus]]. |
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[[Image:Nostradamus prophecies.jpg|thumb|right|A copy of his ''Prophecies'' dated 1672, located at The P.I. Nixon Medical History Library of The [[University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio]].]] |
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''The Prophecies'' - In this book he collected his major, long-term divinations. The first edition was published in [[1555]]. The second, with 289 further prophetic verses, was printed in [[1557]]. The third edition, with three hundred new [[quatrains]], was reportedly printed in [[1558]], but nowadays only survives as part of the omnibus edition that was published after his death in [[1568]]. Thanks to printing practices at the time, no two editions turned out to be identical, and it is relatively rare to find even two ''copies'' exactly the same. |
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==Misquotes and hoaxes== |
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Nostradamus enthusiasts have credited him with predicting numerous events in world history, including the [[French Revolution]], the [[Nuclear weapon|atom bomb]], the rise of [[Adolf Hitler]] and the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11 attacks]] on the [[World Trade Center]]. Indeed, they regularly make similar claims regarding each new world crisis as it comes along, for the most part shamelessly twisting either the words or the events to fit (see specific examples below). The tradition goes right back to Nostradamus' own day, and naturally does the seer himself no favors. |
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The ''Almanacs'' - By far the most popular of his works, these were published annually from 1550 until his death. Often he published two or even three in a single year, entitled either ''Almanachs'' (detailed predictions), ''Prognostications'' or ''Presages'' (more generalised predictions). |
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Nostradamus does not in fact mention any of the above specifically, not even Hitler: the name ''Hister'', as he himself explains in his ''Presage'' for 1554, is merely the classical name for the Lower Danube, while ''Pau, Nay, Loron'' – often claimed to be an anagram of 'Napaulon Roy'– evidently refers simply to three neighboring towns in south-western France close to the seer's one-time home territory. This linguistic sleight of hand is particularly easy to carry out when the would-be commentator knows no French to start with, especially in its 16th-century form – to say nothing of French geography. Not surprisingly, then, detractors see such 'edited' predictions as examples of [[vaticinium ex eventu|''vaticinium ex eventu'']], retroactive clairvoyance and [[selective thinking]], which find non-existent patterns in ambiguous statements. Because of this, it has been claimed that Nostradamus is "100% accurate at predicting events ''after'' they happen", while the seer has acquired even more disrepute than he possibly deserves. |
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Nostradamus was not only an excellent scientific [[astrologer]], but a professional healer, too; in the ancient tradition of judicial astrology, who were also medical doctors of note. We know that he wrote at least two books on medical science. One was an alleged "translation" of [[Galen]], and in his so-called ''Traité des fardemens'' he included a description of the methods he used to treat the [[plague]] . The same book also describes the preparation of [[cosmetics]] that were popular with the Parisian royalty and court. |
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Certainly, there is a persistent tendency to claim that 'Nostradamus predicted whatever has just happened'. As mentioned above, this applied most recently to the September 11, 2001 attacks on [[New York City]]. Almost as soon as the event had happened, the relevant Internet sites were deluged with enquiries into whether Nostradamus had predicted the event. In response, Nostradamus enthusiasts started searching for a Nostradamus quatrain that could be said to have done so. The nearest that they could come up with was [http://www.propheties.it/no/sesta%20centuria/c6q97.htm quatrain VI.97], which in the original 1557 edition ran: |
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A manuscript normally known as the "Orus Apollo" also exists in the [[Lyon]] municipal library, where upwards of 2000 original documents relating to Nostradamus are stored under the aegis of Michel Chomarat. It is a purported translation of an ancient Greek work on [[Egypt]]ian [[hieroglyphs]] based on later, [[Latin]] versions, all of them unfortunately ignorant of the true meanings of the ancient Egyptian script, which was not in fact deciphered until the advent of [[Champollion]] in the 19th century. |
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:''Cinq & quarante degrés ciel bruslera, |
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:''Feu approucher de la grand cité neufve,'' |
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:''Instant grand flamme esparse saultera,'' |
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:''Quant on voudra des [[Normans]] faire preuve:'' |
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Since his death, only the ''Prophecies'' have continued to be popular, but in this case they have been quite extraordinarily so. Indeed, they have seldom, if ever, been out of print. The reason for this may be due partly to popular unease about the future, partly to people's desire to see their lives in some kind of over-all cosmic perspective and so to give meaning to the world we inhabit. Because Nostradamus purposefully constructed his quatrains to be read only by those "practicing the sacred rite" as he wrote, the difficulty of interpreting them cause many to attribute events to Nostradamus' prophecies - frequently misquoting him. |
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With ''instant'' evidently a version of the Latin ''instanter'' ('violently, vehemently'), a reasonable English translation would thus appear to be: |
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==Skepticism== |
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:Five and forty degrees, the sky shall burn: |
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:To great ‘New City’ shall the fire draw nigh. |
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:With vehemence the flames shall spread and churn |
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:When with the [[Normans]] they conclusions try. |
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Scholars of the prophecies of Nostradamus have complained that his reputation as a prophet is earned, but that most, if not all of his prophecies have many times been manipulated by modern-day supporters who shoehorn his words into events that have not taken place as yet. No one knows if Nostradamus' quatrains has been interpreted before some events have happened. However, the many Nostradamus commentators after his death continue to lack training, and knowledge of judicial astrology, and its principles, and this causes consternation among skeptics and supporters alike who try to unlock his prophecies without [[astrological]] knowledge Nostradamus used to date his volumious prophecies. |
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The various ways in which the enthusiasts chose to interpret the text, however, were almost universally panned by experts on the subject (compare the relevant sections of the Snopes and Lemesurier websites listed under [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nostradamus&action=submit#External_links '''External Links'''] below, and see Gruber p.419 and Lemesurier [2] pp. 145-6 under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostradamus#Sources '''Sources''']). 'Five and forty degrees' was said to be the latitude of New York City (this being incorrect in itself), or was interpreted as '40.5 degrees' (even though the decimal point had not yet come into use in the Europe of Nostradamus' day); the 'New City' was claimed to be New York (even though Nostradamus refers in this way to various 'New Cities' whose names, unlike 'New York', literally mean 'New City', and especially [[Naples]] – from Greek ''Neapolis'', 'new city'); and most of the attempts to fit in the 'Normans' seemed contrived at best. After the factual nature of these claims was widely denied, some suggested instead that the first line might refer to the actual angle at which one of the hijacked airliners hit the World Trade Center (which seemed unlikely, even if the rest had fitted). |
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The bulk of the astrological quatrains deal with a host of global disasters of various sorts. The disasters include [[plagues]], [[earthquakes]], [[wars]], [[floods]], invasions, murders, [[droughts]], [[famines]], battles and many other themes. Some quatrains cover these in over-all terms; others concern a single person or small group of persons. Some cover a single town, others several towns in several countries. Nostradamus was the first to mention the name of the country [[America]] and he correctly forecast the [[French Revolution]] over two hundred years prior to the event; the birth and rise of French tyrant [[Napoleon]]; the [[Russian Revolution]]; the rise of [[Adolph Hitler]] and the start of [[World War II]]. |
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All of them are presented in the context of the supposedly imminent [[end of the world]] – a conviction that sparked numerous collections of end-time prophecies at the time, not least an unpublished collection by [[Christopher Columbus]]. |
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Lemesurier ([3], pp. 246-7; but compare Clébert) suggests that the verse is merely an undated projection into the future of the capture of Naples by the Normans in 1139 during a year marked by a notably violent eruption of nearby Mount [[Vesuvius]] that is recorded in the contemporary ''Annales Cassini''. In this case, the first expression may simply be a version of |
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:''Cinq[ante minutes] & quarante degrés'' |
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– which is indeed the latitude of Naples. |
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Nostradamus says in his prophecies that "thousands of other events will come to pass, because of floods and continual rains" and that the world is nearing a time of imminent danger due to the evil of the people in the world. He states again, in his Preface to Cesar that - |
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Perhaps in frustration, the searchers now turned to [http://www.propheties.it/no/prima%20centuria/c1q87.htm quatrain I.87], which in the original 1555 edition ([[Albi]] copy) ran: |
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''''''"You must see now, my son, that I find by my calculations, which are according to revealed inspiration, that the sword of death is now approaching us, in the shape of pestilence, war more horrible than has been known in three lifetimes, and famine. This famine will fall upon the earth, and return there often, according to the words, 'I will visit their iniquities with a rod of iron, and will strike them with blows'."''''' |
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:''Ennosigée feu du centre de terre'' |
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:''Fera trembler au tour de cité neufve:'' |
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:''Deux grands rochiers long temps feront la guerre'' |
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:''Puis [[Arethusa]] rougira nouveau fleuve.'' |
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''''''"For the mercy of the Lord, my son, will not be extended at all for a long time, not until most of my prophecies will have been accomplished, and will be accomplishment have become rsolved. Then, several times during the sinister tempests, the Lord will say, ' I will trample them, and break them, and not show pity.'"''''' |
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or, in a possible English translation: |
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==Misquotes and Hoaxes== |
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:Earth-shaking fires from the world’s centre roar: |
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:Around ‘New City’ is the earth a-quiver. |
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:Two nobles long shall wage a fruitless war, |
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:The nymph of springs pour forth a new, red river. |
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During the latter part of his life and following his death in [[1566]] there have emerged many prophecies falsely attibuted to Nostradamus such as the Sixains for year [[1605]]. Nostradamus' writings have frequently been misquoted and, in some instances, even deliberately altered as hoaxes. The works of Les Propheties stands on its own and the folly of hoaxes and misquotes strengthens the original decision of Nostradamus to couch his prophecies in a method very hard to decipher without the proper knowledge and understanding of judicial astrology, and world history. |
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Here, once again, the ''cité neufve'' was claimed to be New York; ''au tour de'' had to refer to the Twin Towers (even though, in French, the word ''tour'' in the masculine – as it is here – has absolutely nothing to do with towers); the ''Deux grands rochiers'' had to be the Twin Towers themselves; and ''Arethusa'' was (naturally!) an anagram of 'the USA'. Once again, however, rather more sober investigation by Brind'Amour ([2, p. 170) had already revealed (bearing in mind that, in French, ''faire la guerre aux rochers'', or 'to make war on the rocks', simply means 'to struggle fruitlessly') that the reference was probably to Naples and its nearby volcano. Subsequent investigation by Lemesurier ([3], pp. 40-41) and his colleagues suggested that it applied particularly to the ''Annales Cassini'''s report of its [[lava]] eruption of 1036, at a time when the [[Lombards]] of [[Capua]] and the [[Byzantine]] dukes of Naples were constantly at war over the city prior to the decisive intervention of the Normans. For 968, similarly, Leo Marsicanus had reported in the same annals that ‘Mount Vesuvius exploded into flames and sent out huge quantities of sticky, sulfurous matter that formed a river rushing down to the sea’. Thus, given that Arethusa was the classical nymph of springs and rivers, with a well-known 'spring of Arethusa' still visible today in the Sicilian port of [[Syracuse]], the case for a '9/11' interpretation was evidently unfounded. |
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There is a persistent tendency to claim that 'Nostradamus predicted whatever has just happened' by the uneducated. Many of those making such claims have never heard of or even read Les Propheties. Since the advent of the [[Internet]], many prophecies have even been fabricated outright. For example, after the [[September 11 Terrorist Attacks]], the following was circulated on the Internet along with many more elaborate variants: |
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Meanwhile the following spoof text was already being circulated on the Internet, along with many more elaborate variants (one of them signed 'Nostradamus 1654' – when he would, of course, have been just 150 years old!): |
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: ''In the City of God there will be a great thunder,'' |
: ''In the City of God there will be a great thunder,'' |
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: ''The third big war will begin when the big city is burning'' |
: ''The third big war will begin when the big city is burning'' |
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As it turns out, the first four lines were indeed written before the attacks, but by a [[Canada|Canadian]] graduate student named Neil Marshall as part of a research paper in [[1997]]. Ironically enough, the research paper included this poem as an illustrative example of how the validity of prophecies is often exaggerated. For example, the |
As it turns out, the first four lines were indeed written before the attacks, but by a [[Canada|Canadian]] graduate student named Neil Marshall as part of a research paper in [[1997]]. Ironically enough, the research paper included this poem as an illustrative example of how the validity of prophecies is often exaggerated. For example, the "City of God" (why is [[New York City]] the City of God?), "great thunder" (could apply to just about any disaster), "Two brothers" (lots of things come in pairs), and "the great leader will succumb" phrases are so ambiguous as to be meaningless. The fifth line was added by an anonymous Internet user, showing obvious alteration since Nostradamus wrote his ''Propheties'' in four-line verses called [[quatrain|quatrains]]. Nostradamus also never actually referred to a "third big war". |
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: ''Come the millennium, month 12'' |
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To verify the authenticity of a purported Nostradamus quatrain, compare the identifying number (e.g.: C1, Q25 or 'I.25' means Century 1, Quatrain 25) against an authoritative version of Nostradamus' works, which will probably also contain the original old French – or click on the appropriate [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nostradamus&action=submit#External_links '''External Links'''] below to see facsimiles of the originals. |
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: ''In the home of greatest power,'' |
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: ''The village idiot will come forth'' |
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: ''To be acclaimed the leader.'' |
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This was supposed, of course, to refer to the election of [[George W. Bush]] as President of the [[United States]]. |
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To verify the authenticity of a purported Nostradamus quatrain, compare the identifying number (e.g.: C1, Q25 or 'I.25' means Century 1, Quatrain 25) against an authoritative version of Nostradamus's works, which will likely also contain the original old French – or click on the appropriate link below to see facsimiles of the originals. Even the Preface and the Epistle to [[Henri II]] have been assigned numbers (e.g. PF50, EP102). |
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==Nostradamus in popular culture== |
==Nostradamus in popular culture== |
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=== |
===Television=== |
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The television series ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' prominently features the character [[Milo Rambaldi]], a fictional Nostradamus-like prophet. In the [[science fiction]] series ''[[First wave|First Wave]]'', the protagonists use the quatrains of Nostradamus to fight back against an alien invasion. Nostradamus has also been parodied on Comedy Central's ''[[Chappelle's Show]]'' as [[Negrodamus]]. |
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He is the subject of many films and videos, including: |
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=== Film === |
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He is the subject of many films and videos, including: |
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*{{imdb title | id=0081109 | title=Nostradamus: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow}} (1981) |
*{{imdb title | id=0081109 | title=Nostradamus: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow}} (1981) |
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*{{imdb title | id=0110689 | title=Nostradamus}} (1994) Depicts Nostradamus's rise in influence, because of success in treating plague and his predictions, culminating in his appointment as court physician to Charles IX of France. |
*{{imdb title | id=0110689 | title=Nostradamus}} (1994) Depicts Nostradamus's rise in influence, because of success in treating plague and his predictions, culminating in his appointment as court physician to Charles IX of France. |
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None of them can be regarded as factual or reliable. |
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===Television=== |
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The television series ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' prominently features the character [[Milo Rambaldi]], a fictional Nostradamus-like prophet. In the [[science fiction]] series ''[[First wave|First Wave]]'', the protagonists use the quatrains of Nostradamus to fight back against an alien invasion. Nostradamus has also been parodied on Comedy Central's ''Chappelle's Show'' as [[Negrodamus]]. |
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===Music=== |
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[[Composer]] [[Robert Steadman]] has twice used Nostradamus' [[Prophecy|prophecies]] in pieces of music: in the 1987's [[quatrains]] by Nostradamus were juxtaposed with the [[Latin]] [[Requiem]] Mass text and [[poems]] on [[natural environment|environmental]] issues. And in 1999, he set what was thought by some to be Nostradamus's prediction of the end of the world for [[soprano]] and chamber ensemble in [[The Final Prophecy]]. |
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In [[2005]], Dutch band [[Kayak (band)|Kayak]] released a [[rock opera]] called ''Nostradamus - Fate of Man''. English singer/songwriter [[Al Stewart]] wrote a song called "Nostradamus", concerning the prophecies, for his [[1973 in music|1973]] album ''Past, Present, and Future''. |
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Rapper [[Nas]] referred to himself as Nastradamus. |
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[[Maksim]], the cross-over piano player, plays a song entitled Nostradamus on his third CD. It is composed by [[Tonci Huljic]]. |
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===Comics=== |
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In an Italian [[Mickey Mouse]] story, Mickey and [[Goofy]] travel back in time and by accident a young boy followed them back to the present. The boy had to go back to his own time and his memory of the future was erased, but before that he grabbed pieces of books. The boy of course became Nostradamus and the ripped pages from books explained his visions of the future. The story was made by Massimo Marconi and Massimo De Vita. |
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A [[The Phantom|Phantom]] story from 1983 by Ulf Granberg and Jaime Vallvé featured an appearance by Nostradamus. |
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In the [[DC Comics]] Universe, Nostradamus was an ancestor of [[Zatara]] and [[Zatanna]]. |
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In [[Scott Adams]]'s comic strip ''[[Dilbert]]'', "Nostradogbert" is a [[pseudonym]] of [[Dogbert]]. |
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===Games=== |
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In ''[[Castlevania]]'': Aria of Sorrow, the prophecy of 1999 was used as the ressurection of [[Dracula]] and added that all born of the day of Dracula's demise are "Dark Candidates" meaning that that they'll be next in line to be [[Dark Lord]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Astrology]] |
* [[Astrology]] |
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* [[Clairvoyance]] |
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* [[Divination]] |
* [[Divination]] |
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* [[Mystics]] |
* [[Mystics]] |
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* [[Prophecy]] |
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==Sources== |
== Sources == |
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* [[Leoni, Edgar]] ''Nostradamus and His Prophecies'' [[1982]] , Editon |
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* [[Ovason, David]] ''The Nostradamus Code'' , [[1997]] |
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'''Originals''' (see '''External links''' below for facsimiles) |
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* [[James Randi|Randi, James,]] ''The Mask of Nostradamus'', [[1993]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel: ''Orus Apollo'', 1545 (?), unpublished ms |
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* Brind'Amour, Pierre, ''Nostradamus astrophile'', [[1993]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel, ''Almanachs'', ''Presages'' and ''Pronostications'', [[1550]]-[[1567]] |
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* Brind'Amour, Pierre, ''Nostradamus. Les premières Centuries ou Prophéties'', [[1996]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel, ''Ein Erschrecklich und Wunderbarlich Zeychen...'', Nuremberg, [[1554]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel, ''Les Propheties'', Lyon, [[1555]], [[1557]] (September), [[1568]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel, ''Traite des fardemens et des confitures'', [[1555]], [[1556]], [[1557]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel, ''Paraphrase de C. Galen sus l'exhortation de Menodote'', [[1557]] |
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* Nostradamus, Michel, ''Lettre de Maistre Michel Nostradamus, de Salon de Craux en Provence, A la Royne mere du Roy'', [[1566]] |
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'''Modern studies and re-editions''' |
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* Leroy, Dr Edgar, ''Nostradamus, ses origines, sa vie, son oeuvre'', 1972 (the seminal biographical study) |
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* Dupèbe, Jean, ''Nostradamus: Lettres inédites'', [[1983]] |
* Dupèbe, Jean, ''Nostradamus: Lettres inédites'', [[1983]] |
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* Lemesurier, Peter, ''The Nostradamus Encyclopedia'', [[1997]] |
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* [[James Randi|Randi, James,]] ''The Mask of Nostradamus'', [[1993]], (mainly for his demolition of traditional commentators) |
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* Rollet, Pierre, ''Nostradamus: Interprétation des hiéroglyphes de Horapollo'', [[1993]] (transcription of Nostradamus's all-important ''Orus Opollo'' manuscript) |
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* Brind'Amour, Pierre, [1] ''Nostradamus astrophile'', [[1993]] |
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* Brind'Amour, Pierre, [2] ''Nostradamus. Les premières Centuries ou Prophéties'', [[1996]] |
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* Lemesurier, Peter, [1] ''The Nostradamus Encyclopedia'', [[1997]] |
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* Prévost, Roger, ''Nostradamus, le mythe et la réalité'', [[1999]] |
* Prévost, Roger, ''Nostradamus, le mythe et la réalité'', [[1999]] |
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* Chevignard, Bernard, ''Présages de Nostradamus'' [[1999]] |
* Chevignard, Bernard, ''Présages de Nostradamus'' [[1999]] |
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* Clébert, Jean-Paul, ''Prophéties de Nostradamus'', [[2003]] |
* Clébert, Jean-Paul, ''Prophéties de Nostradamus'', [[2003]] |
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* Gruber, Dr Elmar, ''Nostradamus: sein Leben, sein Werk und die wahre Bedeutung seiner Prophezeiungen'', [[2003]] |
* Gruber, Dr Elmar, ''Nostradamus: sein Leben, sein Werk und die wahre Bedeutung seiner Prophezeiungen'', [[2003]] |
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* Lemesurier, Peter, |
* Lemesurier, Peter, ''The Unknown Nostradamus'', [[2003]] (biography) |
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* Lemesurier, Peter, |
* Lemesurier, Peter, ''Nostradamus: The Illustrated Prophecies'', [[2003]] |
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==External links== |
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== External links == |
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{{commons|Michel de Nostredame}} |
{{commons|Michel de Nostredame}} |
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*[[ODP]] directory: [http://dmoz.org/Society/Paranormal/Prophecies/Nostradamus/ Nostradamus] |
*[[Open Directory Project|ODP]] directory: [http://dmoz.org/Society/Paranormal/Prophecies/Nostradamus/ Nostradamus] |
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* [http://www.nostradamususa.com/ Nostradamus Society of America] |
* [http://www.nostradamususa.com/ Nostradamus Society of America] |
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* [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org |
* [http://www.nostradamus-repository.org General information, translations and illustrated tour of Nostradamus's Provence] |
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* [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/life/timeline.htm Timeline] |
* [http://www.propheties.it/nostradamus/life/timeline.htm Timeline] |
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* [http://www.propheties.it/no/nostradamus.html Facsimiles of original editions |
* [http://www.propheties.it/no/nostradamus.html Facsimiles of original editions] |
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* [http://www.propheties.it Facsimiles of many contemporary texts] |
* [http://www.propheties.it Facsimiles of many contemporary texts] |
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* [http://www. |
* [http://www.mabus.biz/nos/ Online text of Nostradamus in translation] |
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* [http://www. |
* [http://www.michelnostradamus.org/ www.nostradamus.org The Prophecies of Nostradamus Newsgroup] |
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* [http://www.michelnostradamus.org/ www.nostradamus.org Typical ''post factum'' interpretations] |
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*[[Snopes]]: [http://www.snopes.com/rumors/predict.htm False claims of Nostradamus predicting the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001] |
*[[Snopes]]: [http://www.snopes.com/rumors/predict.htm False claims of Nostradamus predicting the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001] |
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* [http://www.nostradamus500.com |
* [http://www.nostradamus500.com Peter Lemesurier's website, including FAQs] |
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* |
*[http://ramkat.free.fr/analyse.html ESPACE NOSTRADAMUS (Benazra's french Website)] |
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* [http://cura.free.fr/mndamus.html CURA's major international academic forum] |
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* [http://biblionostra.ath.cx/ Online Nostradamus Library of original works in facsimile] |
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Revision as of 12:54, 10 February 2006
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Nostradamus.jpg)
Nostradamus, (December 14, 1503 – July 1, 1566) born Michel de Nostredame, is considered by some to be one of the world's most famous Judicial astrologers and authors of prophecies. He is most famous for his book Les Propheties which consists of rhymed quatrains (4‑line poems) grouped into sets of 100, called Centuries.
Many people say Nostradamus predicted a number of events in world history, including the French Revolution [1], the atom bomb [2], the rise of Adolf Hitler [3] and the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center[4] and other numerous prophecies from the 16th Century.
Others complain that enthusiasts after his death in 1566, have used Nostradamus to support any number of global events scholars say are not attributed to the author. In any event, the mystical quatrains of Nostradamus continue to be controversial as they have been for centuries since first published in the 16th century.
Biography
Born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the south of France on December 14, 1503, Michel de Nostredame was the son of a grain dealer who was also a prosperous notary. His family was originally Hebrew but had converted to Catholicism during the previous century. Some biographers say that Nostradamus was from the generation of the tribe of Issachar who were ancient judicial astrologers. Jean de Saint-Remy, Michel's maternal grandfather, was physician and astrologer to Rene' the Good (1434-80). Jean was best friends with a Pierre de Nostradame, a highly-respected pharmacist and physician to Rene's son. Both men traveled western Europe with a mobile apothecary - using astrology to heal the sick.
At a young age, Michel was said to have shown signs of high intelligence. His grandfather Jean asked that Michel be raised at his home. Michel's parents were elated since Jean was versed in the sciences, liberal arts, and was well-traveled. In addition to the rudiments of literature, philosophy, and rhetoric, he also was instructed in the subjects of medicine, theology, mathematics, Arabic, Greek, Latin and Hebrew, Jean gave the young Michel his first taste of the celestial sciences - teaching him classical judicial astrology.
Scholars believe that after Jean's death, Michel returned to his parent's home and his education continued by his paternal grandfather, Pierre de Nostradame, who continued Michel's education of astrology and the use of herbs in healing. When the elder Pierre had taught Michel all he could, the fifteen-year-old entered the University of Avignon to study for his baccalaureate. Though apt in grammer, philosophy and rhetoric, Michel was said to show the greatest interest in judicial astrology. So marked was this early interest that as a result of his frequent discourses on the celestial movements that his classmates nicknamed him "the little astrologer."
In 1522, at the age of 19 he started three years of intensive medical study while secretly working as an apothecary, he entered the University of Montpellier to study for a doctorate in medicine, but was promptly expelled again when it was discovered that he had been an apothecary, which was a 'manual' trade expressly banned by the university statutes. He then continued work as an apothecary, and using astrological techniques, created a "rose pill" that was widely effective against the the plague.
In 1531 he was invited by Jules-César Scaliger, a leading Renaissance man, to come to Agen. There Nostradamus married a woman whose name is still in dispute (possibly Henriette d'Encausse), but who bore him two children. In 1534, however, his wife and children died, presumably from the plague. After their death he continued to travel, passing through France and possibly Italy.
He settled down in 1547 in Salon-de-Provence, where he married a rich widow named Anne Ponsarde Gemelle and eventually had six children – three daughters and three sons. After a further visit to Italy, he began to move away from medicine and towards the occult. He wrote astrological almanacs for the year 1550, for the first time Latinising his name to 'Nostradamus', and was so encouraged by its success that he decided to write one or more annually. Taken together, they are known to have contained at least 6,338 astrological prophecies, as well as at least 11 annual calendars. He then began his project of writing 1,000 quatrains, which form the supposed prophecies for which he is famous today. Feeling vulnerable to religious fanatics, however, he devised a method of obscuring his meaning by using "Virgilianised" syntax, word games and a mixture of languages such as Provençal, Greek, Latin and Italian. For technical reasons connected with their publication in three instalments, the last 58 quatrains of the seventh 'Century', or book of 100 verses, were never published.
The quatrains, written in a book titled "Les Propheties", of "The Centuries" received a mixed reaction when they were published. The vulgar, or ignorant, thought Nostradamus was a servant of evil, a fake, or insane, while many of the elite thought his quatrains were spiritually inspired prophecies. A well-known judicial astrologer, nobility were coming from far and wide to receive horoscopes and astrological advice from him. Catherine de Médicis, the queen consort of King Henri II of France, was one of Nostradamus's admirers.
The book of prophecies, nonetheless, was all the rage among the Paris royalty and the first edition, printed in 1555, contained only the Preface along with Centuries I-III complete and Century IV with only 53 quatrains.
The French royal court were speculating the meaning of one of Nostradamus' prophecies located in Century I, Quatrain 35, which forecasted the death of King Henry II:
"The young lion will overcome the old one On the field of battle in single combat: He will put out his eyes in a cage of gold: Two fleets one, then to die a cruel death"
Queen de Medici summoned Nostradamus to Paris to explain the quatrain and to draw up the horoscopes of her children. So impressed she was by his discipline, discretion and astrological knowledge, she forced Henry to give Nostradamus a royal purse. Nostradamus was later made Counselor and Physician-in-Ordinary to the King.
In the summer of 1559, four years after Nostradamus made the prediction, the House of France celebrated two marriages and on June 28, three days of festivities were highlighted by tournaments in the rue Saint-Antoine. King Henry II took part in the first two days. At sunset of the third day, July 1, Henry rode against Gabriel de Lorges, Comte. de Montgomery, Captain of the Scottish Guard. Failing to unseat him on his horse with lance on arm, Henry insisted on another bout. The horses charged and the lances met, but Montgomery's lance met the king's golden visor and splittered. Dropping his lance too late, the jagged point pierced the King's visor and was thrust through Henry's eye. The King reeled, clutched the pommel of his saddle and fell into the arms of his grooms. After surviving 10 days in utter agony, he died on July 10 - fulfilling the astrological prophecy of Nostradamus.
By 1566 Nostradamus's gout, which had painfully plagued him for many years and made movement very difficult, finally turned into dropsy. At the beginning of July, after making an extended will and a much shorter codicil, he is alleged to have told his secretary Jean de Chavigny, "You will not find me alive by sunrise." The next morning he was reportedly found dead, lying on the floor between his bed and a makeshift bench.
Some biographical accounts of Nostradamus' life state that he was afraid of being persecuted for heresy by the Inquisition, but neither prophecy nor astrology fell under this bracket, and he would have been in danger only if he had practised magic to support them. In fact, his relations with the Church as a prophet and healer were always excellent. His brief imprisonment at Marignane in late 1561 came about purely because he had published his 1562 almanac without the prior permission of a bishop, contrary to a recent royal decree.
Judicial Astrology and methods of prophecy
Nostradamus was clearly familiar with the Latinized printed editions of a range of esoteric writings translated from the ancient Hebrew and Arabic astrological and prophetic texts. He was an excellent judicial astrologer and based his prophecies on astrological principles far ahead of contemporaries of his era. He was particularly adept in Arab astrological techniques and consumed the the Latin-translated works spread throughout western Europe.
Nicknamed the "little astrologer" during his childhood, Nostradamus was known to constantly talk to friends and classmates about the motions and influences of the Sun, Moon planets and stars. His medical studies of the day were strictly astrological before entering university. This accounted for Nostradamus' frequent clashes with the doctors and professors of the time who believed bleeding patients would heal them. Nostradamus was centuries ahead of his time as a medical doctor.
He felt the constant bleeding of patients suffering from the plague was only bringing them closer to death. Nostradamus preferred using plants and herbs to heal the sick. His constant demands for cleaniness in hospital environments he considered filthy added to his wealth of enemies who cared little for his lectures to them on invading bacteria that could enter a patient's body. He often demanded doctors constantly wash their hands and arms before touching patients. He was often laughed and derided because conventional doctors of the era said they did not believe in bacteria because they could not see the germs.
His historical sources include easily identifiable passages from Livy, Suetonius, Plutarch and a range of other classical historians, as well as from the chronicles of medieval authors such as Villehardouin and Froissart. Many of his astrological references, by contrast, are taken almost word-for-word from the Livre de l'estat et mutations des temps of 1549/50 by Richard Roussat.
His major prophetic source was evidently the Mirabilis liber of 1522, which contained a range of prophecies by Pseudo-Methodius, the Tiburtine Sibyl, Joachim of Fiore, Savonarola and others (his Preface contains no less than 24 biblical quotations, all but two of them in exactly the same order as Savonarola). Further material was gleaned from Petrus Crinitus's De honesta disciplina of 1504, which included extracts from Psellus's De daemonibus and the De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum..." (Concerning the mysteries of Egypt...), a book on Chaldean and Assyrian magic by Iamblichus, a 4th‑century neo-Platonist. Latin versions of both had recently been published in Lyon.
While it is true that Nostradamus claimed in 1555 to have burned all the occult works in his library, no one can say exactly what books were destroyed in this fire. Nostrdamus claimed they were ancient books on execrable magic - which he considered dangerous should the books fall into the wrong hands. The fact that they reportedly burned with an unnaturally brilliant flame suggests, however, that some of them were manuscripts on vellum, which was routinely treated with saltpetre.
Scholars say that in his Preface to Cesar, Nostradamus writes to a future astrologer, who as his "spiritual son", would in the 21st Century, unlock the keys to all his astrological prophecies. Nostradmus writes -
"Events of human origin are uncertain, but all is regulated and governed by the incalculable power of God, inspiring us not through drunken fury, nor by frantic movement, but through the influences of the stars. Only those divinely inspired can predict particular things in a prophetic spirit."
Nostradamus continues to write in his preface stating -
"As for ourselves, who are but human, we can discover nothing of the obscure secrets of God the Creator by our own unaided knowledge or by the bent of out ingenuity. It is not for you to know times or hours, etc. However, now, or in the future there may be persons to whom God the Creator, through fanciful impressions, wishes to reveal some secrets of the future - integrated with judicial astrology - in much the same manner that in the past a certain power and voluntary faculty came over them like a flame, causing them to judge human and divine inspirations alike. For of the divine works, those which are absolute God completes; those which are medial, the angels; and the third kind, the evil spirits."
Nostradamus clearly used applied principles of judicial astrology. He was strict in maintaining that those who practice "magic" were to be damned by God and that magic was forbidden -
"Furthermore, my son, I beg that you will never want to employ your understanding on such dreams and vanities as dry up the body, put the soul in perdition and cause trouble to the weak senses. I caution you especially against the vanity of the more than execrable magic; condemned of yore by the Holy Scriptures and by the Canons of the Church.
"However, judicial astrology is excepted from this judgement. For it is by this, together with divine inspiration and revelation, and continual nightly watches and calculations, that we have reduced our prophecies to writing."
There are those who would attempt to say that Nostradamus used astrology just a little bit and that he was not heavily invested in the celestial sciences. But, from his own writings, Nostradamus makes clear that his prophecies are based in judicial astrology and he says so in the Preface to Cesar, in his book, "The Centuries" -
"But what I do want to make clear to you is the judgement obtained through the calculation of the heavens. By this one has knowledge of future events while rejecting completely all fantastic things one may imagine. With divine and supernatural inspiration integrated with astrological computations; one can name places and periods of time accurately; an occult property obtained through divine virtue, power and ability. By means of this, past, present, and future become but one eternity: for all things are naked and open."
His works
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Nostradamus_prophecies.jpg/220px-Nostradamus_prophecies.jpg)
The Prophecies - In this book he collected his major, long-term divinations. The first edition was published in 1555. The second, with 289 further prophetic verses, was printed in 1557. The third edition, with three hundred new quatrains, was reportedly printed in 1558, but nowadays only survives as part of the omnibus edition that was published after his death in 1568. Thanks to printing practices at the time, no two editions turned out to be identical, and it is relatively rare to find even two copies exactly the same.
The Almanacs - By far the most popular of his works, these were published annually from 1550 until his death. Often he published two or even three in a single year, entitled either Almanachs (detailed predictions), Prognostications or Presages (more generalised predictions).
Nostradamus was not only an excellent scientific astrologer, but a professional healer, too; in the ancient tradition of judicial astrology, who were also medical doctors of note. We know that he wrote at least two books on medical science. One was an alleged "translation" of Galen, and in his so-called Traité des fardemens he included a description of the methods he used to treat the plague . The same book also describes the preparation of cosmetics that were popular with the Parisian royalty and court.
A manuscript normally known as the "Orus Apollo" also exists in the Lyon municipal library, where upwards of 2000 original documents relating to Nostradamus are stored under the aegis of Michel Chomarat. It is a purported translation of an ancient Greek work on Egyptian hieroglyphs based on later, Latin versions, all of them unfortunately ignorant of the true meanings of the ancient Egyptian script, which was not in fact deciphered until the advent of Champollion in the 19th century.
Since his death, only the Prophecies have continued to be popular, but in this case they have been quite extraordinarily so. Indeed, they have seldom, if ever, been out of print. The reason for this may be due partly to popular unease about the future, partly to people's desire to see their lives in some kind of over-all cosmic perspective and so to give meaning to the world we inhabit. Because Nostradamus purposefully constructed his quatrains to be read only by those "practicing the sacred rite" as he wrote, the difficulty of interpreting them cause many to attribute events to Nostradamus' prophecies - frequently misquoting him.
Skepticism
Scholars of the prophecies of Nostradamus have complained that his reputation as a prophet is earned, but that most, if not all of his prophecies have many times been manipulated by modern-day supporters who shoehorn his words into events that have not taken place as yet. No one knows if Nostradamus' quatrains has been interpreted before some events have happened. However, the many Nostradamus commentators after his death continue to lack training, and knowledge of judicial astrology, and its principles, and this causes consternation among skeptics and supporters alike who try to unlock his prophecies without astrological knowledge Nostradamus used to date his volumious prophecies.
The bulk of the astrological quatrains deal with a host of global disasters of various sorts. The disasters include plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, famines, battles and many other themes. Some quatrains cover these in over-all terms; others concern a single person or small group of persons. Some cover a single town, others several towns in several countries. Nostradamus was the first to mention the name of the country America and he correctly forecast the French Revolution over two hundred years prior to the event; the birth and rise of French tyrant Napoleon; the Russian Revolution; the rise of Adolph Hitler and the start of World War II.
All of them are presented in the context of the supposedly imminent end of the world – a conviction that sparked numerous collections of end-time prophecies at the time, not least an unpublished collection by Christopher Columbus.
Nostradamus says in his prophecies that "thousands of other events will come to pass, because of floods and continual rains" and that the world is nearing a time of imminent danger due to the evil of the people in the world. He states again, in his Preface to Cesar that -
'"You must see now, my son, that I find by my calculations, which are according to revealed inspiration, that the sword of death is now approaching us, in the shape of pestilence, war more horrible than has been known in three lifetimes, and famine. This famine will fall upon the earth, and return there often, according to the words, 'I will visit their iniquities with a rod of iron, and will strike them with blows'."
'"For the mercy of the Lord, my son, will not be extended at all for a long time, not until most of my prophecies will have been accomplished, and will be accomplishment have become rsolved. Then, several times during the sinister tempests, the Lord will say, ' I will trample them, and break them, and not show pity.'"
Misquotes and Hoaxes
During the latter part of his life and following his death in 1566 there have emerged many prophecies falsely attibuted to Nostradamus such as the Sixains for year 1605. Nostradamus' writings have frequently been misquoted and, in some instances, even deliberately altered as hoaxes. The works of Les Propheties stands on its own and the folly of hoaxes and misquotes strengthens the original decision of Nostradamus to couch his prophecies in a method very hard to decipher without the proper knowledge and understanding of judicial astrology, and world history.
There is a persistent tendency to claim that 'Nostradamus predicted whatever has just happened' by the uneducated. Many of those making such claims have never heard of or even read Les Propheties. Since the advent of the Internet, many prophecies have even been fabricated outright. For example, after the September 11 Terrorist Attacks, the following was circulated on the Internet along with many more elaborate variants:
- In the City of God there will be a great thunder,
- Two brothers torn apart by Chaos,
- while the fortress endures,
- the great leader will succumb,
- The third big war will begin when the big city is burning
As it turns out, the first four lines were indeed written before the attacks, but by a Canadian graduate student named Neil Marshall as part of a research paper in 1997. Ironically enough, the research paper included this poem as an illustrative example of how the validity of prophecies is often exaggerated. For example, the "City of God" (why is New York City the City of God?), "great thunder" (could apply to just about any disaster), "Two brothers" (lots of things come in pairs), and "the great leader will succumb" phrases are so ambiguous as to be meaningless. The fifth line was added by an anonymous Internet user, showing obvious alteration since Nostradamus wrote his Propheties in four-line verses called quatrains. Nostradamus also never actually referred to a "third big war".
- Come the millennium, month 12
- In the home of greatest power,
- The village idiot will come forth
- To be acclaimed the leader.
This was supposed, of course, to refer to the election of George W. Bush as President of the United States.
To verify the authenticity of a purported Nostradamus quatrain, compare the identifying number (e.g.: C1, Q25 or 'I.25' means Century 1, Quatrain 25) against an authoritative version of Nostradamus's works, which will likely also contain the original old French – or click on the appropriate link below to see facsimiles of the originals. Even the Preface and the Epistle to Henri II have been assigned numbers (e.g. PF50, EP102).
Nostradamus in popular culture
Television
The television series Alias prominently features the character Milo Rambaldi, a fictional Nostradamus-like prophet. In the science fiction series First Wave, the protagonists use the quatrains of Nostradamus to fight back against an alien invasion. Nostradamus has also been parodied on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show as Negrodamus.
Film
He is the subject of many films and videos, including:
- Nostradamus: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow at IMDb (1981)
- Nostradamus at IMDb (2000)
- Nostradamus at IMDb (1994) Depicts Nostradamus's rise in influence, because of success in treating plague and his predictions, culminating in his appointment as court physician to Charles IX of France.
See also
Sources
- Leoni, Edgar Nostradamus and His Prophecies 1982 , Editon
- Ovason, David The Nostradamus Code , 1997
- Randi, James, The Mask of Nostradamus, 1993
- Brind'Amour, Pierre, Nostradamus astrophile, 1993
- Brind'Amour, Pierre, Nostradamus. Les premières Centuries ou Prophéties, 1996
- Dupèbe, Jean, Nostradamus: Lettres inédites, 1983
- Lemesurier, Peter, The Nostradamus Encyclopedia, 1997
- Prévost, Roger, Nostradamus, le mythe et la réalité, 1999
- Chevignard, Bernard, Présages de Nostradamus 1999
- Wilson, Ian, Nostradamus: The Evidence, 2002
- Clébert, Jean-Paul, Prophéties de Nostradamus, 2003
- Gruber, Dr Elmar, Nostradamus: sein Leben, sein Werk und die wahre Bedeutung seiner Prophezeiungen, 2003
- Lemesurier, Peter, The Unknown Nostradamus, 2003 (biography)
- Lemesurier, Peter, Nostradamus: The Illustrated Prophecies, 2003
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ODP directory: Nostradamus
- Nostradamus Society of America
- General information, translations and illustrated tour of Nostradamus's Provence
- Timeline
- Facsimiles of original editions
- Facsimiles of many contemporary texts
- Online text of Nostradamus in translation
- www.nostradamus.org The Prophecies of Nostradamus Newsgroup
- Snopes: False claims of Nostradamus predicting the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001
- Peter Lemesurier's website, including FAQs
- ESPACE NOSTRADAMUS (Benazra's french Website)