Narratives about Dreams which Foretell Death and Dying and Their Interpretation

Abstract

As in many others, in Serbian folk tradition a lot of attention is given to dreams which foretell death through the means of certain images and symbols, which should first be decoded in order to understand the prophesy. The principles of folk interpretation are rooted in ancient forms of mythical and magical thinking (the principles of similarity, closeness, sameness, opposition, mythological symbolism etc.) which is present to different degrees in folk culture (myths, religion, beliefs, rituals, customs). In this kind of worldview, the opposition between life and death is considered especially important, as evident from the rich symbolismof foretelling death in dreams. The analysis of the interpretation of dreams among The Serbs reveals a number of ill omens which occur in dreams, symbolizing death: the color black, the Moon, a deciesed person, fire, falling, buildings being torn down, pulling teeth, weddings, priests, graves, candles etc. These symbols are present in the beliefs, myths and fairy tales of many peoples, where they are also connected to death, the netherworld and chthonic beings, which suggessts that these are largely universal, archetypical images. Stories about prophetic dreams which foretell death are a genre of folklore which has not been sufficiently studied in our society, and these kind of studies can be an important topic, as well as a means to unearth the ancient folk worldview and the mythical logic on which it is based.