INTRODUCTION

Swedenborg (1688-1772) worked for decades as a scientist (especially metallurgy and mining), but his reputation today is primarily as a mystic. He kept a dream journal during the period of his great change from engineer to visionary, early 1743 to late '44; one of the world's oldest surviving dream-journals. It was never meant for publication--scrawled, with scratch-outs, abbreviations and highly personal references--difficult even before translation. However, Swedenborg's scientific habits serve him well--dates are clear, dreams are in sequence, and he regularly attempts interpretation; he's practical, reasonable, and sometimes records multiple possibilities.

Yet he was devout; he seems determined to emulate Christ, purging all selfish and worldly urges to become, essentially, a saint. Curious ambition for a scientist! Odder still, he achieved it--at least his practical demonstrations of miraculous knowledge (see Swedenborg's Visions) were the best-documented of his century; he influenced Blake and Emerson, and troubled Kant. If he'd been Catholic he'd likely be a saint--if a controversial one like Francis of Assisi. As it is, he's a strange, powerful figure making both scientists and conventional Christians uncomfortable. Good for him!

WINGED BEAST

Saw a great beast with wings; sometimes it had the appearance of a man but with a great gaping mouth. He did not dare to touch me. I went after him with my sword. Had no chance and no power in my arms of striking him. At last I saw him standing before me with a gun, and he shot out of it some sort of poison, which however did not harm me at all for I was protected.

Then immediately after that I stuck the sword down his throat; yet with no great force.

I went higher up; and it seemed it was said that he was killed.

The day before I had been thinking of the woman and the dragon in the Apocalypse, and I wished that I could be the instrument to slay the dragon: which thing however stands not in my power but only in God’s.

Editor's Note

Swedenborg had a lot of dreams of fighting, like Swordless and Broman's Dog. He wasn't the first to physicalize his spiritual struggle to purge his own selfishness; compare with the gladiatorial fight in Saint Perpetua's Last Dream 1500 years earlier.

Source: Swedenborg's Journal of Dreams 1743-1744, 1989 ed. with intro by Wilson van Dusen. Paragraph 227. Descriptive titles are mine; untitled in journal. Interpretations are Swedenborg's, though run together with dream text; I offset interpretations for clarity.

World Dream Bank homepage - Art gallery - New stuff - Introductory sampler, best dreams, best art - On dreamwork - Books
Indexes: Subject - Author - Date - Names - Places - Art media/styles
Titles: A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - IJ - KL - M - NO - PQ - R - Sa-Sk - Sl-Sz - T - UV - WXYZ
Email: wdreamb@yahoo.com - Catalog of art, books, CDs - Behind the Curtain: FAQs, bio, site map - Kindred sites