Prophet Nostradamus and His Intriguingly Accurate Predictions
Nostradamus was a French prophet who seemingly could see into the future. And the future was bleak. It was said that his prophecies have predicted some of the world’s most significant disasters… as well as more that are yet to come to pass.
Nostradamus in a Nutshell
Nostradamus, whose real name was Michel de Nostredame, was a renowned French astrologer, physician, and reputed seer who lived during the 16th century. He was born on 14th December 1503, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. And he died on 2nd July 1566, in Salon-de-Provence, France. Not a bad innings for those days. Although, you could argue that he should have seen it coming…
Nostradamus is primarily known for his book “Les Propheties” (The Prophecies), a collection of cryptic verses that have been subject to numerous interpretations and claims of predicting future events.
“The Prophecies” was first published in 1555 and contained a series of poetic quatrains, each consisting of four lines. These verses were written in a highly symbolic and allegorical language. Often using metaphors, anagrams, and wordplay. Nostradamus claimed that his prophecies extended until the year 3797, covering a vast range of historical events and future occurrences.
The Most Well known Prophecies of Nostradamus
Nostradamus’ most famous prophecies are open to interpretation and have been subject to various claims and associations with historic events. Here are a few examples of the prophecies that are often cited:
1. Rise of Adolf Hitler
From the depths of the West of Europe,
A young child will be born of poor people,
He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop;
His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.
And maybe more chilling:
Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers,
The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister.
Into a cage of iron will the great one be drawn,
When the child of Germany observes nothing.
Nostradamus’ verse has been linked by some to the rise of Adolf Hitler, connecting the “young child” to Hitler’s humble origins and his ability to gather support and lead the Nazi regime. There are also some stark similarities in the name Hister, which is something that seems to be a running theme with Nostradamus. Names that are almost exact… but not quite.
2. French Revolution
From the enslaved populace, songs, chants and demands
While princes and lords are held captive in prisons.
These will in the future by headless idiots
Be received as divine prayers.
And
When the litters are overturned by the whirlwind
And faces are covered by cloaks,
The new republic will be troubled by its people.
At this time, the reds and whites will rule wrongly.
Nostradamus’ quatrains have been interpreted as predicting the French Revolution. For instance, the verse “From the enslaved people, songs, chants, and demands, princes and lords are held captive in prisons” has been associated with the overthrow of the monarchy and the subsequent imprisonment of the French aristocracy during the revolution.
3. Great Fire of London
The blood of the just will commit a fault at London,
Burnt through lightning of twenty threes the six:
The ancient lady will fall from her high place,
Several of the same sect will be killed.
The Great Fire of London in 1666 has been linked to Nostradamus’ poem. While the exact date of the fire doesn’t match the verse, proponents of the connection argue that Nostradamus’ use of numerology and symbolism allows for interpretation.
4. Assassination of John F. Kennedy
The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt,
An evil deed foretold by the bearer of a petition.
According to the prediction, another falls at night time.
Conflict at Reims, London and a pestilence in Tuscany.
Some individuals have claimed that Nostradamus predicted the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There was also the subsequent shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. But the conflict at Reim, London and Tuscany is tenuous.
5. The 9/11 Terror Attacks on the Twin Towers in New York
Earthshaking fire from the centre of the Earth
Will cause tremors around the New City.
Two great rocks will war for a long time,
Then Arethusa will redden a new river.
Some individuals have made retrospective associations between certain quatrains and the events of 9/11. For example, a verse such as “Earthshaking fire from the centre of the Earth will cause tremors around the New City” has been linked to the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City.
Again, though, there’s ambiguity here. “Two great rocks” could be the wars between certain countries and the west that came about as part of the War on Terror. Arethusa, though, is a Greek goddess and the river of blood could relate to pretty much anything.
What Future Predictions of Nostradamus Have We Got to Look Forward To?
Nostradamus’ prophecies cover a wide range of historical periods, including events that were predicted to occur after his own lifetime.
Here are a few examples of Nostradamus’ prophecies that are often considered as referring to future events:
1. London’s Falling
The blood of the just will commit a fault at London,
Burnt through lightning of twenty threes the six:
The ancient lady will fall from her high place,
Several of the same sect will be killed.
This old chestnut speaks of a great calamity involving the city of London, which is sometimes attributed to the Great Fire of London. However, some believe this is a Warning of times to come… “The blood of the just will commit a fault at London, burnt through lightning of twenty threes the six.” While this verse could be connected to a future catastrophe in London, the exact nature and timing of the event remain unclear. I mean… the ancient lady did just die (the Queen) and we are in 2023.
2. Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Near the gates and within two cities
There will be two scourges the like of which was never seen,
Famine within plague, people put out by steel,
Crying to the great immortal God for relief.
This quatrain is often associated with the rise of global conflicts and the potential for a third world war. Could this have been the prediction of the Ukraine/Russia war? The two cities being Kyiv and Moscow.
Interruptions to the distribution of grain and oil has caused worldwide famine. We have already seen a plague (covid).
There has been much religious rhetoric off the back of this war, given the Orthodoxy of the Russians and their belief that they are entirely sacred and will go to heaven in the face of Nuclear war. While the rest of the world will croak. Thus crying to the immortal God for relief.
3. The Rise of the Antichrist
The antichrist very soon annihilates the three,
twenty-seven years his war will last.
The unbelievers are dead, captive, exiled;
with blood, human bodies, water and red hail covering the earth.
This quatrain is sometimes connected to the prediction of the rise of an Antichrist figure and the turmoil they would bring.
If we’re talking allegorically, then we’ve got one of three superpowers waging a war on another with a third expressing concern over the whole thing while trying to retain diplomacy, so this could also relate to the Ukraine war, which is again an apocalyptic premonition. Any underwater nuclear detonation would cover the earth in blood, human bodies, water and the burning debris of nuclear waste.
Could a fourth superpower squash all three of the world’s superpowers and wage an even longer war on all of us? Or could it be aliens stepping in to clean up the mess.
Very vague, really? This could apply to anything at all.
4. The King’s Renunciation & Harry as Successor
For not wishing to consent to the divorce,
Which then afterwards will be recognized as unworthy:
The King of the Isles will be driven out by force,
In his place put one who will have no mark of a king.
This quatrain seems quite a bit tighter than the others, which are very much open to interpretation. It specifies a divorce (Charles and Diana) and something coming to light that people dislike (maybe an association with Edward’s dodgy activities is afoot). Then maybe a media storm that forces Charles to renounce the throne and a successor who was unexpected. Maybe Harry will get his day as king.
5. Climate Change
For forty years the rainbow will not be seen.
For forty years it will be seen every day.
The dry earth will grow more parched,
and there will be great floods when it is seen.
This quatrain is often connected to climate change and its consequences. Interpretations of this verse suggest that it foretells a significant environmental crisis and the need for global action.
Funnily enough, one of the side effects of climate change has been an increase in the amount of rainbows seen pretty much worldwide. We are also seeing increases in both floods and droughts.
The Misinterpretations of Nostradamus’ Predictions
There has been much wild speculation on some of Nostradamus’ quatrains about the near future. But this is where the problems arise. People often misread or misinterpret the poems and will take elements out of context to meet their agenda.
It’s the same with conspiracy theories. No matter how much truth was the catalyst for these stories, they have been warped, misrepresented and misused over and over until they become unrecognisable.
For Example, Elon Musk’s Journey to Mars will Fail
Some say that Nostradamus predicted Elon Musk’s colonisation of Mars. The claims are that Nostradamus wrote that there will be a “Celestial fire when the lights of Mars will go out,” which sounds like a chilling prediction of failure.
When in actual fact, what he said was:
From the celestial fire on the Royal edifice,
When the light of Mars will go out,
Seven months great war, people dead through evil
Rouen, Evreux the King will not fail.
I mean, honestly, it does feel like a doomed mission. You’ve seen what he’s done to Twitter (oops, I mean X). We can only colonise Mars with the help of hab domes or underground dwellings that require a lot of power to create the conditions humans need to survive. And those are only achievable by a very delicate balancing act. It’s a scientific miracle that we’re even here at all, in our little Goldilocks Zone.
We can’t terraform Mars unless we can trigger its magnetic field to return to its previous glory. And we don’t know how to do that.. Mars’ magnetic field is thought to have waned to dangerously low levels 4.1bn years ago.
I seriously doubt this passage was anything to do with the problematic Elon Musk.
Nostradamus was an astrologer so he talks about celestial fire a lot. He also talks about the fire of Mars quite a bit, because Mars is a fire sign. I believe he was referring to Mars in retrograde when he mentioned the light going out. Not literal lights on mars.
And Many Many More Misinterpretations
This isn’t the only example of misinterpretation of Nostradamus’ quatrains, but there have been so many, I’d be here for days if I tried to quote them all. You can find most of them online. Where people quote the prophet, but don’t include the entire quatrain, you should immediately be suspicious. You don’t have to take things out of context if you genuinely believe them to be true.
The Centuries and Quatrains in a Nutshell
Nostradamus was no poet, despite writing his predictions in poetry form. The rhymes, which marry the first and third lines, and then the second and fourth, are rough and the writing feels quite stilted. Although that could be a translation issue.
The poems are organised in some way into “Centuries.” And given that each Century has 100 poems, you could be easily misled into thinking that they each represent a year of a century. But apparently, there is no real order to them, they are not connected and randomly, Century VII only has 42 quatrains, breaking the only rule the book of poetry seems to follow.
Nostradamus Was so Trusted at the Time that he Garnered Much Admiration
Nostradamus gained considerable fame during his lifetime and attracted attention from various individuals. Including prominent figures of the time, such as Catherine de’ Medici, the queen consort of France. Despite the admiration and curiosity surrounding his work, Nostradamus faced criticism and scepticism from many intellectuals and religious authorities of his era.
Interpreting Nostradamus’ prophecies has been a subject of ongoing debate and speculation. Supporters of his predictions argue that he foresaw numerous significant events. Sceptics, on the other hand, contend that his verses are too vague and open to multiple interpretations, making it difficult to validate specific predictions with historical events.
It’s important to note that many of the alleged predictions attributed to Nostradamus are as a result of retrospective interpretations made after the events occurred. The prophecies are often regarded as ambiguous and subject to confirmation bias, where individuals selectively interpret verses to fit a particular event.
Nostradamus is Vague and Controversial
Overall, Nostradamus remains a controversial figure, and his prophecies continue to capture public fascination. However, the scientific and historic communities generally regard his predictions as pseudoscience and view his work through a sceptical lens. It is essential to approach his prophecies with critical thinking and consider them within the context of his era and literary style.
Biographer, Peter Lemesurier, in his book, “Nostradamus, Bibliomancer: The Man, the Myth, the Truth,” asserts that Nostradamus “believed that history repeats itself” and used the technique of looking at past events and applying them to the future. This plays into the hands of people who are traumatised by past events and are willing to fully accept the possibility of similar things happening again. Nostradamus, like a lot of scam artists, present you with a new fear you didn’t realise you had. And having knowledge of future catastrophes put Nostradamus in a position of power.
Scaredy Cat’s Take
Con artist alert! I believe that Nostradamus was a master manipulator.
These predictions sound to me like astrology nonsense. For example, I often find that the descriptions of Librans are spookily accurate. But that’s because I’m looking for those connections between my star sign and my personality. It’s very easy for us, as humans, to seek out those similarities and patterns.
Nonetheless, I find the predictions of Nostradamus very very tenuous. For a start, this wasn’t a scientifically documented text, with clear dates and exact happenings. It was a book of poetry. They have a certain spooky ring to them and if you attribute them to an event, it’s hard to see it objectively, but it’s almost like cold reading from beyond the grave. “I’ve got a man here with a name that begins with J…” You get the gist.
Still, I find them creepy to read, so he definitely has a way with words and he was definitely manipulative.
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