Thesis Statement: The accuracy and basis of Nostradamus’s prophecies should be enough to persuade people to consider the prophecies as a reference to future events that may happen in the world.
Nostradamus
Life and times of Nostradamus
Educational background
Work experiences
Religion and beliefs
The prophecies of Nostradamus
The prophecies that were said to have happened exactly the way Nostradamus stated
Century 1, Quatrain 35 prophecy and the Death of Henry II
Century 2, Quatrain 51 prophecy and the Fire of London in 1566
Century 1, Quatrain 14 prophecy and the French revolution
Century 8, Quatrain 1 prophecy and the first anti-Christ, Emperor Napoleon
Century 1, Quatrain 25 prophecy and Pasteur’s discoveries
Century 9, Quatrain 11 prophecy and the effect of the death of Dr. Jose Rizal to the public
Century 1, Quatrain 26 prophecy and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert
Century 2, Quatrain 24 prophecy and the occurrence of World War II
Century 4, Quatrain 13 prophecy and Ferdinand Marcos’s end of supremacy as the president of the Philippines
Century 10, Quatrain 98 prophecy and the rise of Corazon Aquino as the president of the Philippines after Marcos
Century 2, Quatrain 28 prophecy and Princess Diana’s death
The prophecies that were said to have happened but not exactly the way Nostradamus predicted
Century 3, Quatrain 35 prophecy and the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan
Century 5, Quatrain 29 prophecy and the existence of Adolf Hitler as the second anti-Christ
Century 6, Quatrain 97 and Century 10, Quatrain 72 prophecies and the 9-11 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City
Future predictions of Nostradamus and interpretations by some experts
Century 8, Quatrain 77 and Century 9, Quatrain 92 prophecies and the existence of a third anti-Christ
Century 2, Quatrain 39 prophecy and the beginning of World War III
Century 2, Quatrain 65 prophecy and the earthquakes in Los Angeles and Lombardy
Century 10, Quatrain 74 prophecy and the ” start” of the end of the world
Possible basis of Nostradamus in making prophecies
Culture
His religion
His studies
Effects of the prophecies that came true to the people and the world
Beliefs of people and impressions on Nostradamus
Nostradamus versus religion
Using the prophecies as reference to future events
Accuracy
Basis
Table of Contents
Title Page
Introduction 1
Life and times of Nostradamus 1
Discussion 4
1. Accurate Prophecies 5
The Death of Henry II 5
Fire of London 6
French Revolution 6
Napoleon Bonaparte 8
Louis Pasteur 8
Dr. Jose Rizal’s death 9
Kennedy Assassinations 10
World War II 10
Ferdinand Marcos’s fall 11
Rise of Corazon Aquino 12
Princess Diana’s death 12
1. Precise and Vague Prophecies 13
a. Expedition of Ferdinand Magellan and Adolf Hitler 13
b. Adolf Hitler as the Second Anti-Christ 14
c. 9-11 bombing of World Trade Center in New York City 15
Nostradamus’s predictions for the Future 16
Existence of a third Anti-Christ 16
2. Beginning of World War III 17
2. Earthquakes in Los Angeles and Lombardy 17
3.” Start” of the end of the world 18
Possible basis of the prophecies 18
1. Beliefs of people and their impressions to Nostradamus 21
2. Nostradamus versus religion 23
Conclusion 24
References 25
A. Books 25
B. Thesis 26
C. Online Sources 26
Introduction
Seeing the future is a one of a kind talent. Fortune tellers, palm readers, psychics and the like are people who claim that they have this gift. Some believe them although some say that they just want to make money. But a few of these psychics are famous because some of their predictions really did come true. The tendency is that people uses the predictions of this few psychics as a reference to future events. One of these few is Nostradamus, the seer of the century (” Visions and Prophecies”, 1988).
Life and times of Nostradamus
Nostradamus or Michel De Nostredame was born to James de Nostredame and Renee de Saint Remy on December 14, 1503 in Provence, France (” Nostradamus”, 2003). His family was originally Jewish but they were converted to Christians after his grandfather was converted due to the government in France. Nostradamus’s mother has ancestors that were experts in both mathematics and medicine. One of the family members was the doctor of Rene or Renatus, the ruler of Jerusalem and Sicily, and the count of Provence. Another member is also a doctor to the Duke of Calabaria named John who was the child of King Rene. Nostradamus indicated in his commentaries that he inherited a great understanding of mathematics from his ancestors. He also claims that his ancestors are from the tribe Issachar where he got his gift of prophecy. The tribe Issachar were said to be me that comprehend time or ” the seven wise men that knew the times,” according to Esther i. 13 (Ward, 1940). Also, Michael De Nostradame is the grandson of two famous physicians-astrologers John de Saint-Remy and Peter De Notradame (Henson, 1959).
At 15, Nostradamus studied humanities courses at the school in Avignon. But after a year, he was forced to leave the university because of a breakout of a plague in the place. He then studied philosophy and theory of medicine at the University of Montpellier, the most well-known school of medicine in France. When Huguenots had taken over Montpellier in 1561, the churches and other religious establishments disappeared and the place became the head office of the Huguenots. That was what Nostradamus saw when he was studying there. Being a devoted person to his religion, the conquering of the Huguenots may have irritated him and influenced his writings like ” Sixains” and ” Presages” (Ward, 1940).
After graduating, Nostradamus was able to find a cure to the plague that was poisoning some of the places around Montpellier (” Visions and Prophecies”, 1988). He then travelled and passed by a town on the Garonne called Agen when he was coming back to Toulouse. Here he met a friend named Jules Cesar Scaliger that encouraged him to live in the town. But then their friendship didn’t go well until they treated each other as rivals and remained cold to one another. Nostradamus married a lady described as ” une fort honorable demoiselle” in Agen but history didn’t reveal her name. This wife and his two children died because of the plague in 1543. People were furious at Nostradamus since he wasn’t able to protect his own family from the plague that he was able to cure years before that. He then went back to Provence after that (Ward, 1940).
And then Nostradamus travelled again. When Nostradamus arrived at Marseilles, the Parliament of Provence induced him to come to Aix. He lodged there for three years being paid by the government, since the disease went out in 1546. The disease spread severely and it is said that the he deliver his reports in his book ” Le Theatre du Monde” to Seignuer de Launay (Ward, 1940).
In Salon de Craux, which is between Avignon and Marseilles, he married a woman named Anna Poussuart Genelle. Nostradamus and the second wife had six children, three boys and three girls. He was in that moment when he was foretelling that a great change is about to happen in Europe and there are a lot of troubles that are soon to happen in the kingdom of France. Nostradamus experienced eagerness in his mind that made him write his ” Centuries” and other ” Presages.” The famous book ” Centuries” features his now famous prophecies. In this book, he included two important letters to two important persons: his son, Cesar and Henry II, who was the reigning King during his time (Ward, 1940).
One of Nostradamus’s journalist says that Nostradamus published the books because he wants to be of help to the community. He kept the books with him for so long because he was a little frightened. He saw threats that would happen if he publishes the books and that would lead to many other problems. He could have been a target for the government if he says that he used Astrology in predicting. According to Ward (1940), some quatrains of Nostradamus refer to planets and the others that are harmony to the sacred scriptures. After the publishing, rumors began to spread locally and internationally and that rumor says that ‘something marvelous and admirable appeared’. Obviously, he published the books because he wanted to; and when a person really wanted something, he would find a way to make what he wanted to happen (Ward, 1940).
There was a story about Nostradamus that says he knelt down in front of Felice Peretti, a young monk, and said, ” Your holiness”. Before becoming Pope Sixtus V in 1585, Peretti first became an investigator for Venice (” Visions and Prophecies”, 1988). In 1586, Peretti published a book ” Judicial Astrology” that notifies the readers that God is the only one who can identify the future. Nostradamus gave up on the use of Astrology, maybe because he was affected by the rumors about his prophecies, but he thinks it can still be practiced if the Church allows it to be able to make predictions about the weather and other natural phenomenon (Pocock, 1995).
Another story about Nostradamus was told. Seigneur de Florenville dared Nostradamus to predict the future of one black pig and one white pig. Nostradamus said that de Florenville will eat the black one while the white one will be eaten by a wolf. De Florenville, being a skeptic, wanted to disprove Nostradamus. He asked his chef to cook the white one for him. When dinner was served, de Florenville thought that he had won but Nostradamus stayed firm in his statement. So de Florenville asked his cook to tell the truth and the cook confessed that the white one was taken by a wolf so he served the black one (” Visions and Prophecies”, 1988).
On the 2nd of July year 1566, Nostradamus died because of the arthritis that went worse for days before that day. Jean Aimes said that Nostradamus knew very well what time, hour and day, he will die. Nostradamus reminded himself about the end of June and he wrote on his hand, in the Ephemerides of Jean Stadius, Hic prope mors est (” Here is death at hand.”). ” The day,” says this friend, ” before he exchanged his life for a better, after I had spent many hours with him, and late at night I was taking leave of him until the following morning, he said, ‘You will not see me alive at sunrise'”(Ward, 1940).
Discussion
Accuracy of the Prophecies of Nostradamus
Nostradamus wrote his prophecies in quatrains. Each Centuries book has 100 prophecies except for Century VII (Galang, 1983). Century VII only has 42 prophecies summing up to 942 four-line verses of prophecies. The prophecies of Nostradamus start in the year 1560 and it ends in the year 3797 because he believed that the world will come to an end in that year. It is written in French, German or Latin with words that are ambiguous and some words that the writer had invented (Emery, 2009 12 September). Nostradamus said that he wanted to write the exact dates to the prophecies but did not do so to avoid being tagged as a sorcerer (” Visions and Prophecies”, 1988). Evidences here are to show the accuracy of the prophecies made by the seer.
Accurate Prophecies
Some of the prophecies made by Nostradamus can be linked to a famous event. It was said that Nostradamus predicted the following events that became a huge hit to the community (Fedalizo, 1997). Here are some of the prophecies of Nostradamus that came true exactly the way he said it.
The Death of Henry II
The start of the rise of Nostradamus’s prophecies was when he was called by King Henry II and his wife, Catherine De Medici (Roberts, 1994). The queen was aware of the writings of Nostradamus. When she read the following prophecy, she immediately called the seer to court to interpret his prophecy.
” The young lion will overcome the older one,
in a field of combat in single fight:
He will pierce his eyes in their golden cage;
two wounds in one, then he dies a cruel death.”
(Century 1, Quatrain 35)[1]
Nostradamus interpreted the prophecy as the process of the death of King Henry II. The king ignored what Nostradamus said. In July 1559, he joined a jousting tournament of St. Antoine for a double celebration of the unions of his sister Elisabeth to Philip II of Spain and his daughter Marguerite to Duke of Savoy (Roberts, 1994). There, Henry II went to a fight against Montgomery, the captain of the Scottish guards, who is six years younger than him (” Visions, and Prophecies”, 1988). The two fighters each have a lion engraved in their shields. On the first bout, King Henry II lost. Being a king, he wanted to win so he pleaded for a rematch. On the next bout, the two fighters splintered lances successfully but Montgomery accidentally wounded Henry II right in the king’s eye through his golden screen (Cheetham, 1989). The wound caused his eye to bleed and damage his brain as well. After 10 days of hardship, King Henry II died.
Fire of London
Another prediction of Nostradamus that is unbelievably accurate was the prediction about the 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.”
(Century 2, Quatrain 51)[2]
In the year 1666, there was a big fire in the city of London that damaged almost four-fifths of the city. All the landmarks: the houses made of wood, city streets, churches including the St. Paul Cathedral were destroyed. The fire lasted for five days. Fortunately, only sixteen people died in this accident. Interpreters say that the ‘just’ or ‘justice’ Nostradamus was talking about was the disappearance of the plague in London since many rats carry the Black plague that was spreading that time (Cheetham, 1989).
French Revolution
Next in the many prophecies of Nostradamus that came true is the prediction about the French revolution. There are 2 prophecies that best describe the condition during the 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.”
(Century 1, Quatrain 14)[3]
This prophecy can be interpreted literally because it described exactly what the situation during that time is. The ‘songs, chants and refrains’ in this quatrain are said to be refer the prayers or pleads by people under the new governance. Every single person during the time of the French revolution is not exempted to the cruelness because even princes and kings were imprisoned (as described by the 2nd line) and also beheaded (as suggested by the 4th line). This quatrain served as a warning to the people of France (Roberts, 1994).
Another prophecy that describes the Common Advent (as Nostradamus calls the French revolution) is the following (Roberts, 1994).
” 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 the whites will rule wrongly.”
(Century 1, Quatrain 3)[4]
Just like the first quatrain describing the French revolution, this prophecy can also be interpreted literally. As described in the prophecy, the upper classes were always accepted but this situation was changed by the revolutionists. Nostradamus refers to the France as a republic which is troubled by the new leaders. White was the color of Bourbon kings and red was the color of the revolutionaries. As people know, red is a color of war or rebellion. The last line can be interpreted as the rulers of the republic, the church and upper classes are not suitable for the work which is the aim of the revolutionaries (Roberts, 1994).
Napoleon Bonaparte
After the prediction about the French revolution, the prediction about the existence of the first anti-Christ which was interpreted to be Napoleon Bonaparte came true.
” Pau, Nay, Loron will be more of fire than blood,
to swim in praise, the great one to flee to the confluence (of rivers).
He will refuse entry to the Piuses
Pampon and the Durance will keep them confined.”
(Century 8, Quatrain 1)[5]
If the words PAU, NAY, LORON will be used as an anagram, it can form the word NAPAULON ROY which can be interpreted as ‘Napoleon, the King.’ The praise ‘more of fire than of blood’ is interpreted as Napoleon being a man of war rather than royal lineage (because he was not really a royal blood). The Piuses that were mentioned in the prophecy is about the two popes named Pius VI and Pius VII that Napoleon imprisoned during his time (” The Prophecies of Nostradamus”, 1973).
Louis Pasteur
Next is the eerie prophecy that was said to be pertaining to Louis Pasteur and his amazing discovery.
” The lost thing is discovered, hidden for many centuries.
Pasteur will be celebrated almost as a god-like figure.
This is when the moon completes her great cycle,
but by other rumours he shall be dishonoured.”
(Century 1, Quatrain 25)[6]
This prophecy is one of the weirdest prophecies Nostradamus made because in here, Nostradamus revealed the name of the person he was pertaining to and the date that this prophecy would happen. The existence of the scientist Louis Pasteur who discovered the germs or microbes that is of great help to each and every living thing in this planet. Pasteur was considered as ‘demi-god’ by his people and was ‘dishonored’ because of the jealous people in his area that opposes his work. In accordance to the third line of prophecy, at the end of the Roussat Moon Cycle in the 1880s, Pasteur studied the three most common human plagues called streptococcus, staphylococcus, and pneumococcus (Cheetham, 1989).
Dr. Jose Rizal’s death
After the famous ‘Louis Pasteur prophecy’, there comes the prediction about the effect of the death of Dr. Jose Rizal to the Philippines.
” Wrongly will they come to put the just one to death,
In public and in the middle extinguished:
So great a pestilence will come to arise in this place,
That the judges will be forced to flee.”
(Century 9, Quatrain 11)[7]
The ‘just one’ of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal was said to be proven guilty in fighting against the Spaniards. He was shot at Luneta on December 30, 1896 in front of his fellow Filipinos which served as the start of the revolution in the Philippines. By shooting Rizal, the Spaniards created their own ‘plague’ and after two years, their supremacy in the Philippines was ended. Governor-General Polavieja, who was the one who signed the warrant for Rizal, left his job and went back to Spain (Pocock, 1995).
Kennedy Assassinations
In addition to the prophecies that came true exactly the way Nostradamus stated it is the prediction about the Kennedy brothers’ assassination.
” 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 pestilence in Tuscany.”
(Century 1, Quatrain 26)[8]
The first three lines of this prophecy is said to be referring to the assassinations of the two Kennedy brothers. John F. Kennedy was shot down by an insane man named Lee Harvey Oswald on the morning of November 22, 1963 at Dallas, Texas. While his brother, Robert F. Kennedy was killed on the night of June 5, 1968 while rejoicing his success in an election. The Line 4 suggests the effects of these assassinations in France, England and Italy (Cheetham, 1989). Also, these assassinations was predicted by Jeane Dixon, which can be the ‘bearer of the petition” Nostradamus was pertaining to (Roberts, 1994).
World War II
Another prophecy of Nostradamus that came true is the prophecy pertaining to World War II.
” Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers:
The greater part of the region will be against the Hister,
The great one will cause it to be dragged in an iron cage,
When the German child will observe nothing.”
(Century 2, Quatrain 24)[9]
The first line applies to the invasion of France made by the German Army headed by the famous Adolf Hitler. There were alliances during the World War II whose aim is to defeat Hitler which eventually succeeded. People believed that the ‘Hister’ in Nostradamus’s prophecy is the Hitler that the nation knows today. The last two lines were interpreted as the things that were involved in the war like bunker and tanks (Roberts, 1994).
Ferdinand Marcos’s fall
Nostradamus also predicted the downfall of the Marcos’s government in the year 1986.
” News of the greater loss reported,
The report will astonish the army:
Troops united against the revolted:
The double phalanx will abandon the great one.”
(Century 4, Quatrain 13)[10]
On the Snap Election that Marcos initiated, the COMELEC declared Marcos as the winner. On February 22, 1986, Enrile and Ramos, who are both working under the government, announced that they no longer work for Marcos. Enrile asked for the citizens to be of aid to any member of the military who will do what they did. The ‘camp’ in the second line may be interpreted as Marcos’s political camp or the military camp. The next day, February 23, people went outside the Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame to guard the people that also abandoned Marcos. Nostradamus predicted, as said in the third line, the civilians united with the soldiers that defected. The word ‘phalange’ is the plural word for phalanx which pertains to a bone on the finger. Enrile and Ramos pointed their fingers to Marcos after their great announcement. Also, the ‘laban’ sign that was used by Ninoy Aquino’s political party can indicate the ‘phalange’ (Pocock, 1995).
Rise of Corazon Aquino
The next great event that Nostradamus predicted is the rise of Corazon Aquino as the president of the Republic of the Philippines.
” For the merry maid the bright splendor
Will shine no longer, for long will she be without salt:
With merchants, bullies, wolves odious,
All confusion universal monster.”
(Century 10, Quatrain 98)[11]
Cory Aquino, being the merry maid in the prophecy, had the ‘shine’ when he married a star (Ninoy Aquino). But this star doesn’t shine anymore when he was murdered and the maid was given the task of a leader of a nation. Aquino, being a housewife, ‘have no salt’ (no good sense) for trading or bargaining with other countries. The universal monster that was included in this prophecy is the lack of leadership that became the problem of the presidency of Mrs. Aquino (Pocock, 1995).
Princess Diana’s death
Last but not the least; Nostradamus foretold the death of Princess Diana of England in Paris.
” The penultimate of the surname of the Prophet
Will take Diana for his day and rest:
He will wander far because of a frantic head,
And delivering a great people from subjection.”
(Century 2, Quatrain 28)[12]
In this prophecy, Nostradamus again named the person he was referring to. The owner of Harod’s department, Dodi al-Fayed, had a father whose name is Mohammed. Mohammed is the name of the prophet of the Muslim people. Dodi al-Fayed was with Diana up to the day the princess died. The other two lines was the effect of the death of the Princess to her people (Cheetham, 1989).
Precise and Vague Prophecies
Evidently, not all the prophecies of Nostradamus came true exactly the way he narrated it but some came true but not in the way that Nostradamus said. And some of the prophecies were a little vague that it can be interpreted to two different events or people. Here are some examples of that scenario.
Expedition of Ferdinand Magellan and Adolf Hitler
” From the very 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.”
(Century 3, Quatrain 35)[13]
Portugal is in the western part of the Europe continent and Portugal is where Ferdinand Magellan came from. Ferdinand Magellan was the one who discovered the Philippines in his exploration. He was born in the poor province of Tras-os-Montes on 1480. When Magellan joined a voyage headed by Francisco d’Almeida, he was an ordinary seaman which also implies that Magellan really came from a poor family. Magellan had dreams to explore to the Spice Islands and he was able to captivate the heart of a respected astronomer named Guy de Failero. Coincidently, de Failero and Nostradamus have something in common: they were ‘judicial astrologers’ and had been accused of the use of occult. Magellan travelled to Spain to pursue his dreams when he was turned down by King Manuel I. In Spain, he was able to convince his father-in-law, Diego Barbosa, with his plans. Barbosa, having influences, made arrangements to get Magellan to talk with the young King Charles I of Spain. And it was the start of Magellan’s expedition. Magellan’s tongue was also able to persuade Filipinos to convert to Christians. As the line 3 suggests, Magellan really did have the power to ‘seduce’ people with his words. When Magellan died, he became famous because of his explorations in the Philippines (Pocock, 1995).
This particular prophecy also suggests the existence of Adolf Hitler. Hitler also came from a country that is a part of Western Europe which is Germany. As charismatic as he was, Hitler was able to convince many people to be his allies in the World War II. And one of these allies is Japan (which can be interpreted as the Eastern Kingdom) (Fedalizo, 1997).
This prophecy shows the vagueness that some of Nostradamus’s prophecies possess. People will find it hard to interpret his prophecies that shall take place in the future if there is this vagueness.
Adolf Hitler as the Second Anti-Christ
” Liberty will not be recovered,
A proud, villainous, wicked black one will occupy it,
When the matter of the bridge will be opened,
The republic of Venice vexed by the Hister.”
(Century 5, Quatrain 29)[14]
Interpreters believed that Nostradamus uses the anagram ‘Hister’ to be pertaining to Adolf Hitler. Hister is an area near Danube river where Hitler was born. Since almost all the prophecies were interpreted literally, then this Hister should be pertaining to the area which will make the prophecies senseless. Again, vagueness strikes (Cheetham, 1989).
9-11 bombing of World Trade Center in New York City
” At forty-five degrees the sky will burn,
Fire to approach the great new city:
In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up,
When one will want to demand proof of the Normans.”
(Century 6, Quatrain 97)[15]
” The year 1999, seventh month,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror:
To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.”
(Century 10, Quatrain 72)[16]
Interpreters say that these two quatrains describe the phenomenal and tragic event of the World Trade Center bombing. New York is in 40° 5′ N latitude which is close to the forty-five degrees which is indicated in the prophecy. The bombing happened on September 11, 2001 which makes Nostradamus’s date (July 1999) a little off. There are only a few prophecies which have specified dates and this one is not accurate. Also, in the original prophecy, Nostradamus indicated ‘new city’ which can also pertain to a town in Paris close to 45 degrees latitude. According to this prophecy, after the ‘Great King of Terror’ appears, war will begin (the indication of God of War) which didn’t exactly happen between United States of America and Afghanistan (Emery, 2001 12 September).
Nostradamus’s predictions for the Future
The prophecies of Nostradamus have a simple and easy to understand objective: to predict the future. It is essential to look for prophecies that indicate major events that may happen in the years to come (Fedalizo, 1997).
Existence of a third Anti-Christ
” 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.”
(Century 8, Quatrain 77)[17]
Nostradamus indicates the existence of an ‘anti-Christ’ which will give a terrible problem to the world. For twenty seven years, the possible World War III will occur with this person. Lines 3 and 4 suggest the h
