The Dream - Nikolai Roerich, 1914
Translation of the mystical Russian painter's dreams on the eve of the First World War
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Translator’s Introduction
Below is a translation of Nikolai Roerich’s account of a dream that he had on the eve of the First World War. Born in 1874, Roerich was a mystical Russian painter best known for his vivid and dreamlike paintings, as well as his involvement with theosophy and other esoteric movements which were widespread at the time. During his life Roerich conducted several expeditions across Inner Asia, traveling from the Altai Mountains to the Himalayas and an attempt to reach Tibet. Along with creating several thousand paintings, Roerich also wrote several books, including “Heart of Asia” and others. In his later years he lived in India, where he died in 1947. Many of his paintings are held in New York at the Nicholas Roerich Museum. The source for this translation can be found here.
While Roerich does not say so overtly, his dreams are clearly foretellings of the First World War and its consequences for Russia. The many-headed serpent in particular is reminiscent of the beast from the book of Revelations in the Bible, an apocalyptic premonition of the Bolshevik Revolution which would effective kill Russia (only to be brought back to life after the year 2000).
Just prior to the war Roerich made several paintings which likewise can be seen as premonitions of things to come. These include the paintings “Glow”, “The Scream of the Serpent” and “The Doomed City” which are included below.
For those familiar with Carl Jung, Reorich’s dreams will likely remind them of Jung’s similar premonitions of the First World War, which he recorded in his autobiography “Memories, Dreams, Reflections.” They are worth quoting at length here:
“In October [1913], while I was alone on a journey, I was suddenly seized by an overpowering vision: I saw a monstrous flood covering all the northern and low-lying lands between the North Sea and the Alps. When it came up to Switzerland I saw that the mountains grew higher and higher to protect our country. I realized that a frightful catastrophe was in progress. I saw the mighty yellow waves, the floating rubble of civilization, and the drowned bodies of uncounted thousands. Then the whole sea turned to blood. This vision last about one hour. I was perplexed and nauseated, and ashamed of my weakness.
Two weeks passed; then the vision recurred, under the same conditions, even more vividly than before, and the blood was more emphasized. An inner voice spoke. "Look at it well; it is wholly real and it will be so. You cannot doubt it." That winter someone asked me what I thought were the political prospects of the world in the near future. I replied that I had no thoughts on the matter, but that I saw rivers of blood.
I asked myself whether these visions pointed to a revolution, but could not really imagine anything of the sort. And so I drew the conclusion that they had to do with me myself, and decided that I was menaced by a psychosis. The idea of war did not occur to me at all.
Soon afterward, in the spring and early summer of 1914, I had a thrice-repeated dream that in the middle of summer an Arctic cold wave descended and froze the land to ice. I saw, for example, the whole of Lorraine and its canals frozen and the entire region totally deserted by human beings. All living green things were killed by frost. This dream came in April and May, and for the last time in June, 1914.
In the third dream frightful cold had again descended from out of the cosmos. This dream, however, had an unexpected end. There stood a leaf-bearing tree, but without fruit (my tree of life, I thought), whose leaves had been transformed by the effects of the frost into sweet grapes full of healing juices. I plucked the grapes and gave them to a large, waiting crowd...
On August 1 the world war broke out.”
This all might also remind one of Raskolnikov’s dream at the end of Crime and Punishment, of a wave of nihilism coming from the east sweeping throughout the world. Many connected this dream to Bolshevism, but I think there is more to it than just that. All I will say is that at least for America today, there exists a very similar ideological situation as existed in the late Russian Empire. I would recommend reading Nikolai Berdyaev’s “Origins of Russian Communism.” This topic probably requires its own essay to explain properly, but the key similarity is the collapse in belief in the pre-existing moral-political order, and its replacement with various “radical” ideologies. There are several examples from both the left and right that could be pointed to, but at least as of now, radical left wing ideologies have proven much more effective at filling the void. Unless severe course corrective measures are taken 2020 might very well go down in history as America’s 1917.
For those who would like to see what the “fiery serpent. Many-headed” that consumed Russia looked like, I would recommend the film “The Chekist” from 1992.
The Dream
Before the war my dreams were:
We are riding in the field. Beyond the hill clouds were gathering. A storm. Amidst the clouds striking the ground like lightning is a fiery serpent. Many-headed.
Or: we are riding into a grey plain. The tall hill is getting darker. We see: not a hill, but a grey serpent curled up like a club.
Already for a long time there have been conjurors. They conjured up the brave and dashing. They conjured up falsehoods. They conjured up beasts and birds. They conjured land and water. But nothing helped. The reptiles1 crawled forth.
Then there were signs. They did not notice them. They did not believe. They never thought of it. They were trampled by the crowd.
But the serpent awoke. The enemy of the human race arose. With evil words it tried to conquer the world. It destroyed cities. It desecrated churches. It incinerated people and buildings. It rose to its death.
There were conjurers. There were signs. What remained were dreams. Dreams which came to be.
I lay down to sleep for the night.
I thought: I saw the great the volkhvs.2 I wanted to see what evils they had in store3. Which road are travelling along? So they would show where they had come from and to where they were going.
But the volkhvs revealed nothing. Yes, it was still too early.
They did not depart.
Two others showed up.
One - from the middle ages with an old blue shirt. In a dark kaftan, as well as looking worn out. His hair is fairly long. In his right hand - three fire pokers. He holds their ends up high. Take note: high!
Procopius the Righteous - him, who took the storm cloud away from Ustyug the Great. Him, who prayed for the unknown.
Another - white and old. With a sword and hail.
And of course, Saint Nikolai!
Instead of volkhvs these stars arrived.
Procopius said:
"Do not leave the Earth. The Earth is red, red-hot with evil. But the heat of the Evil feeds on the roots of the Tree, and on it Good lays its most blessed nest. Accept the labours on Earth. Rise up to the oceanic heavens, above the darkness.
Take care of the blessed Tree: Good lives on it. The Earth is the source of grief, but only from grief does happiness emerge. The Highest of all knows the times of your joys.
Do not leave the Earth. We will sit and think about the distant wanderers.
The other, greyish, raised his sword; and to it people gathered. Many of them spoke out:
"Merciful Nikolai! You - a miracle worker! You - mighty! You - the militant saint!
You - conqueror of hearts! You - driver of true thoughts! You, who knows the powers of the earth!
You - keeper of swords! You - protector of cities! You - seer of truth! Do you hear, lord ruler, the prayers?
Evil forces have taken up arms against us. Defend, lord ruler, the most pure city! The pure city - bitterness to our enemies!
Accept, lord ruler, the wonderful city! Move, father, the scared sword! Move, father, the entire army!
Miracle worker! Reveal your formidable face! Cover the cities with your holy sword! You can! The power has been given to you!
We stand without fear or trembling.
Translator - In one of my most memorable and favourite dreams, I began in a scene similar to the painting above titled “And We Are Opening the Gates”, and after passing through the gate I saw a scene somewhat similar to the painting below.
The original word used here is “гады”, which is an old word for reptiles
The volkhvs are magicans in ancient Russian folklore
The original text is difficult to translate and says: хотел посмотреть, что у них в тороках увязано
Fascinating; thanks for translating. Aside from Jung, are you familiar with any other books on dream interpretation?