Are the writings of Nostradamus predictions or a load of codswallup?

Question

Do you believe Nostradamus saw the future or is it a load of bull? If you believe he did predict the future, where did the images come from? I had a theory that maybe he was a time-traveller from our distant future (from a time when time travel is possible) that went back in time and got stuck there (hence his knowledge of what transpires). What other theories are out there about him?

Answer 1

Yes, Nostradamus could "see" the future. "How" is unknown. He has been right too many times to be guessing or a fake. The translators often get things wrong in trying to tie things that happen to what he predicted and an observant person can find other things that more closely match his descriptions of thing to come. His dates are sometimes 5, 10, to 50 years off the actual event, but what he predicted has happened more times than can be brushed aside as chance.

Answer 2

Nostradamus lived in a time when the Roman Catholic Church persecuted those who did not strictly adhere to the church's teachings; as such, he wrote in poetic quatrains so that his predictions could be interpreted in time and not immediately detected by the church Inquisitors.

It is thought that Nostradamus based his predictions from a method known as "scrying," gazing into a clear tub of water or into a mirror so that the mental images that would come to his mind could appear clearer in his visual perception. Crystal balls have been used in the same way and it is only a method of focusing the mental images into a clear physical medium in order to visually decipher the vision. Crystal balls or mirrors have no power of themselves, they are just used as a focusing tool.

Many people have interpreted Nostradamus' predictions as having come true, while many are awaiting the outcome of other predictions. It all depends upon the interpretations that you feel most comfortable with, which would make it all an individualistic acceptance of a prediction. There are various schools of thought in regard to the Nostradamus predictions. Below, you will find a link to a website which appears to be quite thorough in its discussion of Nostradamus' visions, listing all of the centuries of quatrains, as well as some interesting discussions.

Answer 3

i've always been curious about nostradamus' predictions, but you have to take them with a grain of salt. Da Vinci spent his life trying to invent things that would not come to pass until a great deal later. one could say he predicted the future.

nostradamus was also wrong almost as many times as he was right.

Answer 4

I dont really know. I think that if you predict enough things, some of them will come true, especially if it is done in a very vague way.

Nostradamus followers have noted hundreds of instances where "The Centuries" describes modern events. One is Nostradamus' supposed prediction of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

Century 2, Quatrain 24:

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 followers claim that the name "Hister" is a direct reference to Hitler. Another quatrain refers to a ruthless leader born in Western Europe, to poor parents (as Hitler was), and yet another one refers to Hister's conflict with Asia and Africa.
Skeptics ascribe the apparent accuracy of these quatrains (and others) to two major factors: problems with translation and simple coincidence.

In general, many of Nostradamus' prophecies include 16th-century French terms that aren't clear to most modern interpreters. Particular words could be interpreted in any number of ways, and they can be twisted easily to fit an actual event. In Nostradamus' time, for example, "Hister" referred to a geographical region near the Danube river. Most likely, skeptics argue, Nostradamus was referring to this area, not to a person. (Hitler was in fact born near the Danube river, so many believers actually embrace this interpretation). The most compelling argument against Nostradamus' powers is that his apparent "hits" are the result of random chance and creative interpretation. There are about a thousand quatrains, most containing more than one prediction and all but a few described in vague, obscure terms. Over the course of hundreds of years, it's certainly possible that some events would line up with some predictions, simply by coincidence.

In fact, Nostradamus may have phrased his prophecies with exactly this in mind. Most quatrains refer to deaths, wars or natural disasters, events that are sure to occur again and again throughout history.

Nostradamus' esoteric style also increases the chances of a perceived hit. His metaphorical writing highlights general relationships and conflicts, not specific details. People, or possibly nations, are described as animals; major figures are referred to by their attributes. This imprecise language does lend itself well to subjective interpretation -- when the exact meaning is unclear, it's easy to plug in one's own experiences to reach some sort of understanding.

Century 10, Quatrain 72:

The year 1999 seven months
From the sky will come the great King of Terror.
To resuscitate the great king of the Mongols.
Before and after, Mars reigns by good luck.
Century 6, Quatrain 97:
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.

Many Nostradamus followers believe that both Quatrains refer to the attack on the World Trade Center. The references to fire and terror from the sky fits with the aerial attack, they argue, and New York city is around 40° 5' N latitude (relatively close to "forty-five" degrees). The date is also not far off. Additionally, several other quatrains refer to an antichrist figure called "Mabus," who supposedly will start a world war. The letters in Mabus can be rearranged to spell Usam B, leading some to believe Nostradamus saw the coming of Osama bin Laden.
Skeptics suggest that believers are paying attention only to the pieces that fit, and ignoring the parts that do not ("the great king of the Mongols," for example). Additionally, they argue that "the great new city" is a skewed translation of Nostradamus' lines. In the original French, Nostradamus referred to "Villeneuve," which literally means "new city," but is also the name of a town outside of Paris, near 45 degrees latitude. Critics credit the similarity of Mabus and Usama bin Laden to coincidence, noting that up until recently, many Nostradamus followers claimed Saddam Hussein was Mabus (Mabus spelled backward is Subam).

Answer 5

i am not sure, i saw a thing on history channel and many say that they are, but some Say that they are not couse if they were, then why cant we figure them out untill after they ahve happened, i am still not sure which i believe.

Answer 6

If they are true why can't anyone predict the future with them?
I believe they are not prophecies.

Answer 7

His "predictions" are a "load of codswallup".

Answer 8

His "predictions" are clever vagaries written so that SOMEONE will find SOMETHING that fits them.

Answer 9

I think they're a crock.

Answer 10

na, it is bull !