The Nostradamus Quatrains
By James Donahue
Probably the most famous and most quoted prophets of more contemporary times is Michel de Nostredame, best known as Nostradamus. He was a French apothecary and healer who published quatrains of poetry believed to contain prophetic visions of what were future events.
Nostradamus lived from 1503 to 1566, a time of superstition, the “Black Death” and the Inquisition. It was a dark period when anyone professing “visions” of the future would have been declared a witch and probably thrown in prison or worse; hung in the town square as a practitioner of the Devil’s magic. Consequently he hid his visions in poetic verses that merely suggest events to come, but leave a lot to the imagination.
To make the predictions even harder to understand, he wrote the quatrains in French but threw in Italian, Greek and Latin. He also obscured the meanings of the messages by using symbolism and metaphor and even removed letters or added letters to proper names.
Many of the Nostradamus predictions came true even during his lifetime, and others have come to pass leading right up to contemporary times. Some say that his quatrains predicted the French Revolution, Great Fire of London, Napoleon, the Second World War, the rise of Hitler, the deaths of the Kennedys and even 9-11.
The Quatrains, which were identified as “Centuries” were first published in 1555. This book contained only the first three Centuries and a part of the fourth. The rest of the work would be published later. Yet this first book captured the attention of the literate Europeans who captured the hidden messages. Queen Catherine of France was among his admirers and she summoned Nostradamus to her court at various times for secret meetings behind closed doors.
Most of the quatrains contain predictions of events that occurred in France, Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Only a few of the predictions involve the “New World” or the United States.
How did Nostradamus get his visions of the future? He explains in his own poetry that he sat alone in his study, staring down into a brass pool of liquid while a “slender flame” created the only light in the room. Somehow the visions came to him in the pool of liquid that may have been oil or just water. He also spoke of a divining rod held in his hand, which he may have used to gently tap the brass container of the liquid, thus producing movement and visions.
The best known prophecies include the references to the rise of powerful dictators; Mussolini, Hitler and Napoleon. In the quatrains Nostradamus wrote the words "America," and U.S., a clear reference to the United States, which did not exist during his lifetime.
While Columbus was getting credit for having discovered "a new world" on the other side of the Atlantic, Europeans had not yet given it an official name. Martin Waldseemuller, a German cartographer, knew of the explorations of Italian Amerigo Vespucci and his discovery of that new continent. He drew a world map in 1507, basing his drawings of the New World on Vespucci's published travels, and used a feminine Latinization of Amerigo to name the new continents "America." Other cartographers copied his work and the name stuck. Somehow Nostradamus had some psychic knowledge even as the map makers were doing their slow methodical work of giving the continents their name.
He wrote: "Pau, nay, loron, more in fire their blood shall be, To swim in praise, great ones shall run to the confluence. He will refuse entry to the Piuses, The depraved ones and the Durance will keep them imprisoned."
Students of the Nostradamus quatrains know that he tore names apart to hide their identity, especially if they lived in Nostradamus' time. The letters Pau, nay and loron can easily be switched around to create the name Napoleon. Rated as a brilliant military strategist, Napoleon's army marched across most of Europe, causing the wealthy leaders to "run to the confluence" or junction to escape his onslaught. The Piuses is a reference to the Popes Pius VI and Pius VII, who were both imprisoned by Napoleon.
"The chief of London by rule of America, The Island of Scotland shall be tempered by frost, Kings and Priests shall have one, who is a false Anti-Christ, who will put them altogether in discord.
"His last hand bloody through all U.S. shall not save him by sea, Between two rivers he shall fear the military hand, the black and wrathful one shall be repentant."
Historians say the references to the "black one" is usually pointing to the Italian dictator Mussolini who rose to power after forming the Fascist Party and establishing a militant group known as the black shirts. His army invaded Ethiopia, then Mussolini aligned himself with Hitler's Nazi party and invaded Greece. British and U.S. forces first attacked Italy, taking Mussolini out of the war early. When Italy fell, the people murdered Mussolini.
"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 toward the realm of the East.
"Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers: The greater one will cause it to be dragged in an iron cage When the Germany child will observe nothing."
These lines are obviously a prophecy about the birth and rise of Adolf Hitler, a man born to common people in Austria who became a German leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, or commonly known as the Nazi Party. The quatrain speaks of Hitler as the "beast" that leads the German army to capture France. The "iron cage" may be a description of the tanks that accompanied the troops in their movement across the land.
Nostradamus described the two world wars: "The two greatest ones of Asia and of Africa, from the Rhine and Lower Danube they will be said to have come, Cries, tears at Malta and the Ligurian side."
Another rhyme speaks of "two scourges" of "famine within plague," obviously the result of warfare. Some like to think it is a reference to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, but this is probably not the case:
"Near the gates and within the 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."
Nostradamus appears to have even predicted the great work of Louis Pasteur, the French microbiologist who made breakthroughs in identifying and battling germs, pasteurizing milk and developing a vaccine for rabies and anthrax. He wrote:
"Lost, found, hidden for so long a time, the pastor will be honored as a demigod: Before the Moon finishes its full period he will be dishonored by other winds."
While Pasteur helped so many people overcome a wide variety of disease and illness, he was unable to repair the paralyzing strokes that restricted his own ability to get around late in life and eventually killed him in 1895.
"The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt, An evil deed foretold by the bearer of a petition. Another falls at night time. Conflict at Reins, London and a pestilence in Tuscany"
Some believe this single verse speaks of the assassinations of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his brother, Robert. President Kennedy was shot to death at 12:30 p.m. Central Time on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Robert was murdered just after midnight on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles, California. Also in 1963 students rioted in the streets of London and in 1968 there was a serious flood in Florence that caused a fear of plague and pestilence.
Nostradamus may even have foreseen the 9-11 attacks on New York. The events of that day seem to help explain the following verses:
"Volcanic fire from the center of the earth will cause trembling around the new city: Two great rocks will make war for a long time. Then Arethusa will redden a new river.
"In the year 1999, in the seventh month, from the sky will come the great King of Terror, bringing back to life the great King of the Mongols. Before and after, Mars to reign by good fortune."
The verse speaks of the "New City," a reference to a great city in the new world that was not yet known to Nostradamus. His reference to "the center of the earth" that will cause trembling is easily seen as a description of the World Trade Center, the buildings that housed trading offices from around the world. The two great rocks, or towers destroyed in the attack led to wars in the Middle East that are still going on to this day.
It is interesting to note that the date of the event was off by two years and two months.
By James Donahue
Probably the most famous and most quoted prophets of more contemporary times is Michel de Nostredame, best known as Nostradamus. He was a French apothecary and healer who published quatrains of poetry believed to contain prophetic visions of what were future events.
Nostradamus lived from 1503 to 1566, a time of superstition, the “Black Death” and the Inquisition. It was a dark period when anyone professing “visions” of the future would have been declared a witch and probably thrown in prison or worse; hung in the town square as a practitioner of the Devil’s magic. Consequently he hid his visions in poetic verses that merely suggest events to come, but leave a lot to the imagination.
To make the predictions even harder to understand, he wrote the quatrains in French but threw in Italian, Greek and Latin. He also obscured the meanings of the messages by using symbolism and metaphor and even removed letters or added letters to proper names.
Many of the Nostradamus predictions came true even during his lifetime, and others have come to pass leading right up to contemporary times. Some say that his quatrains predicted the French Revolution, Great Fire of London, Napoleon, the Second World War, the rise of Hitler, the deaths of the Kennedys and even 9-11.
The Quatrains, which were identified as “Centuries” were first published in 1555. This book contained only the first three Centuries and a part of the fourth. The rest of the work would be published later. Yet this first book captured the attention of the literate Europeans who captured the hidden messages. Queen Catherine of France was among his admirers and she summoned Nostradamus to her court at various times for secret meetings behind closed doors.
Most of the quatrains contain predictions of events that occurred in France, Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Only a few of the predictions involve the “New World” or the United States.
How did Nostradamus get his visions of the future? He explains in his own poetry that he sat alone in his study, staring down into a brass pool of liquid while a “slender flame” created the only light in the room. Somehow the visions came to him in the pool of liquid that may have been oil or just water. He also spoke of a divining rod held in his hand, which he may have used to gently tap the brass container of the liquid, thus producing movement and visions.
The best known prophecies include the references to the rise of powerful dictators; Mussolini, Hitler and Napoleon. In the quatrains Nostradamus wrote the words "America," and U.S., a clear reference to the United States, which did not exist during his lifetime.
While Columbus was getting credit for having discovered "a new world" on the other side of the Atlantic, Europeans had not yet given it an official name. Martin Waldseemuller, a German cartographer, knew of the explorations of Italian Amerigo Vespucci and his discovery of that new continent. He drew a world map in 1507, basing his drawings of the New World on Vespucci's published travels, and used a feminine Latinization of Amerigo to name the new continents "America." Other cartographers copied his work and the name stuck. Somehow Nostradamus had some psychic knowledge even as the map makers were doing their slow methodical work of giving the continents their name.
He wrote: "Pau, nay, loron, more in fire their blood shall be, To swim in praise, great ones shall run to the confluence. He will refuse entry to the Piuses, The depraved ones and the Durance will keep them imprisoned."
Students of the Nostradamus quatrains know that he tore names apart to hide their identity, especially if they lived in Nostradamus' time. The letters Pau, nay and loron can easily be switched around to create the name Napoleon. Rated as a brilliant military strategist, Napoleon's army marched across most of Europe, causing the wealthy leaders to "run to the confluence" or junction to escape his onslaught. The Piuses is a reference to the Popes Pius VI and Pius VII, who were both imprisoned by Napoleon.
"The chief of London by rule of America, The Island of Scotland shall be tempered by frost, Kings and Priests shall have one, who is a false Anti-Christ, who will put them altogether in discord.
"His last hand bloody through all U.S. shall not save him by sea, Between two rivers he shall fear the military hand, the black and wrathful one shall be repentant."
Historians say the references to the "black one" is usually pointing to the Italian dictator Mussolini who rose to power after forming the Fascist Party and establishing a militant group known as the black shirts. His army invaded Ethiopia, then Mussolini aligned himself with Hitler's Nazi party and invaded Greece. British and U.S. forces first attacked Italy, taking Mussolini out of the war early. When Italy fell, the people murdered Mussolini.
"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 toward the realm of the East.
"Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers: The greater one will cause it to be dragged in an iron cage When the Germany child will observe nothing."
These lines are obviously a prophecy about the birth and rise of Adolf Hitler, a man born to common people in Austria who became a German leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, or commonly known as the Nazi Party. The quatrain speaks of Hitler as the "beast" that leads the German army to capture France. The "iron cage" may be a description of the tanks that accompanied the troops in their movement across the land.
Nostradamus described the two world wars: "The two greatest ones of Asia and of Africa, from the Rhine and Lower Danube they will be said to have come, Cries, tears at Malta and the Ligurian side."
Another rhyme speaks of "two scourges" of "famine within plague," obviously the result of warfare. Some like to think it is a reference to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, but this is probably not the case:
"Near the gates and within the 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."
Nostradamus appears to have even predicted the great work of Louis Pasteur, the French microbiologist who made breakthroughs in identifying and battling germs, pasteurizing milk and developing a vaccine for rabies and anthrax. He wrote:
"Lost, found, hidden for so long a time, the pastor will be honored as a demigod: Before the Moon finishes its full period he will be dishonored by other winds."
While Pasteur helped so many people overcome a wide variety of disease and illness, he was unable to repair the paralyzing strokes that restricted his own ability to get around late in life and eventually killed him in 1895.
"The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt, An evil deed foretold by the bearer of a petition. Another falls at night time. Conflict at Reins, London and a pestilence in Tuscany"
Some believe this single verse speaks of the assassinations of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his brother, Robert. President Kennedy was shot to death at 12:30 p.m. Central Time on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Robert was murdered just after midnight on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles, California. Also in 1963 students rioted in the streets of London and in 1968 there was a serious flood in Florence that caused a fear of plague and pestilence.
Nostradamus may even have foreseen the 9-11 attacks on New York. The events of that day seem to help explain the following verses:
"Volcanic fire from the center of the earth will cause trembling around the new city: Two great rocks will make war for a long time. Then Arethusa will redden a new river.
"In the year 1999, in the seventh month, from the sky will come the great King of Terror, bringing back to life the great King of the Mongols. Before and after, Mars to reign by good fortune."
The verse speaks of the "New City," a reference to a great city in the new world that was not yet known to Nostradamus. His reference to "the center of the earth" that will cause trembling is easily seen as a description of the World Trade Center, the buildings that housed trading offices from around the world. The two great rocks, or towers destroyed in the attack led to wars in the Middle East that are still going on to this day.
It is interesting to note that the date of the event was off by two years and two months.