Every interpretation in this dictionary is traceable to a source. The classic dream texts below are in the public domain and free to read online. Where a modern edition is worth owning, we link it; those links are affiliate links (see the disclosure).
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Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted
An A to Z of thousands of short entries. The workhorse for everyday symbol meanings and a feeder for the myth and folk lens.
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Miller, Gustavus Hindman. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted; or, What's in a Dream: A Scientific and Practical Exposition. M. A. Donohue & Co., 1901.
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The Interpretation of Dreams
The source for the Freud lens.
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Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. Translated by A. A. Brill, The Macmillan Company, 1913.
Only the Brill (1913) translation is public domain. The Strachey Standard Edition (1953) is in copyright; do not use it.
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The Interpretation of Dreams (Oneirocritica)
Classical Greco-Roman dream theory for the mythological lens.
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Artemidorus. The Interpretation of Dreams (Oneirocritica). Translated by Robert Wood, 1644. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, A25906. CC0.
The Harris-McCoy (2012) and Hammond/Thonemann (2020) translations are in copyright; do not reproduce them.
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Bulfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable
Greek, Roman, and biblical symbol context for the cross-cultural myth lens.
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Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable. 1855.
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The Golden Bough (abridged)
Cross-cultural ritual and symbol parallels. Use carefully; the anthropology is dated.
Full citation and rights
Frazer, James George. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Abridged ed., Macmillan, 1922.
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Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Quick reference for symbolic and folkloric phrases behind many images.
Full citation and rights
Brewer, E. Cobham. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. New ed., 1898.
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