Young Pehr Stenberg’s Restless Dreams (1775–1788)
Omens, Nightmares, and the Social Meanings of Dreams
Abstract
The article discusses how young Pehr Stenberg (1758–1824), who was studying for the priesthood, dealt with and described dreams in his autobigraphy, ‘Pett: Stenbergs Lefwernes beskrifning’, published in four volumes. The article focuses on Stenberg’s childhood and youth (1758–1789). Stenberg, who came from a peasant family, left Umeå, his family’s town and the town of his schooling, to study at the Academy of Turku. To finance his studies, he worked as a tutor in noble Finnish families for years. There, he fell in love with several socially superior women.
Pehr Stenberg reported 23 dreams in his life story, 16 of which were his own. I analyse the kind of dreams he described, how they influenced him, and what kind of meanings he and his contemporaries gave them. I also analyse how Stenberg and his acquaintances recounted and discussed dreams and interpreted them situationally. As dreams were considered potentially prophetic, stories of dreams could influence others. I will also reflect on the sources of the dream interpretations in the autobiography. The other prophesies and omens that Stenberg documented contextualise beliefs in premonitions.
Pehr Stenberg mentioned dreams about fire and snakes several times. These were considered to be related to love, although this interpretation lacked support in contemporary Swedish dream interpretation books. Hopes of matrimony with a noble maiden increased the restlessness of Stenberg’s dreams, whether positive dreams or nightmares. Stenberg talked repeatedly about dreams with his acquaintances. Although he frequently denied believing in them, he documented them in case they became reality and thus divinatory. This evident paradox can best be interpreted by perceiving dreams and portents as strategies for managing the uncertain future.
Keywords: early modern; dreams; youth; Sweden; Finland; love; nightmares
