The Dream - Introduction into the Psychology of Dreams complicated works", which could then build up on his own work. "The Dream" was written in 1918, a time in which Europe had suffered from World War I for nearly four years already when it was finally about to come to an end. Furthermore, it originates from a period in which the field of psychology was greatly influenced by psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and like-minded psychologists. Especially since the publication of Freud's Interpretation of Dreams ("Traumdeutung") in 1900, psychoanalysis in general, and dream interpretation in particular, became of increasing interest among professionals as well as laymen. Many people were
Dream interpretation would be effected through divine grace by incubating dreams within the confines of the temple. Dreams were also considered prophetic or omens of particular significance. Artemidorus of Daldis, who lived in the 2nd century AD, wrote a comprehensive text "Oneirocritica (The Interpretation of Dreams)". Although Artemidorus believed that dreams can predict the future, he presaged many contemporary approaches to dreams. He thought that the meaning of a dream image could involve puns and could be understood by decoding the image into its component words. For example, Alexander, while waging war against the Tyrians, dreamt that a satyr was dancing on