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The prophecies of the 16th-century author
Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
have become a part of the popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. Nostradamus' life has been depicted in both fiction and non-fiction books as well as several films, and made-up prophecies that were said to be his were circulated online in several well-known hoaxes, where quatrains in the style of Nostradamus have been circulated by
e-mail Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
. The most well-known hoax claims that he predicted the attack on
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
's World Trade Center on
September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
.


Supposed prophecies

Nostradamus enthusiasts have often credited him with predicting numerous events in world history, supposedly including the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, the rise of
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
, the atomic bomb, the rise of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
on the World Trade Center, and the last pope. Indeed, they regularly make similar claims regarding each new world crisis as it comes along as there is a tendency to claim that "Nostradamus predicted whatever has just happened." These claims rely heavily on the role of interpretation.


Great King out of the Sky

One well-known supposed prophecy is that "a great and terrifying leader would come out of the sky" in 1999 and 7 months "to resuscitate the great King from Angoumois." But the phrase ''d'effraieur'' (of terror) in fact occurs nowhere in the original printing, which merely uses the word ''deffraieur'' (defraying, hosting), and Nostradamus sometimes uses the word ''ciel'' simply to mean 'region', rather than 'sky'. On the basis of Nostradamus's by now well-known technique of projecting past events into the future, LemesurierLemesurier, Peter, ''Nostradamus: The Illustrated Prophecies'', 2003, suggests tha
X.72
therefore refers to the restoration to health of the captive
Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...
(who was Duke of Angoulême) following a surprise visit to his cell by his host, the then Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...
in 1525. No fewer than five of the planets were in the same signs on both occasions. Author and researcher Ove von Spaeth on his work ''Nostradamus, the New Millennium and the Basilisk'' notes that "numerous attempts of interpretation" of Nostradamus texts do not take into consideration that he was also an astrologer. Von Spaeth also denotes that the interpretation of ''deffraieur'' as "horror" is misleading, and suggests a new approach to interpret the text:
The Nostradamus words, ''roy de deffraieur'' is a special, old French spelling of ‘the king of the horrible’. If the word is changed a tiny bit, e.g. ''def(f)rayer'' - meaning something financial, ‘to lend money’, ‘to exempt from expenses’, as well as something entirely different, i.e. ‘to be the subject/matter/entertainment in a conversation’, a new possibility appears. People who have tried to interpret his prophecies have had problems in fitting this in, unless they have suggested a financial world crisis.
Some astrologers has considering that this prophecy could be related to the ongoing events in the world that began in the 2020s, with the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, which caused a global economic recession, global inflation disruption and a global supply chain crisis. These events could be associated with a possible transition from the
Age of Pisces An astrological age is a time period in astrological theory which astrologers say, parallels major changes in the development of Earth's inhabitants, particularly relating to culture, society, and politics. There are twelve astrological ages corr ...
to the Age of Aquarius, in which the interpretation of the prophecy would be: "from heaven (i.e. divine guided) shall come a great sovereign financer"; and this financer, whom in turn would be someone exceedingly wealth, would represent the figure of the water-bearer, symbol of Aquarius, which is also associated with the biblical verse in Luke 22:10 in the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
.


September 11, 2001

The September 11, 2001 attacks on
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
's World Trade Center led to immediate speculation as to whether Nostradamus had predicted the event. Almost as soon as the event had happened, the relevant Internet sites were deluged with inquiries. In response, Nostradamus enthusiasts started searching for a Nostradamus quatrain that could be said to have done so, coming up with interpretations of Quatrains I.87, VI.97 and X.72. However, the various ways in which the enthusiasts chose to interpret the text were not supported by experts on the subject. In addition, Nostradamus himself in his dedicatory letter to King Henri II states that his prophecies were about Europe, North Africa and part of Asia Minor only. The nearest that the former could come up with wa
quatrain VI.97
which in the original 1557 edition ran: :''Cinq & quarante degrés ciel bruslera, :''Feu approucher de la grand cité neufve,'' :''Instant grand flamme esparse saultera,'' :''Quant on voudra des
Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
faire preuve :'' With ''instant'' evidently a version of the Latin ''instanter'' ("violently, vehemently"), a reasonable English translation (after Lemesurier) would thus appear to be: :Five and forty degrees, the sky shall burn: :To the great new city shall the fire draw nigh. :With vehemence the flames shall spread and churn :When with the
Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
they conclusions try. "Five and forty degrees" was said to be the latitude of New York City (New York's latitude is 40°47'), and was interpreted as "40.5 degrees" (even though the decimal point had not yet come into use in the Europe of Nostradamus' day). "New City", similarly, was claimed to be New York (even though Nostradamus refers in this way to various "New Cities" whose names, unlike "New York", literally mean "New City", and especially
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
– from Greek ''Neapolis'', "new city"); and most of the attempts to fit in the "Normans" of line 4 seemed contrived at best. While it is true that New York State, which has the same name as New York City, crosses 45° latitude, it cannot, of course, be described as a "new city", and so doesn't fit line 2 of the verse. Lemesurier suggests that the verse is merely an undated projection into the future of the capture of Naples by the Normans in 1139 during a year marked by a notably violent eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius that is recorded in the contemporary ''Annales Cassini''. In this case, the first expression may simply be a version of :''Cinq nte minutes& quarante degrés'' – which is indeed the latitude of Naples. Another quatrain which came under the scrutiny of enthusiasts wa
quatrain I.87
which in the original 1555 edition ( Albi copy) ran: :''Ennosigée feu du centre de terre'' :''Fera trembler au tour de cité neufve:'' :''Deux grands rochiers long temps feront la guerre'' :''Puis Arethusa rougira nouveau fleuve.'' or, in a possible English translation: :Earth-shaking fires from the world’s centre roar: :Around "New City" is the earth a-quiver. :Two nobles long shall wage a fruitless war, :The nymph of springs pour forth a new, red river. Here, once again, the ''cité neufve'' was claimed to be New York; ''au tour de'' had to refer to the Twin Towers (even though, in French, the word ''tour'' in the masculine – as it is here – has absolutely nothing to do with towers, but is part of a phrase meaning "around"); the ''Deux grands rochiers'' had to be the Twin Towers themselves; and ''Arethusa'' was said to be an anagram of "the USA". Once again, however, a rather more sober investigation by Brind'Amour had already revealed (bearing in mind that, in French, ''faire la guerre aux rochers'', or "to make war on the rocks", simply means "to struggle fruitlessly") that the reference was probably to Naples and its nearby volcano. Subsequent investigation by Lemesurier and his colleague Gary Somai suggested that it applied particularly to the ''Annales Cassinis report of its lava eruption of 1036, at a time when the Lombards of
Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...
and the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
dukes of Naples were constantly at war over the city prior to the decisive intervention of the Normans. For 968, similarly, Leo Marsicanus had reported in the same annals that "Mount Vesuvius exploded into flames and sent out huge quantities of sticky, sulfurous matter that formed a river rushing down to the sea". Thus, given that Arethusa was the classical nymph of springs and rivers, with a well-known "spring of Arethusa" still visible today in the Sicilian port of Syracuse, the case for a "9/11" interpretation was evidently unfounded. The Julian Calendar was indeed the calendar system used during Nostradamus' lifetime. In his ''Almanachs'', Nostradamus published at least eleven Julian calendars of his own – but all of them in fact started on January 1, and in all of them the seventh month was consequently ''July''. Lemesurier consequently suggests that X.72 does not predict the 9/11 attacks at all, but refers back to the allegedly "miraculous" restoration to health of the captive Francis I of France in August 1525 by his then ''Roy deffraieur'' ("host-king") Charles V, and then projects it forwards into the future as a prophecy. As for the various interpretations of the line usually rendered as "To resuscitate the great king of the Mongols", the verse in fact contains no such line (the word ''mongolais'' which, since Leoni
961 Year 961 (Roman numerals, CMLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoro ...
has often been proposed as an anagram for ''Angolmois'', doesn't exist in French anymore), but merely refers to the well-known French region of Angoumois, of whose capital (Angoulême) Francis I was duke: he was thus, as the verse states, ''Le grand Roy d'Angolmois'' ("the great King from Angoumois") of Nostradamus's own day. In these and other ways, Nostradamus's statement in his open letter to his son Cesar that his quatrains were "written in a nebulous rather than plainly prophetic form" is widely taken by enthusiasts as ''carte blanche'' for suggesting that they can mean almost anything that they want them to say.


Hoaxes


"Mabus" as Antichrist

Some have interpreted the writings as predicting a series of three antichrists. However, the name "Mabus" as a synonym for or embodiment of the third
antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...
is allegedly not suggested by any of the ''Prophecies''. In fact the verse in question (II.62) merely states that a character of a similar-sounding name (according to Lemesurier 'op. cit.'' an alleged reference to the Flemish painter
Jan Mabuse Jan Gossaert (c. 1478 – 1 October 1532) was a French-speaking painter from the Low Countries also known as Jan Mabuse (the name he adopted from his birthplace, Maubeuge) or Jennyn van Hennegouwe ( Hainaut), as he called himself when he matri ...
, contemporary with Nostradamus) ''will die''. Otherwise, the reference says nothing about what "Mabus" will do or what he will be like. However, parts of Nostradamus Quantrain 2.61-62 state that "Mars at the port of the arrow. Behind the river the ladder put to the fort, Points to fire great murder on the breach. Mabus then will soon die, there will come Of people and beasts a horrible rout" More recently attempts have been made to link the name "Mabus" anagrammatically with " Obama", as previously with "
Saddam Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
", " Osama" and " Bush". This tendency to attempt to adapt quatrains to fit current events can be traced all the way back to Nostradamus' own time. However, Mabus is also acknowledged to be the surname of longtime U.S. political figure
Ray Mabus Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. (; born October 11, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previously served as the State Auditor ...
.


Village idiot hoax

Following the contentious 2000 U.S. presidential election wherein George W. Bush was elected president, this text was widely circulated: : ''Come the millennium, month 12'' : ''In the home of greatest power'' : ''The village idiot will come forth'' : ''To be acclaimed the leader.'' As with other hoaxes, only the purported English translation was given. It is likely that this verse was written as a joke.


World Trade Center prophecy hoax

Shortly after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the following spoof text was circulated on the Internet, along with many more elaborate variants (one of them signed 'Nostradamus 1654' – when he would have been 150 years old): : ''In the City of God there will be a great thunder,'' : ''Two brothers torn apart by Chaos,'' : ''while the fortress endures,'' : ''the great leader will succumb,'' : ''The third big war will begin when the big city is burning.'' As it turns out, the first four lines were indeed written before the attacks, but by a Canadian graduate student named Neil Marshall as part of a research paper in 1997. The research paper included this poem as an illustrative example of how the validity of prophecies is often exaggerated. For example, the phrases "City of God" (New York has never held the title of "City of Angels"), "great thunder" (this could apply to many disasters), "Two brothers" (many things come in pairs), and "the great leader will succumb" are so vague as to be meaningless. The fifth line was added by an anonymous Internet user, completely ignoring the fact that Nostradamus wrote his ''Propheties'' in rhymed four-line decasyllables called quatrains. Nostradamus also never referred to a "third big war".


Psy hoax

Towards mid-December 2012, an internet hoax related to South Korean singer and rapper
Psy Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage per ...
being one of the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand t ...
was widely circulated around social media platforms. The hoax text, purportedly written by Nostradamus in 1503, is as follows: :''From the calm morning,'' :''the end will come'' :''when of the dancing horse'' :''the number of circles will be nine'' "Calm morning" is said to be in reference to Psy's birth country –
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, derived from the characters for one of its older names, ''Joseon'' (조선/朝鮮). "Dancing horse" refers to Psy's Gangnam Style "dancing horse" routine, whereas the "nine circles" refer to the number of zeroes in one billion (1,000,000,000), which is nine. It was believed that once Psy's Gangnam Style video on YouTube amassed a billion views, the world would end. The music video did reach one billion views on December 21, 2012, a popular date for which the world was predicted to end. However, the quatrain could not have been written by Nostradamus in 1503; he was born in December of that year.


Political and military manipulation

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, leaflets with false Nostradamus quatrains predicting the defeat of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
were launched by German planes over European skies. It seems that this operation was mastered by
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
political secretary Rudolf Hess, and that even
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
believed in Nostradamus' quatrains. Certainly his propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels did, under the influence of his wife
Magda Magda is a feminine given name, sometimes a short form ( hypocorism) of names such as Magdalena, which may refer to: * Magda Apanowicz (born 1985), Canadian actress * Magda B. Arnold (1903–2002), Czechoslovakian-born American psychologist * M ...
. Subsequently, the Allies responded in kind, both with air-dropped leaflets and via the American film ''Nostradamus Says So''. After Rudolf Hess left
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in a solitary flight to
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, seeking a peace agreement with the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, Hitler issued the ''Aktion Hess'', a mandatory prosecution of any divinator or future-teller in all Nazi-occupied countries.


Entertainment


Film

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
is the subject of many films and videos, including: * ''
Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
'' (1925) Italian
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
directed by Mario Roncoroni. * '' More About Nostradamus'' (1941) (Nominated for the 1941 Academy Awards in the Short Subject category) * '' Nosutoradamusu no daiyogen'' (1974) Japanese film by Toshio Masuda. * '' The Man Who Saw Tomorrow'' (1981), a documentary-style movie hosted, narrated by Orson Welles. * ''
Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
'' (1994) depicts Nostradamus's rise in influence, because of both his success in treating plague and his predictions, culminating in his appointment as court physician to
Charles IX of France Charles IX (Charles Maximilien; 27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II in 1560, and as such was the penultimate monarch of the ...
(son of Henry II of France). * '' Before Twilight'' (2008) Polish film directed by Jacek Bławut. * ''
Farewell to Nostradamus , sometimes also referred to as ''To Hell With Nostradamus,'' is a 1995 Japanese animated film. It is the fourth theatrical feature film in the ''Lupin III'' franchise, and the first time Lupin's voice is provided by Kanichi Kurita, following the d ...
'' is an anime film based around the prophecies of Nostradamus. * Mention is made of Nostradamus in the 1985 Italian horror film '' Demoni'', directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento. According to the characters of the film shown at the fictional Metropol movie theater, Nostradamus predicted the spawning of demons that will "spread pestilence" and be "instruments of evil".


Television

The television series '' Alias'' prominently features the character
Milo Rambaldi The following is a partial list of characters from the TV series, ''Alias''. Overview Main characters Recurring characters McKenas Cole McKenas Cole was portrayed by Quentin Tarantino. Formerly an operative for SD-6, he defected from the ...
, a fictional prophet who seems to be an amalgam of Nostradamus and the non-prophetic but visionary inventor, artist, and
genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...
Leonardo da Vinci. In the
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
series '' First Wave'', the protagonists use a previously unknown book of quatrains of Nostradamus to fight back against an alien invasion. Nostradamus was also a regular character on '' This Morning With Richard Not Judy'', played by Emma Kennedy. Nostradamus appeared semi-regularly on the
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...
''
Histeria! ''Histeria!'' is an American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, ''Histeria!'' was an explicitly educational program created to ...
'' as an eccentric
red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
-
beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...
ed man in stereotypical wizard garb. On '' Mr. Show with Bob and David'', an episode contains a sketch called "Nostradamus and his Companion". In it, Nostradamus (played by Bob Odenkirk) is a
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
man who falls in love with a fashion designer, played by David Cross. Nostradamus is left behind by his constant chum, who goes on to achieve fame and fortune in the fashion industry. The sketch ends with a school being named after them: "Nostradamus and His Constant Chum Elementary School." On '' Chappelle's Show'', the sketch comedy show hosted by Dave Chappelle, there is a character named Negrodamus (played by comedian Paul Mooney), an
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
version of Nostradamus who makes various predictions in response to questions. In the
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
cartoon ''
CatDog ''CatDog'' is an American animated television series created by Peter Hannan for Nickelodeon. The series follows the life of yellow conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other a dog. ...
'', the title characters find a prediction in a book by the fictitious prophet "Nostradummy" that they interpret as predicting the imminent end of the world. In ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' episode "
Thank God, It's Doomsday "Thank God, It's Doomsday" is the nineteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 8, 2005. Al Jean claims that the recorded comm ...
", Homer Simpson is sarcastically called "Nostradumbass" by
Comic Book Guy Jeff Albertson, commonly known as Comic Book Guy, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the second-season episode " Three Men and a Comic Book", wh ...
after his initial prophecy of the end of the world is incorrect. In the
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
ATV series '' My Date with a Vampire'' (series 1), Nostradamus (also referred to as the "French Guy") was held to have made a prophecy of the end of world in 1999, with a third of the world's population turning into monsters or vampires and the rest perishing. The antagonist, vampire Yamamoto Kazuo (portrayed by Kenneth Chan) and later Yu Meng Sap Sam or his true identity—Lo Hau (portrayed by Wai Lit), sought to make the prophecy come true and rule the world, but the protagonists Fong Tin Yau (portrayed by Eric Wan) and Ma Siu Ling (portrayed by Joey Meng) were able to stop this from occurring. The anime ''
Occult Academy is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and Aniplex and directed by Tomohiko Itō. The 13-episode anime premiered in Japan on the TV Tokyo television network on July 6, 2010. ''Occult Academy'' is the third and final pro ...
'' revolves around an artifact called the Nostradamus Key, an object that will open a dimensional rift on July 21, 1999, that would trigger an alien invasion in the year 2012. In fact, it seems that the survivors of the 2012 invasion used alien technology to send someone to tell Nostradamus as part of a plan to prevent the invasion. Bob Bainborough portrayed Nostradamus in an episode of '' History Bites'', appearing in an infomercial to sell his books, referencing C1Q35, among others, as an example of his prophecy. A two-hour documentary on Nostradamus first aired by the History Channel on 28 October 2007 suggests that a book of paintings in the National Library at Rome is ''The Lost Book of Nostradamus''. In an
episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...
of '' The Sopranos'',
Bobby Baccalieri Robert Baccalieri Jr., portrayed by Steve Schirripa, is a fictional character on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. He is nicknamed "Bobby Bacala". A mobster, Bobby is first shown as a soldier and then later top aide to Corrado "Junior" Soprano. T ...
gets Nostradamus mixed up with Quasimodo, saying that Quasimodo predicted 9/11 and the end of the world. He also appears in various episodes of the MTV animated show ''
Clone High ''Clone High'' (occasionally referred to in the United States as ''Clone High USA'') is an adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence. The show centers on a high school populated by the c ...
'' as a teenaged clone of the original Nostradamus. The '' Doctor Who'' '' Past Doctor Adventures'' novel '' The King of Terror'' features the
Fifth Doctor The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Peter Davison. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...
and
UNIT Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (a ...
dealing with a group of terrorists called the Sons of Nostradamus who consider it their duty to ensure that his prophecies-apparently predicting the end of the world in 1999-come true, but the prophecies are eventually revealed to have been part of the efforts of the alien race known as the Canavatchi to retard humanity's development. The
History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
periodically airs a series of films on supposedly apocalyptic prophecies under the general title '' The Nostradamus Effect'', but in his book ''2012: It's Not the End of the World'', Nostradamus specialist Peter Lemesurier describes them as 'largely fiction' and 'lurid nonsense'. In '' Hetalia: Axis Powers'', Germany and Japan worry about the end of the World due to one of Nostradamus's prophecies. However, Britain and France ignore this warning, due to having lived through another supposed apocalypse, and instead tell Japan and Germany not to worry. Nostradamus is featured in CW's drama '' Reign''. Nostradamus is featured in the '' Robot Chicken'' episode "Petless M in: Cars Are Couches of the Road", voiced by
Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British-American actor known for his work on the stage and screen. He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Pla ...
. Nostradamus was mentioned in ''
Celebrity Deathmatch ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' is an adult stop-motion claymated series created by Eric Fogel and produced by John Worth Lynn Jr. for MTV. A parody of sports entertainment programs, ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' depicted various celebrities engaging in ...
'' as the intended opponent for
John Edward John Edward McGee Jr. (born October 19, 1969) is an American television personality, author and a self-proclaimed psychic medium. After writing his first book on the subject in 1998, Edward became a well-known (and controversial) figure in the ...
in one episode. However, he predicted he would lose the fight and refused to show up.


Books

Fiction * In
Phil Rickman Phil Rickman (also known under the pen names of Thom Madley and Will Kingdom) is a British author of supernatural and mystery novels. Biography Rickman was born in Lancashire in northern England and worked as a journalist for BBC World Service ...
's historical novel '' The Bones of Avalon'', Nostradamus appears at the end as the major villain who must be opposed by this novel's hero John Dee. The book describes his contemporary influence and depicts him as a master of propaganda and psychological warfare. * In
Alexander Kuprin Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin (russian: link=no, Александр Иванович Куприн;  – 25 August 1938) was a Russian writer best known for his novels ''The Duel'' (1905)Kuprin scholar Nicholas Luker, in his biography ''A ...
's short story "The Blue Star", published in 1927, it is mentioned that Nostradamus has composed a horoscope for one of the main characters, a French prince.


Music

British singer/songwriter Al Stewart's album '' Past, Present and Future'' was a concept album including a song about every decade of the 20th century. As Stewart wrote the album in 1973, events from the latter years of the century were covered by the song "Nostradamus", in which some of the prophecies are quoted. One of the prophecies appears to refer to the future fall of the Berlin Wall and the unnatural death of a
Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
named Pol; events which might have been considered predictable, even if the date was not. 1977 Moody Blues member
Justin Hayward David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the rock band the Moody Blues. Hayward became the group's principal lead guitarist and vocalist over the 1967–1974 ...
wrote a song on his album '' Songwriter'' called "Nostrodamus".
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
's "Die With Your Boots On" from the 1983 album ''
Piece of Mind ''Piece of Mind'' is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 16 May 1983 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. It was the first album to feature drummer Ni ...
'' pokes fun at Nostradamus and his believers. In 1984, Manfred Mann's Earth Band released the album '' Somewhere in Afrika'', which contains a cover of the Al Stewart song, mistitled as "Eyes of Nostradamus". '' Project Driver'' is a studio album by the heavy metal supergroup M.A.R.S., released in 1986 that contains the song "Nostradamus" about the prophet. Composer
Robert Steadman Robert Steadman (born 1 April 1965) is a British composer of classical music who mostly works in a post-minimalist style but also writes lighter music, including musicals, and compositions for educational purposes. He also teaches, writes arti ...
has twice used Nostradamus'
prophecies In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...
in pieces of music: in 1987,
quatrains A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines. Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Gree ...
by Nostradamus were juxtaposed with the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
Requiem Mass text and poems on environmental issues. And in 1999, he set what was thought by some to be Nostradamus's prediction of the end of the world for soprano and chamber ensemble in '' The Final Prophecy''. The 1993 album ''The Window of Life'' by
Pendragon Pendragon or ( wlm, pen dreic, ''pen dragon''; composed of Welsh , 'head, chief, top' and / ''dragon'', 'dragon; warrior'; borrowed from the Latin word , plural , 'dragon , br, Penn Aerouant) literally means 'chief dragon' or 'head dragon', but ...
includes a song entitled "Nostradamus (Stargazing)". Marilyn Manson said that his ''
Antichrist Superstar ''Antichrist Superstar'' is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's epon ...
'' CD, which came out in 1996, was an answer to the Nostrandamus prophecy in which he said that "The 3rd. Antichrist was going to come to the earth in the year 1996". Haggard produced two
albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records col ...
dealing with the seer Michel de Notredame in the dark days of The Black Plague in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
: '' And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer'' in 1997 and '' Awaking the Centuries'' in 1998.
Darkane Darkane is a Swedish metal band that originated in Helsingborg in 1998. Their music contains ample thrash elements interspersed with acoustic interludes and symphonic features, such as the in-studio use of synthesizers and occasionally full orc ...
's Song "July 1999" from ''
Rusted Angel ''Rusted Angel'' is the debut album by Swedish metal band Darkane. This was the only Darkane album with Lawrence Mackrory until his return in mid-2011. The song "July 1999" is about one Nostradamus prediction. Track listing Personnel Darkane ...
'', is all about the Nostradamus dated prophecy. Rapper Nas refers to himself as ''Nastradamus'' and released an album titled ''
Nastradamus ''Nastradamus'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on November 23, 1999 by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Originally scheduled to be released on October 26, 1999 as a follow-up composed of material from sessions for hi ...
'' along with its first single titled the same name in 1999. Bulgarian guitarist Nikolo Kotzev released a rock opera called '' Nikolo Kotzev's Nostradamus'' in 2001, based on the life and times of Nostradamus. In 2005, Dutch band Kayak released a
rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
called ''Nostradamus - Fate of Man''. German power metal band
Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Wei ...
's 1996 album ''
The Time of the Oath ''The Time of the Oath'' is the seventh studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1996. This is the first album following the death of the original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who was fired from the band after ''Chameleon' ...
'' is based on Nostradamus' supposed prophecy of a world war between 1994 and 2000. In 1997, Finnish metal band
Stratovarius Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...
recorded a concept album loosely based on the life and prophecies of Nostradamus. The album was called '' Visions''. In 2008, the British heavy metal band Judas Priest released a concept album based on the life of Nostradamus. Simply named ''Nostradamus'', the album itself focuses on Nostradamus' life and his prophecies. "Nostradamus said 'I predict that the world will end at half past six' / What he didn't say was exactly when" are the opening lyrics of "Tinderbox", penned by Bernie Taupin and sung by Elton John. Modest Mouse vocalist
Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...
seems to take a stab at Nostradamus in a song called "Education" from the band's fifth studio album, '' We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank''. The verse is as follows: "Good old Nostradamas / he knew the whole damn time / there would always be an east from west / and someone in there fighting". In the bonus track of
Dane Cook Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released six comedy albums: '' Harmful If Swallowed''; ''Retaliation''; ''Vicious Circle''; '' Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garde ...
's "Harmful If Swallowed" he speaks of how a person would wake up and think he is late, then look at his clock to find out that he is in fact late. He would yell "I HATE it when I'm like
Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
and I predict that I'm late!" Several songs by
The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...
contain references to Nostradamus' prophecies: "Goodbye Toulouse" (1977), "Shah Shah a go go" (1979), "Four Horsemen" (1980), "Top Secret" (1981), "It's a Small World" (1983).


Comics

In an Italian Mickey Mouse story (''Topolino e la Piramide Impossible''), Mickey and Goofy travel back in time and by accident a young boy followed them back to the present. The boy had to go back to his own time and his memory of the future was erased, but before that he grabbed pieces of books. The boy of course became Nostradamus and the ripped pages from books explained his visions of the future. The story was made by Massimo Marconi and Massimo De Vita. In the 1989 Scrooge McDuck story "The Curse of Nostrildamus" by
Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created for Di ...

AR 143
, Scrooge enters the prophet's tomb to take the amulet that was the source of his power. However, whoever wears the amulet also attracts disasters – though Donald Duck ends up as the victim of the disasters instead of Scrooge. In author's commentary in the Finnish album release, Don Rosa says he was inspired to write the story based on the legend that whoever drank from Nostradamus's skull would be given the gift of prophecy. A Phantom story from 1983 by Ulf Granberg and Jaime Vallvé featured an appearance by Nostradamus. In the
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
Universe, Nostradamus was an ancestor of Zatara and Zatanna. In the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
series '' S.H.I.E.L.D.'', Nostradamus is held prisoner of Isaac Newton and kept alive for centuries using the
Fountain of Youth The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring which allegedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in the writings of Herod ...
so he can read the future for him. In
Scott Adams Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated '' Dilbert'' comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business. ''Dilbert'' gained natio ...
's comic strip ''
Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title charact ...
'', "Nostradogbert" is a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of
Dogbert This is a list of characters that have appeared in Scott Adams' ''Dilbert'' comic strip. Primary characters Dilbert The main character in the strip, Dilbert is a stereotypical technically-minded single male. Prior to October 2014, he was us ...
. In ''Mad'' magazine's section entitled the "strip club", a comic strip entitled Middle School Nostradamus appears every so often. Nostradamus is depicted as a preteen in wizard garb who makes predictions of impending despair for the people he is around at inopportune times.


Mangas

In '' Record of Ragnarok'', thirteen historical humans are chosen to fight thirteen mythological gods in a tournament for humanity's survival. Nostradamus is one of the human fighters.


Games

Face released an arcade game called ''
Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
''. Though the game itself had nothing to do with Nostradamus, the game's title screen showed a resemblance to his son's portrait of him, however he is facing the other direction and looks older. In '' Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow'', the prophecy of 1999 was used as the resurrection of Dracula and added that all born of the day of Dracula's demise are "Dark Candidates" meaning that they have the potential to become the next Dark Lord. This prophecy is referenced again in '' Portrait of Ruin''; the Belmonts cannot wield the Vampire Killer whip until 1999, when Dracula is revived. In the
eroge An ''eroge'' ( or , ''erogē''; ; a portmanteau of ''erotic game'' , ''erochikku gēmu'') is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. In 1982, Japan's Koei, founded by husband-and-wife team Yoichi and Keiko Erikawa (and later known for strate ...
'' Nostradamus ni Kiite Miro♪'', a girl named Stra (a shortened form of Nostradamus) claims to be the writer of Nostradamus' predictions. The prophet Nostradamus appears in the 2003
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
'' Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader''. In '' Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy'', Nostradamus appears as an adviser to his daughter during the game. In '' Super Ninja Boy'' for the
Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...
, there is a prophet named Notruedamus. In ''
Ninja Gaiden is a series of action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American ''Ninja Gaiden'' title means "side story" in Japanese. The o ...
'', the hero is a nameless ninja on a quest to defeat an evil cult led by a fictional descendant of Nostradamus. In ''
SpyHunter ''SpyHunter'' is a vehicular combat game. It is a remake and sequel of the 1983 arcade game of the same name first released for PlayStation 2 in 2001. It has since been ported to GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, OS X, and T ...
'', the hero, Alec Sects, has to stop an organization called Nostra, led by Daemon Curry, who believes in the prophecies of Nostradamus, thinks he is the figure mentioned in several religions and plans to stop all the world's electricity. In ''
Assassin's Creed Unity ''Assassin's Creed Unity'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released in November 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and in December 2020 for Stadia. It is the ...
'', there are Nostradamus riddles hidden in Paris for Arno to solve. In the
PopCap A drink can (or beverage can) is a metal container designed to hold a fixed portion of liquid such as carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, teas, herbal teas, energy drinks, etc. Drink cans are made of aluminum (75% of ...
game '' Insaniquarium'', there is an obtainable pet with the ability to postpone alien attacks named Nostradamus.


Theatre

The soothsayer Thomas Nostradamus is a main character in the musical ''
Something Rotten! ''Something Rotten!'' is a musical comedy with a book by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick and music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Set in 1595, the story follows the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, who struggle to find succes ...
'', where he was originally portrayed by actor
Brad Oscar Brad Oscar (born September 22, 1964) is an American musical theatre actor, known for his Broadway performances in musicals such as '' The Producers'' and ''Jekyll and Hyde''. He has earned two Tony Award nominations: one for ''The Producers'' as ...
.


Notes


External links

*
Snopes ''Snopes'' , formerly known as the ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been seen as a source f ...

False claims of Nostradamus predicting the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001


{{DEFAULTSORT:Nostradamus In Popular Culture Literary forgeries Popular culture Topics in popular culture ru:Предсказания Мишеля Нострадамуса