Dream Traditions Around the World
How 34 cultures across 6 continents understood, interpreted, and used dreams, from the Paleolithic to the present.
Ancient Egypt
c. 3100-30 BCE
Africa & Near East
Mesopotamia
c. 3500-539 BCE
Middle East
Ancient Greece
c. 800-146 BCE
Europe
Ancient Rome
753 BCE, 476 CE
Europe
Norse Mythology
c. 200-1100 CE
Scandinavia
Celtic Tradition
c. 500 BCE, 400 CE
Western Europe
Bible & Judaism
c. 1200 BCE, present
Middle East / Global
Islam
7th century, present
Middle East / Global
Hinduism
c. 1500 BCE, present
South Asia
Chinese Tradition
c. 1100 BCE, present
East Asia
Buddhism & Tibet
c. 500 BCE, present
South & Central Asia
Japanese Tradition
c. 700 CE, present
East Asia
Aboriginal Dreamtime
65,000+ years, present
Australia
Mayan Tradition
c. 2000 BCE, 1697 CE
Central America
Aztec Tradition
c. 1300-1521 CE
Central America
Inca Tradition
c. 1400-1533 CE
South America
Polynesia & Hawai'i
c. 1000 BCE, present
Oceania
Persian & Zoroastrian
c. 1500 BCE, present
Central Asia / Middle East
Siberian Shamanism
Paleolithic, present
Northern Asia
Native American
Thousands of years, present
North America
Sub-Saharan Africa
20,000+ years, present
Africa
Guatemalan Worry Dolls
Pre-Columbian, present
Central America
Korean Conception Dreams
Ancient, present
East Asia
Etruscan Tradition
c. 800-100 BCE
Europe
Finnish & Sámi
Ancient, present
Northern Europe / Arctic
Slavic Tradition
Ancient, present
Central & Eastern Europe
Tibetan Dream Yoga
c. 800 CE, present
Central Asia
Arabian & Pre-Islamic
Pre-Islamic, present
Arabian Peninsula
Inuit Tradition
Ancient, present
Arctic
Southeast Asian
Ancient, present
Southeast Asia
Romani Tradition
Medieval, present
Europe / Global
Amazonian Traditions
Ancient, present
South America
Haitian Vodou
Colonial era, present
Caribbean
Hmong Tradition
Ancient, present
Southeast Asia / Global
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