On December 14, 1503, the first-born was born in the family of a notary in the Provencal town of Saint-Remy. The son was baptized by Michel, and the surname was recorded as a noble - de Notrdam. In the Russian translation, it turns out that a certain Mikhail Bogoroditsky was born. But we know him as "the unsurpassed soothsayer of Nostradamus" …
And with the light hand of Deacon Andrei Kuraev, a chic expression entered our language: "Predictamus suffered", which is an indicator - Nostradamus from our culture can no longer be cut out with an ax.
Still would. Whatever happens, even the current "Kiev Maidan" is sure to mention a descendant of a notary. Say, he foresaw this too. And they will quote some of his terrifying quatrains as proof.
Baryga …
Was Nostradamus really a genius visionary? There is some grain of truth in this. According to his father, he belonged to the Jewish tribe of Issachar. The guys from this family were bad farmers, but they studied the Torah perfectly: "Homo sapiens, who knew what and when Israel should do." In short, they explained how to live, when it is better to start sowing and how to observe the rules of the Sabbath. A kind of educators. Subsequently, they were credited with a certain prophetic gift.
Michel de Notre Dame himself, and this is how he wrote his last name for the time being, did not feel much interest in prophecy and predictions. But at the age of 18, he already became a master of arts, graduating from college in Avignon.
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"Arts" meant subjects from grammar and arithmetic to astronomy and music. Kind of like a modern bachelor's degree. A lot. But not that much either. By that time, Michel wanted to become a doctor. And he went on a "free voyage".
"From 1521 to 1529, I traveled incessantly to learn and study plants and other herbs, but I could not fully master the sum of the great science …"
Well, he is being modest. When Michel finally began to study medicine, he found that in some disciplines he was well ahead of his mentors. In the same area of "other herbs." In 1534, barely starting his studies at the University of Montpellier, he was under the threat of exile: "For ridicule of the teachers and passion for prohibited pharmaceuticals."
The ridicule could be forgiven. But here's the "prohibited pharmaceuticals" … Then this area was attributed to exactly what many thought. Not deadly poisons, but psychoactive substances. Drugs. In particular, marijuana and opium.
Many people knew that Michelle was actively using this “pharmaceutical”. When he was already 52 years old and his glory as a prophet thundered with might and main, the order was issued: "Michel Nostradamus should explain what plants he practices and how he makes prophecies." Nostradamus chose to evade interrogation.
Actually "prophecies", made, as you can see, with the help of "prohibited pharmaceuticals", are nothing more than a poetic survey of the current state of affairs in Europe. With a small "run" ahead - two years, a lot - five years. A sort of Dmitry Bykov of his time. Their popularity was explained by the then extremely fashionable presentation - dark, ominous and equipped with a large number of allegories.
Let's say one of the most famous quatrains, which, according to many, predicts the October Revolution and the Civil War in Russia, sounds like this:
When the whirlwind stretcher rolls over
And those who are wrapped in a cloak will stand against each other, The republic will be disturbed by new people
Then white and red will swap places.
… or a cook?
It would seem that everything is obvious - this is about us! The young republic, led by Kerensky, is disturbed by the Bolsheviks - the "new people." Well, white and red - that's a no brainer.
There is, however, one catch. It has long been proven that Nostradamus called soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire "red" - by the color of the banners. "White" - the French, again on the white banner of the Valois dynasty. And the quatrain as such is a description of the contemporary confrontation between two emperors - the Austrian Charles V and the Frenchman Henry II. Not the slightest reference to Russia.
Then such prophecies were very profitable. The great mocker and, incidentally, a contemporary of Nostradamus, Francois Rabelais, published a mocking almanac with predictions. In particular, it read:
Muscovites will emit bloody diarrhea
Because they don't want to be deceived by the Pope, Austria, Hungary, Turkey - by God, I have no idea how things will go.
And such nonsense was bought up with a whistle. The price of Nostradamus' almanac was 8 denier. A dozen eggs or a pound of beef cost about the same. The circulation of Michel's almanacs in another year exceeded 50 thousand, which is impressive even in modern times.
The real glory of Nostradamus was brought by completely different works. In the end, he made a name for himself not only as a "banned pharmacist." He was considered an unsurpassed beautician and culinary specialist, especially in terms of sweets.
The second, unlike the first, is quite suitable for use now. But as for cosmetics … "Ambergris eaten by a fox and plucked from behind is the main and most valuable component of perfume" - a dubious recipe. The same goes for his prophecies, which constituted his glory and his shame.
Konstantin Kudryashov