The Danse Macabre
Dream
A parade of characters are moving across a beach. Leading the way is my maternal grandfather, pushing a walker, awkwardly. Following him is my cousin, Les, (his nephew), who passed away last week. Following them is my grandfather's stepfather, followed by his father. My grandfather is also carrying some rope, which adds to the awkwardness of his travelling across the sand.
my own image
Dream notes and associations
My maternal grandfather was born on the 21st April, 1897, out of wedlock, father unknown. His mother was 19 at the time. In 1904, my great grandmother found herself pregnant with her daughter Christina (Les' mother) and the father was Robert Henry Christian (Christee) Thomsen. They married (it was the archetypal shotgun wedding) and he became Granddad's stepfather, and granddad took his surname. In the family it was considered that he was my granddad's father. But he was only 11 years old when granddad was born, and he was living over 200 klms away. Recently, thru my DNA, I discovered a Danish cousin, living in Denmark. And this person was related to Christee Thomsen, and his father. This raises the strong possibility that his father was my grandad's father. Which means the stepfather and stepson are also half-brothers as well. Scary thought. My intention now is to get my DNA properly analyzed to get to the bottom of this. A very complex story. Hope it hasn't done your head in as well.
Christee's father, who was born in Denmark, had left his (Australian) family, and went west, supposedly to go prospecting for gold or precious stones, or seeking other work. He never returned to the family. (He died in 1921) So he could have been in the area around the time my granddad was conceived.
The image shows this rope that my granddad was holding. it had some stiffening agent to make the rope stand up. beside the image I have included an image of the rope alone to show the shape it made.
This dream also reminds of the movie directed by Ingmar Bergman, 'The Seventh Seal'. It was the first movie that I saw that had a strong philosophical story to tell. I was hooked. I have seen it several times, since. It is the story of a burnt-out Christian Knight, Antonius Bloch returning from the death and destruction of a Crusade to the Holy Land. Back on home soil he finds his country is in the grip of the Black Death. He meets Death and challenges him to a game of chess. If he wins, Death will allow him to continue on his way, and restore life to the country. If Death wins, then he must follow Death to Hell. (Spoiler alert) Death wins. The final scene was The Danse Macabre. A distant shot, in which you can see Death leading the knight and his family, and his retainers to Hell. They are walking along a ridge. It is a powerful scene. The Danse Macabre is a theme of the movie that is referenced a few times. This parade across the beach reminded me of that scene. This rope interests me. What is it symbolizing?
My feelings throughout the dream and on awakening
awkwardness
Hi Lindsay, what a fascinating dream and backstory. I’m wondering whether the rope could be a point of connection amongst your family/ancestors. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your cousin.
Yes, I am thinking that the rope is a representation of the family tree. I should point out that, in spite of the shotgun wedding, it was a successful marriage. Christee turned out to be a better husband and father than his own father. He gave Ada, my great grandmother, some stability in her life. Her mother died when she was 6 years old and she struggled after that, growing up on an isolated property surrounded by mostly older males. (Reference The Aunt’s Story dream.) They went on to have 10 daughters, who all had a strong artistic streak in their genes. They were allowed to explore and nurture this. While they didn’t grow up to become famous artists, their artistic talents were recognized and appreciated in the communities where they lived.