“The dreams that wander to and fro among mankind, I will tell thee of what nature they are—I who have seen so many more years than thou. Whatever a man has been thinking of during the day is wont to hover round him in the visions of his dreams at night.”
~ ‘The History’ (Book 7) by Herodotus (George Rawlinson transl. GB6 - p. 219)
The book/chapter was fascinating. It was much longer than I expected though. It included the battle of Thermopylae, which I first learned about from the movie “300”, years ago. When I started reading Herodotus, I was very much looking forward to reading this part. The anticipation of reaching this part itself made the chapter feel special. The movie experience was unforgettable, and the reading experience was even more awesome - truly epic. A million people army (Persians) against 300 (Greeks/Spartans). Legendary stuff! (Yes, I agree that the movie had many historical inaccuracies.) Herodotus says Xerxes’ total army strength was over 5 million (which was also supposedly an exaggeration).
Anyway, one thing that really stood out to me since the start of this chapter was Xerxes’ dream. If he hadn’t had that dream, the whole march and the loss of so many lives might not have happened. After listening to his uncle’s advice, he didn’t want to go to war. But in his dream, someone threatened him with dire consequences if he didn’t go to war, and this happened more than once. A recurring dream in which someone urges you to do something is not something you can cast aside.