Hello and welcome to 2026. We are now five days into the second quarter of the 21st century and, once more, Nostradamus predicts woe ahead. Nothing new there. It’s what he does.
This 16th century prophet of doom (generally) makes predictions that are found to be true after they have happened, which hardly seems fair. A case of “whatever you think yourself”.
For instance, among his predictions for 2024 was for “combat and naval battle”, whereby a “Red adversary will become pale with fear / Putting the great Ocean in dread”. This was interpreted as war with China. No war with China in 2024.
Another forecast for 2024 was that Pope Francis would die. “Through the death of a very old Pontiff / A Roman of good age will be elected.” Such outstanding prophecy concerning a then 87-year-old man with health issues. Wrong too. Francis lived into 2025 and was replaced by an American.
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For 2025 Nostradamus predicted that “through long war all the army exhausted, so that they do not find money for the soldiers, “interpreted as an end to the Russian war in Ukraine through financial ruin and exhausted resources.
That war continues.
And that Britain would be beset by “cruel wars” with an “ancient plague” that would be “worse than enemies.” This may be a reference to Nigel Farage and his Reform Party, at a stretch.
For 2026 he forecasts that “the great swarm of bees will arise ... by night the ambush ... ” interpreted as Trump and/or Putin arriving at agreement on Ukraine. And there’s me believing bees were endangered.
Another is for a “seven months great war, people dead through evil / Rouen, Evreux the King will not fail,” understood as meaning a clash involving two obstinate leaders who believe they cannot be defeated, which may be connected to Ukrainian president Zelenskiy continuing to resist Russia and/or Donald Trump, sometimes dubbed “King Donald”, or both. Really?
Defenders of Michel de Nostredam, to give Nostradamus his real name, might argue that the problem is not with what he said all those centuries ago but that it rests with those many self-appointed interpreters today who tell us what he really, really meant. Really?
Personally, I feel, as with Confucius, that Nostradamus say too much.
Prophecy, from Latin prophetia, for prediction of future events.
