Dr Schlomo

From The Fifth City Wiki

"The interpreter of dreams, London's premier and only consultant on matters oneironautical. His time is at a premium, but his insights are invaluable."[3]

Dr. Schlomo is a psychoanalyst who has styled himself "the Interpreter of Dreams."

The Scholar of the Subconscious[edit | edit source]

"His words are comforting, even if you have no idea what they mean."[4]

Dr. Schlomo is an exile from Vienna who has settled in London,[5] most likely thanks to the city's brewing revolution and his implied involvement in the Great Game.[6] He now dedicates his days to unraveling the complexities of the subconscious; he listens to his clients as they tell him of their troubles, and in return he offers insights into the dreams and inner workings of London's denizens.[7] The Doctor's words provide comfort to his patients, even if they rarely understand what he is actually saying.[8] Despite his unique expertise and general efficacy, however, he is prone to jumping to wild conclusions.[9][10]

Parabola, the land of dreams.

Dr. Schlomo studies and publishes the dreams of his patients under a pseudonym, provided they give consent;[11] even if a dream is entirely fabricated, he will still happily publish it under the notion that a lie might contain a grain of useful truth.[12] His work has drawn the interest of advertisers, who study his theories on psychoanalysis to refine their craft.[13] Through his practice, Dr. Schlomo has also encountered many of London’s most influential figures;[14] he is implied to have worked with the Duchess,[15] the Bishop of St Fiacre's,[10] and the Dusty Ornithologist.[16] (After all, he would not break confidentiality and say as much.) He may additionally have ties to the Glass, a group of magicians in Mahogany Hall who are allied with the Fingerkings.[17] Most intriguingly, the Doctor indicates that he is acquainted with at least two of the Masters of the Bazaar — most likely Mr Spices and Mr Wines, given their conflict over the domain of dreams.[18][19][20] However, he clearly favors only one:[21] probably Spices, as Dr. Schlomo has a known fondness for stimulants.[22]

Dr. Schlomo is familiar with the Correspondence[23] and has a notable, but shallow, understanding of Parabola.[24] He is fully aware while dreaming, but does not possess the level of control of a Silverer.[25] His expertise in dreams has also made him aware of a certain consumed individual[26] and the fate that befell him...[27][15] but it would not be wise to bring up this subject.

Historical Inspirations[edit | edit source]

Dr. Schlomo pays homage to Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, whose full birth name was Sigismund Schlomo Freud. Freud fled to London in 1938 due to the Nazi annexation of Austria. While Dr. Schlomo's departure from Vienna occurred much sooner and for different reasons, it mirrors the revolutionary climate Freud lived through and the real-world power struggles that shaped his life.

Dr. Schlomo's title as "the Interpreter of Dreams" directly references Freud’s most famous work, The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), which laid the foundation for modern psychoanalysis. In this book, Freud argued that dreams reveal unconscious desires and internal conflicts. He was known for his deep confidence in his theories, but he also made speculative and sometimes controversial conclusions — such as the Oedipus complex and the concept of repressed memories.

Additionally, Freud was an early proponent and user of cocaine, believing it had beneficial psychoactive properties. He used it both personally and professionally before its addictive nature became widely recognized.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Call on Dr Schlomo's assistance, Fallen London
  2. ↑ The Interpreter of Dreams, Fallen London "Dr Schlomo, the Viennese Exile, ravels up nightmare-skeins and ensures restful sleep. He also says things about things. Some of them are interesting, some are fashionable, some might even be true."
  3. ↑ Call on Dr Schlomo's assistance, Fallen London
  4. ↑ Tell him about your dreams of war-games, Fallen London
  5. ↑ The Interpreter of Dreams, Fallen London "Dr Schlomo, the Viennese Exile, ravels up nightmare-skeins and ensures restful sleep. He also says things about things. Some of them are interesting, some are fashionable, some might even be true."
  6. ↑ Ask for help with the nightmares, Fallen London "From somewhere behind your head, Dr Schlomo listens to your tales. "The symbolic, not the actual. A dream conflict is just that. A game writ large. A grand game." He sounds wistful."
  7. ↑ A Certain Doctor, Fallen London "Dr Schlomo is one of London's most enigmatic figures. He spends his days listening to the psychological foibles of others. But does he have anyone to listen to his own?"
  8. ↑ Tell him about your dreams of war-games, Fallen London "His words are comforting, even if you have no idea what they mean."
  9. ↑ Tell him about your dreams of war-games, Fallen London "[…] "I see," he says. "A bad experience with a chessboard in your past, perhaps? Were you hit on the head with one? Or did one feature in your... development?" You can't see the good doctor's face, but he sounds as if he is leering."
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tell him about your dreams of weather, Fallen London "[…] The victim, buried beneath mountains of granite and centuries of ice, weathered into near-oblivion. There is not even silence in the mountains. Was it even a kind of judgement? I don't know. But I think I am acquainted with someone who will." (This grants Church Favours.)
  11. ↑ Allow Dr Schlomo to publish what you tell him, Fallen London "You'll be concealed behind a pseudonym, of course, but isn't everyone, down here?"
  12. ↑ Invent your dreams (10 FATE), Fallen London "...Dr Schlomo listens, enthralled. [...] "You think, of course, that you have invented these things. And who am I to say that you're wrong? But [...] I believe that by the time they are sifted and filtered, there'll be a nugget of truth at the bottom of the pot. Thank you, my friend.""
  13. ↑ Look around the office, Fallen London "The Naga Agency is crisply decorated; expensive without being ornate. The only embellishments are framed posters from past campaigns, and a bookshelf stuffed with works on art, history, and the burgeoning field of psychoanalysis. Dr Schlomo's complete works are present, bristling with bookmarks."
  14. ↑ Interrogate a patient, Fallen London "Dr Schlomo's client list includes many of Fallen London's great and good, but it's proving difficult to find anyone willing to talk about his methods. People seem almost superstitiously afraid to discuss it."
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Describe your dreams of water, Fallen London "[…] North […] The aeons-old burial. The frozen granite. The Eaten one. The poison, welling each day from the same source… I knew a woman who told me curious things about wells. I do not entirely trust her. But I'll speak to her of what you dreamed." (This grants Connected: the Duchess.)
  16. ↑ Describe your dreams of dead men, Fallen London "[…] The living trapped in a grave, rotting from the inside, yes. Eaten by moths like silken bandages. A wicked pack of cards. What you have to say supports a theory held by a very dear, very old friend of mine. Very dear. Very old." (This grants Tomb-Colonies Favours.)
  17. ↑ Describe your dreams of mirrors, Fallen London ""The Glass. Yes." […] "The…ahem…love…of Self. The wish for understanding. The vampire. The other Self. The leaves of Parabola. Vials of ivory and coloured glass. Perhaps you should avoid Mahogany Hall for now. But I do have acquaintances who'll find this interesting…"
  18. ↑ Decipher the cipher, Fallen London "The book includes an account of the early days of the Bazaar, including fascinating hints that there's a feud between Mr Spices and Mr Wines. Someone will pay well for this."
  19. ↑ Ask for help with courage 2, Fallen London "From somewhere behind your head, Dr Schlomo listens to your tales. 'The elemental struggle. The titanic contest for power. The courage of battle. Do we find more fire in wine or honey? Who contends? Will you?'"
  20. ↑ Keep watching 1, Fallen London ""[…] the balance shifts. A layer of ice is spreading across the sea […] The lava streams become glaciers, flowing upwards. […] Worse, though, is the sense that there is a battle here: there is a terrible awareness in the fire, and its match and peer in the ice…""
  21. ↑ Tell him about your dreams of ice and fire, Fallen London "From somewhere behind your head, Dr Schlomo listens to your tales. "A paradox. The irresistible force and the immovable object. The vine and the honey-bee: so many centuries of conflict! At the violet hour, two of Dionysus' many faces. Entwined, symbiotic, in an orbit of hatred whose parabola describes fixated love... I can think of two who might be interested in the details of this. But perhaps I should tell only one, heh heh.""
  22. ↑ Dr Schlomo, Fallen London "The essence of good analysis is clarity. So I must tell you that I require three things in your company. That you do nothing to embarrass me. That your behaviour continues to be interesting enough to validate my time in studying you. And that you provide me with more of that superlative tobacco."
  23. ↑ Read the Doctor's writings, Fallen London "Doctor Schlomo has written prodigious amounts on the subject of the human mind. (On the mind of a Master, on the other hand, he remains silent.) You read as much of it as you can take, and gain some insights - of the Correspondence, for example, he says, 'Such an alphabet shapes the world around it, rather than reflecting it; it is no mere method of ordering thoughts, it composes and creates them of its own accord.' Or there is this, on the subject of dreams. 'It was once thought that dreams were the product of nature, of the mind itself. But the sensations that accompany certain kinds of dreams are so common to all men that I cannot but conclude that they are sharing in a commonality of experience in a common space. I shall describe this conclusion further in the chapter on Parabola.' But there is no such chapter in the book, or in any other that you can find."
  24. ↑ Ask about Dr Schlomo 2, Fallen London "In the same way a fish floating about some tropical gulfstream might be said to share commonalities with the great zee-beasts in the deep, perhaps. He has some understanding of Parabola. He walks wakeful through the Viric Jungle."
  25. ↑ Ask about Dr Schlomo, Fallen London "He is no Silverer, but his dreaming self is aware. He understands and remembers more than most of your kind."
  26. ↑ Ask for help with a certain... obsession, Fallen London "He's a man of arcane wisdom. Does Dr Schlomo have any answers about that name you're seeking?"
  27. ↑ Ask for help with courage, Fallen London "From somewhere behind your head, Dr Schlomo listens to your tales. "Forget the deep sea swell. Dream-water cannot drown. That which is eaten cannot rise to the surface. Fear not." Whatever that means, it's comforting."
Retrieved from "https://thefifthcity.wiki/w/index.php?title=Dr_Schlomo&oldid=19903"