Figure 2-3. Illustrations from the Philippson Bible showing images like those reported by Freud in his childhood dreams. See text for a complete explanation of their significance. |
castration (smiting in the groin) combined with the themes of murder and the possession of a forbidden woman.”49 The other and more likely text is connected with the story of David and Absalom (David’s third son). This chapter of 2 Samuel tells a well-known story, which Grinstein nicely summarizes:
The Biblical account reported above portrays a tragic father-son relationship. Absalom is angry with his older brother Amnon for his incestuous relationship with Tamar. Later he himself desires to be king and to depose his father. Flagrantly, and in the presence of all Israel, he has relations with his father’s concubines. As a consequence of his actions, he’s finally killed by his father’s men. The sadness of the story lies in the bitter grief which King David feels over his son’s murder even though his son would have killed him. No clearer presentation of the father-son conflict can be imagined.50
Krüll very naturally stresses the Importance of these dream images, for they strongly suggest that Sigmund was aware of the incestuous rela-