Nostradamus spådomar om kriget compared with Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?
The first thing that strikes the eye in the comparison of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget with Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is that in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the text is divided into eighteen chapters, whereas in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the text is divided in a preface and two chapters, one about the past, the other one about the present.
The text in the chapters II - XVI in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget is quite corresponding with the text in the two chapters of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. The chapters I, XVII and XVIII in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget have a clear Swedish nature. As far as I can see, Staël von Holstein wrote these chapters as an addition to the German source text, in order to make this brochure useful in Sweden. The introduction in chapter I (En profet genom tiderna) is not similar with with the preface in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the name Pasteur, mentioned in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? as the author, does not occur once. Therefore, as far as I can see, the preface in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is written with the purpose to make this brochure useful in the Netherlands.
Quite often, the text in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget is more brief than the text in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. It looks as if Staël von Holstein a couple of times wrote a summary instead of translating the text literally. For example, he only spent five lines to the attempt to the Italian king Umberto, whereas in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? the comment is spread over two half pages.[9] In the discussion of quatrain 06-20 regarding the rise of Mussolini, a quatrain which, as in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, was numbered erroneously as 05-20, Staël von Holstein contented himself with the remark that in this quatrain, it was written that Italy would have a new leopard, i.e. Mussolini, whereas in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? the difference in meaning between the symbol of a lion in the quatrains and a leopard was discussed extensively.[10] The first paragraph in chapter X in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget (Vad skall hända i morgon?) corresponds with the first paragraph of the second chapter in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. The second, last paragraph in chapter X does not occur in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. The first two paragraphs in chapter XI (Englands fall) are the second and third paragraph in the second chapter in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. The question, which because of the lack of the German source text can not be answered, is if a paragraph has been added to chapter X in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget or if a paragraph has been deleted in the second chapter in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?.[11] 
In order to give an impression of the differences, the table below contains the information in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, What will happen in the near future? and Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?regarding the composing of the Centuries and a paragraph from Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen für das zwanzigste Jahrhundert (dr. B. Winkler, Görlitz, 1939 [1938]), the source of this information. The most remarkable difference is that in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, only the last two lines of quatrain 01-02 are given, whereas in What will happen in the near future? the English translation of the quatrains 01-01 and 01-02 is given (not the French text) and in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? the full text of the quatrains 01-01 and 01-02 is given, in Dutch as well as in French (indicated by note 4 in the text).

In contrast with Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the title of the book by De Fontbrune, dating from 1939, is not mentioned. The quotes from this book are translated into Swedish, without giving the parallel French source texts in an appendix, as was done in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. 
In most cases, the numbers of the quatrains which are discussed in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget are not given; most of the time, only the Century-number is given. Mostly, only a few Swedish quatrain lines are given. Only the quatrains 01-35 (linked to the decease of Henri II in 1559), 03-57 (linked to the German invasion in Poland), 03-58 (linked to the birth of Adolf Hitler on April 20, 1889) and 09-34 (linked to the arrest of Louis XVI in 1792) are given in French. Probably, the Swedish text of quatrain 05-51 (linked to an expected reunification of Gibraltar and Spain) is taken from a publication by Salamar.
It is quite striking that according to Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, Nostradamus was born on December 1, 1523, whereas according to Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, he was born on December 1, 1503. According to the tradition, Nostradamus was born on December 14, 1503. Both remarks might mean that the German source text contained the date December 1 instead of December 14.[12] In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, quatrain 07-13 is correctly numbered (VII-13), whereas in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, it is numbered incorrectly (VIII-13).[13] On the other hand, quatrain 03-58, which has been correctly numbered in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, has been numbered incorrectly in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget (II-58), a mistake which also occurred in Winkler's Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen für das zwanzigste Jahrhundert (Görlitz, 1939 [1938]), from which book the German text and the explanation of this quatrain were copied. The question is which quatrain numbers were given in the German source text and to what extent the translators were accurate.[14] 
In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, there are three references to classic literature. On p.11 it is mentioned that Boccaccio, at the time a plague came near, locked himself in a villa and spent his time with writing frivolous novels (an allusion to his Decamerone); whereas Nostradamus brought his life in danger at the time of the plague; on p.13, the style of the Centuries  is compared with Dante's Inferno and on p.46, the three lines are quoted which Goethe in Faust, act 1, scene 1, devoted to Nostradamus. In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, there are no such references.
Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was closed with the question if the seer of Notre-Dame, who never made a mistake, would also be right this time. The future would show it. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget was looked ahead until the year 1995 and a fifty-year peace was presented. However, it remained unclear whether or not this peace was under German supremacy.[15] 
A part of the propagandistic impact of the German source text is caused by the fact that regarding the fall of England, there are references to quite a number of English, French and German Century-scholars: Amiaux, De Fontbrune, Kritzinger, Loog, Piobb, Rochetaillée and Taylor. This would not only fortify the pretence of objectivity; it might raise the impression that, when a number of Century-scholars of several countries agreed with each other about the prediction of the fall of England, this fall could be presented as a given fact.[16] Further, the pretence of objectivity was fortified by the many, large quotes from De Fontbrune's Les prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus - Expliquées et commentées (Sarlat, 1939, fifth edition), a foreigner's book. In many cases, the authors of national-socialist propaganda books which were produced in Germany in 1939-1940 and spread abroad, were foreigners. Besides Staël von Holstein (Sweden), there was for example Robert Briffault (France), Carlo Scarfoglio (Italy) and sir W.W. Strickland (Great Britain). The idea was that a foreigner had a better chance to convince the readers of national-socialism.[17] 
The variations in the design and contents of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget and Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? might point towards the ideas of the translators about the way to spread their message that England would fall and that Germany would take over. Perhaps Staël von Holstein tried to emphasize this message by adding Danish and Swedish comments on the Centuries to the German source text. By doing so, it might be more easy for his compatriots to believe his message. Perhaps the translator of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? had the opinion that the preface, in which he wrote that the text of his brochure was founded upon a peculiar study of a late French friend, would appeal to his readers. 

Notes

1. To quatrain 01-36, there is only a reference with the words "another quatrain". [return]
2. Only the last two lines of quatrain 01-02 are given. [return]
3. Quatrain 03-58 is erroneously numbered as quatrain II-58. [return]
4. It is not clear which quatrain is linked to the fortune of the "Altmark". [return]

De Meern, the Netherlands, November 12, 2006
T.W.M. van Berkel
actualized on April 16, 2007

Notes

1. See: Van Berkel: The German source text of a.o. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, Nostradamus spådomar om kriget and What will happen in the near future?. [text]

2. See: Maichle: Die Nostradamus-Propaganda der Nazis, 1939-1942. [text]

3. See: Van Berkel: Information on baron L.F.W. Staël von Holstein alias Norab. The information about Staël von Holstein being the owner of Neutrala Institutets Förlag was communicated by P. Björn (www.trismegistus.se).  [text]

4. Leoni, p.73 and 99. The quantities of copies are given in: Maichle: Die Nostradamus-Propaganda der Nazis, 1939-1942; Boelcke-1966, p.304 and Boelcke-1989 (1967), p.28. The question is if after August 1940, these brochures were still in print. [text]

5. According to Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the French quatrain texts were taken from the photocopy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition, made by the Frenchman P.V. Piobb (pseudonym of count Pierre Vincenti da Piobetta) in 1927 ("Pasteur", p.41). It is possible that the 1927-Piobb-copy was also used for illustration purposes. [text]

6. In 1940 N. Johansson publishiers in Halmstad published Syner och uppelbarelser om Nordens och den övriga världens främtid samt Nostradamus', Jung-Stillings och Mor Shiptons profetior, written by Anton Johansson (1858-1926). [text]

7. Carl Soelberg Billenstein, the author of Opklaringen af Nostradamus Profetier (Holte, 1920). The name Salamar is the pseudonym of the author of Nostradamus profetior med originaltexster i urval, för första gågen översatta till svenska, efter 1568 års upplaga (Stockholm, 2nd half 1940). In this book, "Norab"'s quote from Salamar's article in Levande Livet re-occurs on p.72 in the last line.[text]

8. G. Ljungström: Georg Ljungström (1861-1930). The catalogue of the National Swedish Library contains two titles of books by Ljungström on the Centuries: Den världsberömde siaren Nostradamus profetior om världens öden från år 1558 till år 3797 (Stockholm, 1922) and Nostradamus och Anton Johanssons profetior om nu stundande världshändelser (Stockholm, 1928). [text]

9. "Norab"-1940a, p.23; "Pasteur", p.20-21. [text]

10. "Norab"-1940a, p.26; "Pasteur", p.23. [text]

11. "Norab"-1940a, p.27-28; "Pasteur", p.24-25. [text]

12. "Norab"-1940a, p.11; "Pasteur", p.11. In What will happen in the near future, the date December 1, 1503, is also given ("Norab"-1940b, p.9). [text]

13. "Norab"-1940a, p.22; "Pasteur", p.19. [text]

14. "Norab"-1940a, p.41; "Pasteur", p.34-35; Winkler-1939, p.37. [text]

15. "Norab"-1940a, p.47-50; "Pasteur", p.37. [text]

16. "Norab"-1940a, p.35; "Pasteur", p.29. [text]

17. Groeneveld, p.79. [text]

© Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, Berlin
In connection with this article, photocopies have been studied of the brochures Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? (Geneva, 1940, on this website indicated with "Rossier"-1940b) and its Serbian pendant (Sma nai gonosu 1940?, Belgrade, 1940, on this website indicated with "Belgrade"). The originals are owned by the Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt (ref: PA AA R 66658). 
Every copy, print, multiplification or other use of parts of the contents of these brochures, published on www.nostradamusresearch.org, requires a written permission of the Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, D-11013 Berlin.