Prophecy
From RationalWiki
Prophecy is speaking for the gods (pro- meaning for), sometimes involving predicting the future (pro- meaning before in time), often using "impending doom" and "fires of destruction" and "destruction of the world" as the culminating theme. Prophecies are usually reserved for important figures like kings and leaders and of course generally predict the downfall of bad rulers and the eventual return of "all that is Good and True" if and only if the "people" follow the right "path".
Prophecy is often a result of the prophet's dreams, altered states, or high levels of stress in one's lives.
Fantastical fiction often features ancient prophecies, often involving a "chosen one" who will triumph over evil in some way or restore a balance that was lost a long time ago. Such messianic prophecies are readily believed without question by the people in these stories, and invariable turn out to be correct.
In the real world, prophecies tend to be a lot more vague and open to interpretation and skepticism, like the cryptic ramblings of Nostradamus, whose 'predictions' of future events can only be figured out properly after such events have already happened.
[edit] Famous Prophecies
- Daniel and the Wall
- Nostradamus
- Joseph Smith, Jr. and the Book of Mormon
- Revelation
- David Wilkerson, a Christian evangelist who successfully prophesied that the end of the world would be in
197319992009. - Merlin seeing the eventual fall of King Arthur
- Some guy foreseeing that the Witch-king of Angmar would not be slain by a man. He could have phrased it less obtusely.
- Wakova's vision of (for?) the Ghost Dance
