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The nature of prophecy

In my WIP, there's a prophecy that the MC doesn't want to happen and she tries to find a way to subvert it. A goddess made the prophecy centuries ago. The time for fulfillment has come. Some powerful people and another god want the prophecy to be fulfilled now. So the MC has her work cut out for her.

In some books that deal with prophecies, the details are often vague enough, you don't really know who the Chosen One is. Someone might think they are, yet not be, in which case they might fail (or they might succeed despite not being the Chosen One). In the case of a vague prophecy, there's no guarantee of a particular outcome simply because someone has tried to fulfill the prophecy.

Other books might spell out the specifics of a prophecy, but even then, there is bound to be someone who doesn't want it to come true. Or someone might fabricate a prophecy and spread it in the name of some god/entity who didn't make it. You could say that it's not a real prophecy if it doesn't come true, and I might even agree with you, but you don't know it's not a real prophecy until it fails.

Even a fake prophecy might become a self-fulfilling one if everyone accepts it as real. To quote my own signature block: "The truth doesn't matter. What people believe matters."

A good example is Harry Potter. The unspoken truth about his choosing is that Voldemort had to try to kill either him or Neville. If he had tried to kill Neville the whole plot could have changed as Neville would've been then the chosen one


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Futhark

Inkling
Like everything prophecies can be done well or done poorly. Personally I enjoyed the Dragon Reborn prophecy in the Wheel of Time. It was vague, open to interpretation, featured false chosen ones, part predestined and part self-fulfilling. However, I have a similar dilemma in my own WIP. My main character has a special talent to see into the past and the future, which is fine. During his near death experience, he is afforded the opportunity to more deeply explore future possibilities based on his actions. At this point he realises the importance of another character in defeating the big bad. This is, so far, their only link, and this just feels weak to me. Any advice would be awesome.

Anyway, returning to point. Well executed, any trope should be embraced. It's a classic for a reason. Poorly executed, it becomes more of a crutch to carry the story. And yes, there will be unspoken truths, or prophecies, like the good guy will win, get the girl, and ride off into the sunset (depending on the story), but that's because people expect and need structure. Music without rhythm and harmony is just noise.
 

bdcharles

Minstrel
Hey everyone :)

I was just curious to hear people's views on the use of prophecies/sage old wizards/knowledgeable side-kicks in their fiction. I notice that even the best writers seem to employ one method to deal out a bit of information/worldbuilding here and there. Do you try to avoid these or like me do you embrace them from time to time with great caution? I have one dream sequence in my novel. I don't hate it. I think it's written well enough and serves a good purpose. But I can't help feeling I'm taking the easy way out even though it's a very small part of the overall worldbuilding lol.

I have a prophecy in my WIP. To really bed the cliche down it concerns the dwarves. But - it turns out to have been a piece of nonsense written by a rather whimsical journalist to stir them in to actions that she, the journalist, hopes will make her rich.
 
And yes, there will be unspoken truths, or prophecies, like the good guy will win, get the girl, and ride off into the sunset (depending on the story), but that's because people expect and need structure. Music without rhythm and harmony is just noise.

I think there are expectations. But we as authors have the power to create structure, and the structures we create can take many forms. It's just a matter of delivering that structure to the reader and making the structure compelling.

One difference between the unwritten prophecy—MC starts out young, naïve, unaware, disadvantaged, whatever, but will win in the end, as every reader believes very early in the story—and having an in-world spoken/written prophecy relates to how the characters themselves may see their roles within the story at any given point once they become aware of the prophecy. From my offhand memory of examples, the best use of the typical sort of "Destined One" prophecy when made explicit to the characters happens when those characters who are the subject of prophecy wrestle with it in some way. What does it mean for them personally? They may struggle with accepting it, feel trapped by it, utilize it for their own personal reasons (like Paul Atreides did), or be confused by its vagueness—and maybe a combination of these. The in-world prophecy might also lead other characters to treat that character in a particular way. In other words, having this data in-world shapes the decision making processes for the characters; they have to contend with this knowledge just as they need to contend with any other significant thing happening in their environment.
 
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Futhark

Inkling
I think there are expectations. But we as authors have the power to create structure, and the structures we create can take many forms. It's just a matter of delivering that structure to the reader and making the structure compelling.

One difference between the unwritten prophecy—MC starts out young, naïve, unaware, disadvantaged, whatever, but will win in the end, as every reader believes very early in the story—and having an in-world spoken/written prophecy relates to how the characters themselves may see their roles within the story at any given point once they become aware of the prophecy. From my offhand memory of examples, the best use of the typical sort of "Destined One" prophecy when made explicit to the characters happens when those characters who are the subject of prophecy wrestle with it in some way. What does it mean for them personally? They may struggle with accepting it, feel trapped by it, utilize it for their own personal reasons (like Paul Atreides did), or be confused by its vagueness—and maybe a combination of these. The in-world prophecy might also lead other characters to treat that character in a particular way. In other words, having this data in-world shapes the decision making processes for the characters; they have to contend with this knowledge just as they need to contend with any other significant thing happening in their environment.

Exactly. That's why I enjoyed the Wheel of Time prophecy. It was a thing that the characters had to contend with. The unspoken truth, or expectation, is that the Dragon Reborn will defeat the Dark One (that was its name wasn't it?). And the great thing about writing is creating the structure. The 7 (or 5 or 9) basic plots, and 14000 combinations thereof, means that there are many, many forms to deliver this.
 

Ronald T.

Troubadour
Prophesy is one of the primary elements of epic fantasy that I look for. If it's not part of the story, I feel cheated. But to make it work, it has to be integral to the story. Make it believable, and I'm all in.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Prophets, fortune tellers, oracles, augurs... whatever you want to call them, these people were integral to so many ancient civilizations, that for it to be missing in those sorts of settings can feel a tad off. They are integral to every religion in the worlds I write, because it's human nature to look for answers. And since the gods are real and the magic is real, it's important stuff.
 

Ronald T.

Troubadour
I can see by some of the responses that a few of you believe prophecies are infallible promises made by the gods, and therefore, whatever was prophesied will come to pass no matter what happens in the world of the story.

That simply isn't the case.

It isn't now, nor has it ever been true in any of the religions of our real world, nor is it necessarily a requirement within our stories. Most mythologies -- including current day religions -- that deal with the desires of various gods are filled with instances of prophesied heroes failing to complete a task as the gods foretold it. The hero might complete only part of the task, or they might fail completely, or they might end up dead in their effort to fulfill their destiny, leaving much of their task unfinished. There are endless ways a prophesy might show it need not be written in stone.

If writers are clever enough, they can make a prophesy exciting, independent of any divine foresight. The truth is, mythology is simply a variation of current or historical religions. There is no difference.

I think it's a mistake to turn thumbs-down on stories with prophesy at their heart. It the idea that the protagonist might survive and succeed is so off-putting, then how do you explain your willingness to watch series television? You know the main characters are going to survive, or the show is over. And yet you keep watching with interest. Why should the idea of a prophesy be any different?

In other words, give the author the chance to entertain you before you make unfair judgement calls.

Just one man's opinion, and what the hell do I know?
 

kdl121

Dreamer
I haven't written it yet, but I'm playing with the idea of a book about witches, and I definitely want to incorporate either some form of divination (future sight) or mind reading. Either way, I want it to be something that very few witches possess, and it makes the main character an anomaly.
 
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