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Proper Prophecy Response
Jan. 29th, 2015 12:21 pmProphecies have been one of the great pillars of our storytelling world for as long as we have records. The oldest stories we currently know of involve prophecy as central to the storyline or integral to the plot. I imagine the first stories told ‘round the cave’s only fire involved mystical visions of things to come and how the great heroes responded.
In nearly every case of a prophecy based story, the characters responded exactly wrong.
Oedipus Rex shows a king a prophecy about his newborn prince. Said prince will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. In response to the fear and general grodiness, the king has his son killed. Merlin shares with Arthur his vision of a child born to a noble in April that would kill King Arthur and end Camelot. In response, they gather the April born children of nobles in a boat and sink the boat in the sea. Queen Bavmorda finds the prophecy of a child who will cause her demise. I think we see the pattern.
I’ll take it as a given that I don’t have to make the case that killing babies is wrong. Jeeze, it just struck me how much infanticide there is in myth and legend. But, let’s move on from that. Each of these cases is the exact wrong move for purely functional reasons.
For some useful background, let’s distinguish prophecy from prediction. Prediction is applying a knowledge or perception of patterns to draw conclusions of where those patterns lead. Prophecy is revealed knowledge of the future. Prediction is built piece by piece while prophecy is revealed, whole cloth.
What is the appropriate response to prophecies?
First, give up any hope of achieving a prophecy or achieving its falsehood. While predictions have a variable truth value, prophecy truth value is entirely binary. If prediction gets some details right and some details wrong, that’s because the predictor has incomplete or faulty information, but is still partly right. If any part of a prophecy is wrong, the entire thing is wrong.
If a prophecy is true, it is inescapable. If a prophecy is false, it’s not going to happen in the first place. Prophecy evasion is left with only two options, no possibility of escape or no need. “Why try?” and “Why worry?”. Do you feel that weight lift off your shoulders? That is the realization that no effort to stop a prophecy is appropriate.
Second, do not trust prophecy. In a prediction, the predictor starts with a meaning and uses whatever words convey that meaning. Words, phrases, entire languages can be changed so long as they carry the same message. But, prophecies start with the words and apply whatever meaning can make any literal, metaphorical, or poetic sense.
Technically, the source of the prophecy has a meaning, but you don’t get to ask any questions to specify. Functionally, it’s a set of words and any meaning that can attach to those words can be changed with the others.
Oedipus might have been prophesied to change the king into a completely different and better man, then marry a woman very much like his mother. Mordred could have been prophesied to head a wider ranging union bringing peace throughout Europe, moving the capital away from Camelot, creating a different middle ages to which the words "Dark Ages” need not apply. Queen Bavmorda… well she can still die for all I care. The point is, possibilities within those prophecies were wide open.
This also means that you can’t trust good prophecies. No sooner will your prophecy tell you that you will live for as long as the great mountain towers than a strip mining company will leave it flat. “You will reign for all your days” can easily mean “both of them”. If a prophecy speaks of you winning the lottery, it might be Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.
Third, take control of the prophecy’s options. The nebulous meaning of prophecies does give you options. Depending on the prophecy, you can open up or close certain methods of prophetic accomplishment. Remember, always leave at least one method of prophetic accomplishment open. If you don’t, the prophecy may happen in a method you don’t like.
King Laius could have bought two slaves for his prince, one a father and one a mother. King Arthur and Merlin could have used Camelot as a starting point for a greater Celtic Union. Queen Bavmorda could at least have delayed her demise by showing a little kindness to the child that would spell her end. If nothing else, she could have made the kid feel bad about it.
Now, if all of this seems too much to do, you don’t have to completely restructure your life around even a prophecy that you believe. You could just ignore it. This has its own advantages and disadvantages, especially if you can’t get it out of your head. Just no half measures and always keep in mind that you can’t fight a prophecy, but you can work with it.
In nearly every case of a prophecy based story, the characters responded exactly wrong.
Oedipus Rex shows a king a prophecy about his newborn prince. Said prince will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. In response to the fear and general grodiness, the king has his son killed. Merlin shares with Arthur his vision of a child born to a noble in April that would kill King Arthur and end Camelot. In response, they gather the April born children of nobles in a boat and sink the boat in the sea. Queen Bavmorda finds the prophecy of a child who will cause her demise. I think we see the pattern.
I’ll take it as a given that I don’t have to make the case that killing babies is wrong. Jeeze, it just struck me how much infanticide there is in myth and legend. But, let’s move on from that. Each of these cases is the exact wrong move for purely functional reasons.
For some useful background, let’s distinguish prophecy from prediction. Prediction is applying a knowledge or perception of patterns to draw conclusions of where those patterns lead. Prophecy is revealed knowledge of the future. Prediction is built piece by piece while prophecy is revealed, whole cloth.
What is the appropriate response to prophecies?
First, give up any hope of achieving a prophecy or achieving its falsehood. While predictions have a variable truth value, prophecy truth value is entirely binary. If prediction gets some details right and some details wrong, that’s because the predictor has incomplete or faulty information, but is still partly right. If any part of a prophecy is wrong, the entire thing is wrong.
If a prophecy is true, it is inescapable. If a prophecy is false, it’s not going to happen in the first place. Prophecy evasion is left with only two options, no possibility of escape or no need. “Why try?” and “Why worry?”. Do you feel that weight lift off your shoulders? That is the realization that no effort to stop a prophecy is appropriate.
Second, do not trust prophecy. In a prediction, the predictor starts with a meaning and uses whatever words convey that meaning. Words, phrases, entire languages can be changed so long as they carry the same message. But, prophecies start with the words and apply whatever meaning can make any literal, metaphorical, or poetic sense.
Technically, the source of the prophecy has a meaning, but you don’t get to ask any questions to specify. Functionally, it’s a set of words and any meaning that can attach to those words can be changed with the others.
Oedipus might have been prophesied to change the king into a completely different and better man, then marry a woman very much like his mother. Mordred could have been prophesied to head a wider ranging union bringing peace throughout Europe, moving the capital away from Camelot, creating a different middle ages to which the words "Dark Ages” need not apply. Queen Bavmorda… well she can still die for all I care. The point is, possibilities within those prophecies were wide open.
This also means that you can’t trust good prophecies. No sooner will your prophecy tell you that you will live for as long as the great mountain towers than a strip mining company will leave it flat. “You will reign for all your days” can easily mean “both of them”. If a prophecy speaks of you winning the lottery, it might be Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.
Third, take control of the prophecy’s options. The nebulous meaning of prophecies does give you options. Depending on the prophecy, you can open up or close certain methods of prophetic accomplishment. Remember, always leave at least one method of prophetic accomplishment open. If you don’t, the prophecy may happen in a method you don’t like.
King Laius could have bought two slaves for his prince, one a father and one a mother. King Arthur and Merlin could have used Camelot as a starting point for a greater Celtic Union. Queen Bavmorda could at least have delayed her demise by showing a little kindness to the child that would spell her end. If nothing else, she could have made the kid feel bad about it.
Now, if all of this seems too much to do, you don’t have to completely restructure your life around even a prophecy that you believe. You could just ignore it. This has its own advantages and disadvantages, especially if you can’t get it out of your head. Just no half measures and always keep in mind that you can’t fight a prophecy, but you can work with it.
