Prophecies & Oracles Myths & Tales

Whether it stems from a fundamental human need for certainty – to know what will happen to us, and to know that at some level fate is at play and we can rest easy at night since we may as well submit to our 'lot' – or whether grand predictions provide an irresistibly compelling narrative arc, dramatic prophecies and utterings of wise oracles are a prominent feature of world mythology and folklore.

This gripping collection gathers together a wide range of tales of prediction: of disaster, of fulfilment, of origin; spoken by oracles, seers and spirits or beheld in visions and dreams; from the Norse Norns weaving the future in 'The Story of Nornagesta' to the flood prophecy of the Chinese tale 'The Spirits of the Yellow River'.