An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. John William Waterhouse ( April 6, 1849 &ndash February 10, 1917) was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter most Prophecy, generally describes the disclosing of Information that is not known to the Prophet by any ordinary means Infallibility, from Latin origin ('in' not + 'fallere' to deceive is a term with a variety of meanings related to knowing Truth with Certainty. Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality It may also be a revealed prediction or precognition of the future, from deities, that is spoken through another object (e.g.: runemal) or life-form (e. A prediction is a statement or claim that a particular Event will occur in the Future in more certain terms than a forecast. Precognition (from the Latin præ- “prior to” + cognitio “a getting to know” denotes a form of Extrasensory perception where in a person is said to perceive C D E g. : augury and auspice). The Augur was a priest and official in the classical world especially Ancient Rome and Etruria. An auspice ( Latin: auspicium from auspex, literally "one who looks at birds" is a type of Omen already familiar In the ancient world many sites gained a reputation for the dispensing of oracular wisdom: they too became known as "oracles", and the oracular utterances, called khrēsmoi in Greek, were often referred to under the same name — a name derived from the Latin verb ōrāre, to speak. "Ancient" redirects here For other uses see Ancient_(disambiguation. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.
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Ancient civilizations
China
Oracles were common in many civilizations of antiquity. In China, the use of oracle bones dates as far back as the Shang Dynasty, (1600 BC - 1046 BC). Oracle bones ( Chinese: 甲骨 Pinyin: jiǎgǔpiàn are pieces of Bone or turtle shell that were heated and cracked during divination The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The I Ching, or "Book of Changes", is a collection of linear signs used as oracles that dates from that period. The I Ching ( Wade-Giles) or “Yì Jīng” ( Pinyin) also called “Classic of Changes” or “Book of Changes” is one of the oldest of the Although divination with the I Ching is thought to have originated prior to the Shang Dynasty, it was not until King Wu of Zhou (1046 BC-1043 BC) that it took its present form. Among the many forms of Divination is a method using the I Ching (易經 or Book of Changes. In addition to its oracular power, the I Ching has had a major influence on the philosophy, literature and statecraft of China from the time of the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC). The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Events By place Roman Republic Rome aims for a quick end to hostilities in the First Punic War and decides to invade the
Egypt
The earliest known oracle was in the renowned temple at Per-Wadjet. Buto or Butos or Butosos ( Greek:, Herod ii 59 63 155, Steph B This was an important site in the Predynastic era of Ancient Egypt, which includes the cultural developments of ten thousand years from the Paleolithic to 3100 BC The temple was dedicated to the worship of Wadjet and may have been the source for the oracular tradition that spread to Ancient Greece from Egypt. The Predynastic Period of Egypt (prior to 3100 BC is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" Events c 3100 BC — Narmer (Menes unifies Upper and Lower Egypt into one country he rules this new country from Memphis In Egyptian mythology, Wadjet, which means the Green One ( Egyptian egy w3ḏyt; also spelt Wadjit or Wedjet [1] The Per-Wadjet tradition continued through the entire history of the Ancient Egyptian culture. The later Greeks called both the goddess and the city Buto. Buto or Butos or Butosos ( Greek:, Herod ii 59 63 155, Steph B
Another oracle of note lay in Egypt during the Eighteenth dynasty (1550-1292 BC), in a temple dedicated to Amun, a god who rose to importance during that time. "Amarna period" redirects here For information on Amarna see Amarna The Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1292 BC is perhaps the best known of Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu (also spelled Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imen, Greek Ἄμμων The Greeks associated him with Zeus. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology Alexander the Great once visited it, and although no record of his query remains, the oracle is thought to have hailed him as Ammon's son, influencing his conceptions of his own divinity. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ'
Greece
The earliest tradition of oracular practice in Hellenic culture is from the archaic period shortly after arrival of the Hellenes in their current place of settlement c. 1300 BC. The oracle was associated with the cults of deities derived from the great goddess of nature and fertility, the pre-eminent ancient oracle—the Delphic Oracle—operated at the temple of Delphi. Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western
The temple was changed to a center for the worship of Apollo during the classical period of Greece and priests were added to the temple organization—although the tradition regarding prophecy remained unchanged—and the apparently always-female priestess continued to provide the services of the oracle exclusively. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca It is from this institution that the English word, oracle, is derived.
The Delphic Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout Hellenic culture. The Greeks consulted her prior to all major undertakings, wars, the founding of colonies, and so forth.
The semi-Hellenic countries around the Greece world, such as Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt also respected her and came to Delphi as supplicants. Defining Lydia Aside from a legend related by Herodotus, who states that the name Lydia came from king Lydus at the time of the fall of Troy Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Croesus of Lydia consulted Delphi before attacking Persia, and according to Herodotus was told, "If you cross the river, you will destroy a great empire. This article refers to the historical King of Lydia For the opera by Reinhard Keiser, see Croesus (opera. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash " Believing the response favorable, Croesus attacked, but it was his own empire that ultimately was destroyed by the Persians.
She allegedly also proclaimed Socrates to be the wisest man in Greece, to which Socrates said that, if so, this was because he alone was aware of his own ignorance. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. After this confrontation, he believed it his duty to share his knowledge by teaching Greece's youth. This Oracle's last recorded response was given in 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I ordered pagan temples to cease operation. Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄
Dodona another oracle devoted to the Mother Goddess identified at other sites with Rhea or Gaia, but here called Dione. Dodona (from Doric Greek Δωδώνα Ionic Greek: Δωδώνη - Dodone) in Epirus in northwestern Greece, was a prehistoric A mother goddess is a Goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother who serves as a general Fertility deity the bountiful embodiment of the Earth. Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology Gaia (ˈgeɪə or /ˈgaɪə/ (" land " or " Earth " from the Ancient Greek Γαîα also Gæa or Gea Dione in Greek mythology is a vague goddess presence who has her most concrete form in Book V of Homer 's Iliad as the mother of Aphrodite The shrine of Dodona was the oldest Hellenic oracle, according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus and, in fact, dates to pre-Hellenic times, perhaps as early as the second millennium BC when the tradition spread from Egypt. It became the second most important oracle in ancient Greece, which later was dedicated to Zeus and to Heracles during the classical period of Greece. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or
During the period, on Crete lay another important oracle, sacred to Apollo. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the It ranked as one of the most accurate oracles in Greece. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία
India
In ancient India, the oracle was known as Akashwani, literally meaning "voice from the sky" and was related to the message of God. Oracles played key roles in many of the major incidents of the epics Mahabharat and Ramayana. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki An example is that Kansa, the evil uncle of lord Krishna, was informed by an oracle that the eighth son of his sister Devaki would kill him. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism In Hinduism, Devaki (देवकी is the wife of Vasudeva and mother of Krishna and Balarama. In South Indian language Kannada, "Oracle" is mentioned as "Asareeravani". There is a famous temple in Gurpur near Mangalore that brings people from far. In Tamil it is mentioned as "Asareeree". In Telugu, it is called "Deva Vaakku". It literally means 'Words of God'.
Mesoamerica
In the migration myth of the Mexitin, i. e. , the early Aztecs, a mummy-bundle (perhaps an effigy) carried by four priests directed the trek away from the cave of origins by giving oracles. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political A mummy is a Corpse whose Skin and Flesh have been preserved by either intentional or Incidental exposure to Chemicals extreme An effigy is a representation of a person especially in the form of Sculpture. One an oracle led to the foundation of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. There are some towns in Mexico which are spelled "Tenochtitlán" like San Lorenzo The Yucatec Mayas knew oracle priests or chilanes, literally 'mouthpieces' of the deity. Yucatec Maya ("Maaya T'aan" in the revised Orthography of the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala) is a Mayan language spoken in Their written repositories of traditional knowledge, the Books of Chilam Balam, were all ascribed to one famous oracle priest who correctly had predicted the coming of the Spaniards and its associated disasters. The Mayan Chilam Balam books are named after Yucatec towns such as Chumayel Mani and Tizimin and are usually collections of disparate texts in which Mayan and Spanish traditions
Nigeria
The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria in Africa have a long tradition of using oracles. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal In Igbo villages, oracles were usually female priestesses to a particular deity, usually dwelling in a cave or other secluded location away from urban areas, and, much as the oracles of ancient Greece, would deliver prophecies in an ecstatic state to visitors seeking advice. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Though the vast majority of Igbos today are Christian, many in Nigeria today still use oracles. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings
In Igboland of present-day Nigeria many different oracles were regularly consulted. Two of these became especially famous: the Agbala oracle at Awka and the Chukwu oracle at Arochukwu. Awka is the capital of Anambra State, Nigeria. The town is located in southeastern Nigeria in Igboland and lies along roads leading from Owerri Umuahia Arochukwu (sometimes referred to as Arochuku Aro-Okigbo) pronounced aruchukwu is the third largest town in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia in southeastern [2]
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Odin took the severed head of the mythical god Mimir to Asgard for consultation as an oracle. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation The Havamal and other sources relate the sacrifice of Odin for the oracular Runes whereby he lost an eye (external sight) and won wisdom (internal sight; insight). Hávamál (" Sayings of the high one " is presented as a single poem in the Poetic Edda. Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred" from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacr, "sacred" (for other uses see Insight (disambiguation Insight can be used with several related meanings *a piece of information *the
Tibet
In Tibet, oracles have played, and continue to play, an important part in religion and government. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European The word "oracle" is used by Tibetans to refer to the spirit that enters those men and women who act as media between the natural and the spiritual realms. Mediumship is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Louisiana Voodoo, and The media are, therefore, known as kuten, which literally means, "the physical basis".
The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India, still consults an oracle known as the Nechung Oracle, which is considered the official state oracle of the government of Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. The Nechung Oracle is the State Oracle of Tibet. The medium of the State Oracle currently resides with the current Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, The Dalai Lama has according to custom, a custom that has endured for centuries, consulted the Nechung Oracle during the new year festivites of Losar. Losar ( is the Tibetan word for "new year" Lo holds the Semantic field "year" "age" sar holds the semantic [3] Another oracle he consults is the Tenma oracle, for which a young Tibetan woman is the medium for the goddess. The Tenma goddesses are twelve guardian deities in the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama gives a complete description of the process of trance and spirit possession in his book Freedom in Exile. Trance denotes a variety of processes techniques modalities and states of mind awareness and consciousness Spirit possession is a concept of Paranormal, Supernatural and/or Superstitious belief in which spirits, gods, daemons [1].
Notes
- ^ Herodotus ii. 55 and vii. 134
- ^ Webster J. B. and Boahen A. A. , The Revolutionary Years, West Africa since 1800, Longman, London, p. 107-108.
- ^ Gyatso, Tenzin (1988). Freedom In Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Fully revised and updated. Lancaster Place, London, UK: Abacus Books (A Division of Little, Borwn and Company UK). ISBN 0 349 11111 1. p. 233
Further reading
- Broad, William J. 2006. William J Broad is an author and a senior writer at The New York Times. The Oracle: The Lost Secrets and Hidden Message of Ancient Delphi. New York: Penguin Press.
- Curnow, T. 1995. The Oracles of the Ancient World: A Comprehensive Guide. London: Duckworth — ISBN 0-7156-3194-2
- Evans-Pritchard, E. 1976. Sir Edward Evan (E E Evans-Pritchard ( September 21, 1902 – September 11, 1973) was a British anthropologist instrumental Witchcraft, oracle, and magic among the Azande. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Fontenrose, J. 1981. Joseph Eddy Fontenrose (1903-1986 was an American classical scholar The Delphic Oracle. Its responses and operations with a catalogue of responses. Berkeley: University of California Press (main page)
- Temple, Robert 2002. Netherworld. London: Century.
- Oracle Insights [2] - A collaborative website about oracles.
- The Copper Oracle of Shri Achyuta- one of the existing and open to all Oracles. More info available at: http://www.garoiashram.org/english/oracle.html
External links
- Documentary about Tibetan oracles by David Cherniack
- Documentary WIKI - Oracle DOC Recourses whith Wiki vocation in SP
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