[HPFGU-OTChatter] Prophecies and saviours

[kemper mentor]

alshainofthenorth <alshainofthenorth at yahoo.co.uk> wrote: 
 
Are there any fantasy geeks around who are up to a discussion about prophecy and destiny as fantasy plot devices?

It struck me when I was in another forum, reading a thread about Fantasy Clichés We Can't Stand, that in the last fantasy wave (think Lucas, Eddings, Jordan, Rowling, Pullman and probably some more) it's been foretold that the Chosen One will be born to strike down the Bad Guy/bring balance to The Force/become the new Eve/whatever. The prophecy element has become such an over-used plot device that I'm going to scream if I see it written one more time. I prefer my heroes more like Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee -- people who haven't been selected by destiny, who could have chosen not to go but did it anyway.

I've been looking for the common root to this element, and even 
though I suspect that the deepest ones go back to the Messianic 
tradition of the Jewish and Christian religions, there may be newer roots in classical fantasy, but I can't seem to find them. Tolkien,if I remember correctly, used prophetic elements sparingly (Aragorn and the Paths of the Dead is a subplot), and I can't recall anything about King Arthur's birth being foretold by seers either.

When and why did this prophecy element become so important?

Kemper relpies:
I think prophecy also dates back to early Greek plays.  I see prophecy as a type of foreshadowing. 
Didn't Aragon know about his prophecy growing up?  Harry faces LV 5 times and is on the road to preparing others to fight the good battle before he knows and hears his (?) prophecy.  He is already in choice, like Frodo.  


		
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