Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Oracle

I've noticed that in some fantasy stories, you may run into a character known as either a  high priest, shaman, witch doctor, prophet, or oracle. The different names generally denote where the story came from, but the general idea is the same. This character is a man who lives by the spirit rather than the flesh. He understands the ebb and flow of the universe and does what he can to interpret these motions. In this way, he can often predict the future.

It's a strange thing to look upon another human being as being significantly in touch with forces unseen. They, in many ways, don't seem human at all. There's a weird look in their eyes which we often akin to paranoia or fear, yet they are clearly busy doing their best to interpret what they are experiencing so that we can know what they know, for better or worse.

Oracles are best known for there abilities to predict cataclysms. These prophecies can generally be filled with a lot of wailing and bodily spasms. The actual words uttered can be painfully cryptic, but otherwise clear that something very deadly is on the way. We don't hear much about oracles predicting happy things because it wouldn't make for a very interesting story without some sort of conflict. There are some formulas that are more common than others.

I think the thing that fascinated me most is what is actually happening to these people. Oracles are usually portrayed within more tribal settings, and I honestly think they belong there. Some might think that these people are using the spiritual realm as a tool to predict things, but I wonder if it's really the opposite. What if entities within the spiritual realm were using him as a tool?

A lot of the uncanny valley of the oracles come from the craziness in there eyes. There is also a strangeness in their movements as well. They are weird. Simply weird. Normal human beings don't act like they do. It is a good example of what happens to a human being who gives himself to forces that are incompatible with him.

When people see the oracle acting like this, they treat him with reverence. The man is placed above them as linked with spirits that are helping him see the truth. And I think they really are too. Although to get mixed up in the agenda of a spirit guide is a bit one-sided. If they turn against you, there's nothing you can do.

In fiction, the oracle is often revered even by the reader. There's something fun and magical about this person who has set himself apart from the others. He gets his own hut, and is allowed to be as flamboyant or antisocial as he wishes. If it sounds like he is speaking gibberish, that's okay. He's allowed to do that too. The hope is that he will act like a sort of weatherman of fate and let the people of the tribe know when bad things are on the way.

These are great characters in fiction, but realistically, these are poor souls who have given themselves to hostile powers. I'm sorry for them. It's just another situation where man gives up his birthright to beings that simply don't belong here. The only prophecies really worth listening to comes from God himself. He is a being we can relate to. It makes more sense. Beware the false prophet!

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