foretelling-and-fate
The practice of Foretelling reveals partial or cryptic knowledge of the future, emphasizing the tension between fate's inevitability and human desire for certainty.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)Ursula K. Le Guin
In this chapter, Lord Berosty rem ir Ipe seeks a Foretelling to learn the day of his death, receiving only the cryptic answer that he will die on the nineteenth day of a month, with no further details. His kemmering, Herbor of Geganner, later obtains a Foretelling on Berosty's behalf, learning only that Berosty will live longer than Herbor, which leads to tragic misunderstanding and Herbor's death. Berosty's ensuing madness culminates in his suicide on the foretold nineteenth day, illustrating the destructive power of uncertain fate and obsession with death.