Oracle

{{About|the classical concept|the software company|Oracle Corporation|other uses|Oracle (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|Provider of prophecies or insights}}
{{Anthropology of religion|Basic|image=[[File:John William Waterhouse - Consulting the Oracle - Christie's.jpg|frameless|upright=1.2|center]]|caption=''[[Consulting the Oracle]]'' by [[John William Waterhouse]], showing eight priestesses in a temple of prophecy}}

An '''oracle''' is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or [[prophecy|prophetic]] [[prediction]]s, most notably including [[precognition]] of the future, inspired by [[Deity|deities]]. If done through [[occult]]ic means, it is a form of [[divination]].

== Description ==
The word ''oracle'' comes from the [[Latin]] verb ''ōrāre'', "to speak" and properly refers to the priest or priestess uttering the prediction. In extended use, ''oracle'' may also refer to the ''site of the oracle'', and to the oracular utterances themselves, called ''khrēsmoí'' (χρησμοί) in Greek.

Oracles were thought to be portals through which the gods spoke directly to people. In this sense, they were different from seers (''manteis'', μάντεις) who interpreted signs sent by the gods through bird signs, [[Haruspex|animal entrails]], and other various methods.<ref name=flower>Flower, Michael Attyah. ''The Seer in Ancient Greece.'' Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008.</ref>

The most important oracles of Greek antiquity were [[Pythia]] (priestess to [[Apollo]] at [[Delphi]]), and the oracle of [[Dione (Titaness)|Dione]] and [[Zeus]] at [[Dodona]] in [[Epirus]]. Other oracles of Apollo were located at [[Didyma]] and [[Mallus (city)|Mallus]] on the coast of [[Anatolia]], at [[ancient Corinth|Corinth]] and [[Bassae]] in the [[Peloponnese]], and at the islands of [[Delos]] and [[Aegina]] in the Aegean Sea.

The [[Sibylline Oracles]] are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek [[hexameter]]s, ascribed to the [[Sibyl]]s, prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in frenzied states.

==Origins==
[[Walter Burkert]] observes that "Frenzied women from whose lips the God speaks" are recorded in the [[Near East]] as in [[Mari, Syria|Mari]] in the second millennium BC and in Assyria in the first millennium BC.<ref>Walter Burkert.''Greek Religion''. Harvard University Press.1985.p 116-118</ref> In Egypt, the goddess [[Wadjet]] (eye of the moon) was depicted as a snake-headed woman or a woman with two snake-heads. Her oracle was in the renowned temple in [[Per-Wadjet]] (Greek name [[Buto]]). The oracle of Wadjet may have been the source for the oracular tradition which spread from Egypt to Greece.<ref>[[Herodotus]], ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|The Histories]]'', ii 55, and vii 134.</ref> Evans linked Wadjet with the "[[Minoan snake goddess figurines|Minoan Snake Goddess]]".<ref>Cristopher L.C. Whitcomp.''Minoan Snake goddess''.8.''Snakes, Egypt, Magic and wome''</ref>

At the oracle of [[Dodona]] she is called [[Dione (Titaness/Oceanid)|Diōnē]] (the feminine form of ''Diós'', [[genitive]] of ''Zeus''; or of ''dīos'', "godly", literally "heavenly"), who represents the earth-fertile soil, probably the chief female goddess of the [[Proto-Indo-European language|proto-Indo-European]] pantheon{{fact|date=June 2020}}. [[Python (mythology)|Python]], daughter (or son) of [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]] was the earth dragon of [[Delphi]] represented as a [[serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] and became the chthonic deity, enemy of [[Apollo]], who slew her and possessed the oracle.<ref>''Hymn to Pythian Apollo''.363,369</ref>

==In classical antiquity==
{{Anchor|Antiquity|antiquity}}

===Pythia at Delphi===
{{Blockquote|<poem>When the Prytanies' seat shines white in the island of Siphnos,
White-browed all the forum—need then of a true seer's wisdom—
Danger will threat from a wooden boat, and a herald in scarlet.</poem>|The Pythoness, in ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|The Histories]]'', [[Herodotus]].<ref>Herodotus, ''The Histories'', as translated in: {{cite book |title=The History of Herodotus: A New English Version |volume=II |author1-link=George Rawlinson|first1=George|last1=Rawlinson |first2=Henry Creswicke|last2=Rawlinson |first3=John Gardner|last3=Wilkinson |page=376 |date=1862 |location=London |publisher=John Murray |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ijENAAAAIAAJ&q=treasury+Siphnos&pg=PA376 |access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref>}}

The [[Pythia]] was the mouthpiece of the oracles of the god [[Apollo]], and was also known as the Oracle of Delphi.<ref>Plato, G.M.A. Grube, J.M. Cooper - [https://books.google.com/books?id=3WFKMKNkzcAC&q=The+Trial+and+Death+of+Socrates+%28Third+Edition%29%3A+Euthyphro%2C+Apology%2C+Crito%2C+Death+Scene+from+Phaedo ''The Trial and Death of Socrates'' (Third Edition): "Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Death Scene from Phaedo"] (page 24 - footnote 7) Hackett Publishing, 2000; {{ISBN|1603846476}} [Retrieved 2015-04-25]</ref>

The Delphic Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout Hellenic culture. Distinctively, this woman was essentially the highest authority both civilly and religiously in male-dominated [[ancient Greece]]. She responded to the questions of citizens, foreigners, kings, and philosophers on issues of political impact, war, duty, crime, family, laws—even personal issues.<ref>Broad, W. J. (2007), p.43</ref> The semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world, such as [[Lydia]], [[Caria]], and even [[Egypt]] also respected her and came to Delphi as [[supplicant]]s.

[[Croesus]], king of Lydia beginning in 560 BC, tested the oracles of the world to discover which gave the most accurate prophecies. He sent out emissaries to seven sites who were all to ask the oracles on the same day what the king was doing at that very moment. Croesus proclaimed the oracle at Delphi to be the most accurate, who correctly reported that the king was making a lamb-and-tortoise stew, and so he graced her with a magnitude of precious gifts.<ref>Broad, W. J. (2007), p.51-53</ref> He then consulted Delphi before attacking [[Achaemenid Empire|Persia]], and according to Herodotus was advised: "If you cross the river, a great empire will be destroyed". Believing the response favourable, Croesus attacked, but it was his own empire that ultimately was destroyed by the Persians.

She allegedly also proclaimed that there was no man wiser than [[Socrates]], to which Socrates said that, if so, this was because he alone was aware of his own ignorance. After this confrontation, Socrates dedicated his life to a search for knowledge that was one of the founding events of western [[philosophy]]. He claimed that she was "an essential guide to personal and state development."<ref>Broad, W. J. (2007), p.63. Socrates also argued that the oracle's effectiveness was rooted in her ability to abandon herself completely to a higher power by way of insanity or "sacred madness."</ref> This oracle's last recorded response was given in 362 AD, to [[Julian the Apostate]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=Carol G.|title=Paths from Ancient Greece|year=1988|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|page=47|isbn=9004088466|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIdcStQg4g0C&pg=PA47}}</ref>

The oracle's powers were highly sought after and never doubted. Any inconsistencies between prophecies and events were dismissed as failure to correctly interpret the responses, not an error of the oracle.<ref>Broad, W. J. (2007), p.15</ref> Very often prophecies were worded ambiguously, so as to cover all contingencies – especially so ''ex post facto''.  One famous such response to a query about participation in a military campaign was "You will go you will return never in war will you perish". This gives the recipient liberty to place a comma before or after the word "never", thus covering both possible outcomes.  Another was the response to the Athenians when the vast army of king [[Xerxes I]] was approaching Athens with the intent of razing the city to the ground.  "Only the wooden palisades may save you"{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}, answered the oracle, probably aware that there was sentiment for sailing to the safety of southern Italy and re-establishing Athens there. Some thought that it was a recommendation to fortify the [[Acropolis of Athens|Acropolis]] with a wooden fence and make a stand there. Others, [[Themistocles]] among them, said the oracle was clearly for fighting at sea, the metaphor intended to mean war ships.  Others still insisted that their case was so hopeless that they should board every ship available and flee to [[Italy]], where they would be safe beyond any doubt. In the event, variations of all three interpretations were attempted: some barricaded the Acropolis, the civilian population was evacuated over sea to nearby [[Salamis Island]] and to [[Troizen]], and the war fleet [[Battle of Salamis|fought victoriously at Salamis Bay]]. Should utter destruction have happened, it could always be claimed that the oracle had called for fleeing to Italy after all.

===Sibyl at Cumae===
[[Cumae]] was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, near [[Naples]], dating back to the 8th century BC. The ''sibylla'' or prophetess at Cumae became famous because of her proximity to [[Rome]] and the [[Sibylline Books]] acquired and consulted in emergencies by Rome wherein her prophecies were transcribed. The Cumaean Sibyl was called "Herophile" by [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] and [[Lactantius]], "Deiphobe, daughter of Glaucus" by [[Virgil]], as well as "Amaltheia", "Demophile", or "Taraxandra" by others. Sibyl's prophecies became popular with [[Christians]] as they were thought to predict the birth of [[Jesus Christ]].


===Oracle at Didyma=== 
[[File:Didymaion_front_AvL.JPG|thumb|The ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Didyma]] 
[[Didyma]] near Ionia in Asia Minor in the domain of the famous city of [[Miletus]].

===Oracle at Dodona===
[[Dodona]] in northwestern Greece was another oracle devoted to the [[Mother Goddess]] identified at other sites with [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]] or [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]], but here called [[Dione (Titaness/Oceanid)|Dione]]. The shrine of Dodona, set in a grove of oak trees, was the oldest Hellenic oracle, according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus, and dated from pre-Hellenic times, perhaps as early as the second millennium BC, when the tradition may have spread from Egypt. By the time of Herodotus, [[Zeus]] had displaced the Mother Goddess, who had been assimilated to [[Aphrodite]], and the worship of the deified hero [[Heracles]] had been added. Dodona became the second most important oracle in ancient Greece, after [[Delphi]]. At Dodona, Zeus was worshipped as Zeus Naios or Naos (god of springs [[Naiads]], from a spring under the oaks), or as Zeus Bouleos (chancellor). Priestesses and priests interpreted the rustling of the leaves of the oak trees by the wind to determine the correct actions to be taken{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}.

===Oracle at Abae=== 
The oracle of [[Abae]] was one of the most important oracles. It was almost completely destroyed by the Persians during the [[Second Persian invasion of Greece]].<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DA%3Aentry+group%3D1%3Aentry%3Dabae-harpers Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Abae]</ref>
===Other oracles===
[[Erythrae]] near Ionia in Asia Minor was home to a prophetess.

[[Trophonius]] was an oracle at [[Lebadea]] of [[Boeotia]] devoted to the chthonian Zeus Trophonius. Trophonius was a Greek hero nursed by [[Europa (mythology)|Europa]].<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]].''Guide to Greece'' 9.39.2–5.</ref>

Near the Menestheus's port or ''Menesthei Portus'' ({{lang-el|Μενεσθέως λιμήν}}), modern [[El Puerto de Santa María]], [[Spain]], was the Oracle of Menestheus ({{lang-el|Μαντεῖον τοῦ Μενεσθέως}}), to whom also the inhabitants of [[Cádiz|Gades]] offered sacrifices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/3A*.html|title=LacusCurtius • Strabo's Geography — Book III Chapter 1|website=penelope.uchicago.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=menesthei-portus-geo|title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), MENESTHEI PORTUS|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>

At the [[Ikaros (Failaka Island)|Ikaros island]] in the [[Persian Gulf]] (modern [[Failaka Island]] in [[Kuwait]]), there was an oracle of [[Artemis]] Tauropolus.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.perseus-grc1:16.3.2| title = Strabo, Geography, §16.3.2}}</ref>

At [[Claros]], there was the oracle of [[Apollo]] Clarius.<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+7.5 7.5.1–3]</ref>

At [[Ptoion]], there was an oracle of Ptoios and later of [[Apollo]].<ref>{{cite journal| url = https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah30160| title = Apollo Ptoion sanctuary, Anne Jacquemin - Wiley Online Library| date = 21 January 2013| publisher = Wiley| doi = 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah30160}}</ref>

At [[Gryneium]], there was a sanctuary of Apollo with an ancient oracle.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://topostext.org/work/241#G213.10| title = Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, G213.10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0638.tlg001.perseus-grc1:4.14| title = Philostratus the Athenian, Vita Apollonii, 4.14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.perseus-grc1:13.3.5| title = Strabo, Geography, 13.3.5}}</ref>

At [[Livadeia]] there was the oracle of [[Trophonius]].<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/901#2.121 Col. William Leake, TRAVELS IN NORTHERN GREECE, 2.121]</ref>

The oracle of [[Zeus Ammon]] at [[Siwa Oasis]] was so famous that [[Alexander the Great]] visited it when he conquered Egypt. 

There was also another oracle of Zeus Ammon at [[Aphytis]] in [[Chalkidiki]].<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/241#A151.1 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, A151.1]</ref>

The oracle of Zeus at [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]].<ref name="A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquitie - Oraculum">[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0063%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DO%3Aentry+group%3D1%3Aentry%3Doraculum-cn A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), Oraculum]</ref>

In the city of [[Anariace]] (Ἀναριάκη) at the [[Caspian Sea]], there was an oracle for sleepers. Persons should sleep in the temple in order to learn the divine will.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DA%3Aentry+group%3D9%3Aentry%3Danariacae-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Anariacea]</ref><ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.perseus-grc1:11.7.1 Strabo, Geography, 11.7.1]</ref><ref>[https://topostext.org/work/241#A93.5 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, A93.5 ]</ref>

The oracle of Apollo at [[Eutresis (Boeotia)|Eutresis]]<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DE%3Aentry+group%3D9%3Aentry%3Deutresis-harpers Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Eutresis]</ref> and the oracle of Apollo at [[Tegyra]].<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DT%3Aentry+group%3D4%3Aentry%3Dtegyra-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Tegyra]</ref>

Oracle of [[Aphrodite]] at [[Paphos]].<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0132:life=tit.:chapter=5 C. Suetonius Tranquillus, Divus Titus, 5]</ref>

There were many "oracles of the dead", such as in [[Argolis]], [[Cumae]], [[Heraclea Pontica|Herakleia in Pontos]], in the Temple of [[Poseidon]] in [[Cape Matapan|Taenaron]], but the most important was the [[Necromanteion of Acheron]].

==In other cultures==
{{Main|Divination}}
The term "oracle" is also applied in modern English to parallel institutions of divination in other cultures. Specifically, it is used in the context of [[Christianity]] for the concept of [[divine revelation]], and in the context of [[Judaism]] for the [[Urim and Thummim]] breastplate, and in general any utterance considered [[prophecy|prophetic]].<ref>[[OED]] s.v. "oracle ''n.''"</ref>

===Celtic polytheism===
In [[Celtic polytheism]], divination was performed by the priestly caste, either the [[druid]]s or the [[vates]]. This is reflected in the role of "seers" in [[Dark Age Wales]] (''[[dryw]]'') and [[History of Ireland 400–800|Ireland]] (''[[fáith]]'').

===China===
{{Main|Oracle bone|I Ching}}
[[File:Shang dynasty inscribed scapula.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Oracle bone]] of the [[Shang dynasty]], ancient China]]
In China, [[oracle bones]] were used for divination in the late [[Shang dynasty]], (c. 1600–1046 BC). Diviners applied heat to these bones, usually ox scapulae or tortoise plastrons, and interpreted the resulting cracks.

A different divining method, using the stalks of the [[Achillea millefolium|yarrow plant]], was practiced in the subsequent [[Zhou dynasty]] (1046–256 BC).  Around the late 9th century BC, the divination system was recorded in the ''[[I Ching]]'', or "Book of Changes", a collection of linear signs used as oracles. In addition to its oracular power, the ''I Ching'' has had a major influence on the philosophy, literature and statecraft of China since the Zhou period.

===Hawaii===
In [[Hawaii]], oracles were found at certain ''[[heiau]]'', Hawaiian temples. These oracles were found in towers covered in white ''[[kapa]]'' cloth made from plant fibres. In here, priests received the will of gods. These towers were called '' 'Anu'u''. An example of this can be found at Ahu'ena heiau in [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gohawaii.about.com/od/bigislandofhawaiiphotos/ig/kailua-kona/kailua_kona_038.htm|title='Anu'u (oracle tower) and Ki'i Akua (temple images) at 'Ahu'ena Heiau in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island|author=John Fischer|work=About.com Travel}}</ref>

===India and Nepal===
In ancient [[India]], the oracle was known as ''[[Akashvani (term)|ākāśavānī]]'' "voice/speech from the sky/[[Aether (classical element)|aether]]" or ''aśarīravānī'' "a disembodied voice (or voice of the unseen)" (''asariri'' in Tamil), and was related to the message of a god. Oracles played key roles in many of the major incidents of the epics [[Mahabharata]] and [[Ramayana]]. An example is that [[Kamsa]] (or Kansa), the evil uncle of [[Krishna]], was informed by an oracle that the eighth son of his sister [[Devaki]] would kill him. The opening verse of the ''[[Tiruvalluva Maalai]]'', a medieval Tamil anthology usually dated by modern scholars to between c. 7th and 10th centuries CE, is attributed to an ''asariri'' or oracle.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kamil Zvelebil |title=Tamil Literature |series=Handbook of Oriental Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kx4uqyts2t4C&pg=PA124 |year=1975 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-04190-7}} </ref>{{Rp| pp=58–59}}<ref>{{cite book |author= S. N. Kandasamy |title= திருக்குறள்: ஆய்வுத் தெளிவுரை (பெருட்பால், பகுதி 1) [Tirukkural: Research commentary: Book of Porul, Part 1] |year= 2020 |publisher= Manivasagar Padhippagam | location= Chennai |pages= }}</ref>{{Rp|p=16}}<ref>{{cite book | last=Vedhanayagam |first=Rama |script-title=ta:திருவள்ளுவ மாலை மூலமும் எளிய உரை விளக்கமும் |trans-title=Tiruvalluvamaalai: Source with simple commentary |publisher=Manimekalai Prasuram |edition=1 |date=2017 |location=Chennai |language=ta}}</ref> However, there are no references in any Indian literature of the oracle being a specific person.

Contemporarily, [[Theyyam]] or "theiyam" in [[Malayalam]]  - a south Indian language - the process by which a Priest invites a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] god or goddess to use his or her body as a medium or channel and answer other devotees' questions, still happens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/videos/news/news-in-videos/devakoothu-the-lone-woman-theyyam-in-north-malabar-1.3468731|title='Devakoothu'; the lone woman Theyyam in North Malabar|website=Mathrubhumi}}</ref> The same is called "arulvaakku" or "arulvaak" in [[Tamil language|Tamil]], another south Indian language - [[Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam]] is famous for arulvakku in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{Citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YBs9DgAAQBAJ|title=Women's Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition|author=Nanette R. Spina (2017)|date=28 February 2017|page=135|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-1375-8909-5}}</ref> The people in and around [[Mangalore]] in [[Karnataka]] call the same, [[Buta Kola]], "paathri" or "darshin"; in other parts of Karnataka, it is known by various names such as, "prashnaavali", "vaagdaana", "asei", "aashirvachana" and so on.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|year=1987|title=Bhuta Worship in Coastal Karnataka: An Oral Tulu Myth and Festival Ritual of Jumadi|journal=Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik |volume=13/14|pages=17–37}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|year=1992|title=Dhumavati-Bhuta" An Oral Tulu-Text Collected in the 19th Century. Edition, Translation, and Analysis.|journal=Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik |volume=13/14|pages=13–63}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=Fürstliche Fest: Text und Rituale der Tuḷu-Volksreligion an der Westküste Südindiens.|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=1995|location=Wiesbaden|pages=199–201}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|title=On an Auspicious Day, at Dawn … Studies in Tulu Culture and Oral Literature|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=2009a|location=Wiesbaden}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite book|title="Der Gesang von der Büffelgottheit" in Wenn Masken Tanzen – Rituelles Theater und Bronzekunst aus Südindien edited by Johannes Beltz|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Rietberg Museum|year=2009b|location=Zürich|pages=57–64}}</ref> In [[Nepal]] it is known as, "Devta ka dhaamee" or "[[Jhākri|jhaakri]]".<ref>{{cite book |first=Kuldip Singh |last=Gulia |year=2005 |title=Human Ecology of Sikkim – A Case Study of Upper Rangit Basin |publisher=Kalpaz Publications |place=Delhi, India |isbn=978-81-7835-325-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4aDVQ1KVZYC |pages=152–154, 168}}</ref>

===Nigeria===
The [[Igbo people]] of southeastern [[Nigeria]] in [[Africa]] have a long tradition of using oracles. In Igbo villages, oracles were usually female [[priest]]esses 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. Two of their ancient oracles became especially famous during the pre-colonial period: the Agbala oracle at [[Awka]] and the Chukwu oracle at [[Arochukwu]].<ref>Webster J.B. and Boahen A.A., ''The Revolutionary Years, West Africa since 1800'', Longman, London, p. 107–108.</ref> Although the vast majority of Igbos today are [[Christianity|Christian]], many of them still use oracles.

Among the related [[Yoruba people]]s of the same country, the [[Babalawo]]s (and their female counterparts, the Iyanifas) serve collectively as the principal aspects of the tribe's world-famous [[Ifa divination]] system. Due to this, they customarily officiate at a great many of its traditional and religious ceremonies.

===Norse mythology===
In [[Norse mythology]], [[Odin]] took the severed head of the god [[Mimir]] to [[Asgard]] for consultation as an oracle. 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]]).

===Pre-Columbian Americas===
In the migration myth of the Mexitin, i.e., the early [[Aztec]]s, a [[mummy]]-bundle (perhaps an [[effigy]]) carried by four priests directed the trek away from the cave of origins by giving oracles. An oracle led to the foundation of [[Mexico-Tenochtitlan]]. The [[Yucatec Maya]]s knew oracle priests or ''chilanes'', literally 'mouthpieces' of the deity. Their written repositories of [[traditional knowledge]], the Books of [[Chilam Balam]], were all ascribed to one famous oracle priest who had correctly predicted the coming of the Spaniards and its associated disasters.{{cn|date=September 2021}}

===Tibet===
In [[Tibet]], oracles (Chinese: 护法) have played, and continue to play, an important part in religion and government. The word "oracle" is used by Tibetans to refer to the spirit that enters those men and women who act as [[Mediumship|media]] between the natural and the spiritual realms. The media are, therefore, known as ''kuten'', which literally means, "the physical basis". In the [[29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet]] ({{lang-zh|欽定藏內善後章程二十九條}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%AC%BD%E5%AE%9A%E8%97%8F%E5%85%A7%E5%96%84%E5%BE%8C%E7%AB%A0%E7%A8%8B|website=zh.wikisource.org|title=欽定藏內善後章程/欽定藏內善後章程二十九條}}</ref>), an imperial decree published in 1793 by the [[Qianlong Emperor]], article 1 states that the creation of [[Golden Urn]] is to ensure prosperity of [[Gelug]], and to eliminate cheating and corruption in the selection process performed by oracles.<ref>皇帝為了黃教的興隆，和不使護法弄假作弊</ref>

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 has, according to centuries-old custom, consulted the Nechung Oracle during the new year festivities of [[Losar]].<ref>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, Brown and Company UK). {{ISBN|0-349-11111-1}}. p.233</ref> Nechung and Gadhong are the primary oracles currently consulted; former oracles such as Karmashar and Darpoling are no longer active in exile. The Gadhong oracle has died leaving Nechung to be the only primary oracle. Another oracle the Dalai Lama consults is the ''[[Tenma goddesses|Tenma Oracle]]'', for which a young Tibetan woman by the name of Khandro La is the medium for the mountain goddesses Tseringma along with the other 11 goddesses. The Dalai Lama gives a complete description of the process of [[trance]] and [[spirit possession]] in his book ''Freedom in Exile''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html |title=Nechung - the State Oracle of Tibet |access-date=2007-01-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205234136/http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html |archive-date=2006-12-05 }}</ref>
Dorje Shugden oracles were once consulted by the Dalai Lamas until the 14th Dalai Lama banned the practice, even though he consulted Dorje Shugden for advice to escape and was successful in it.  Due to the ban, many of the abbots that were worshippers of Dorje Shugden have been forced to go against the Dalai Lama.

== See also ==
* [[Fuji (planchette writing)]]
* [[Futomani]]
* [[I Ching]]
* [[Jiaobei]]
* [[Kau Cim]]
* [[Lên đồng]]
* ''[[Lingqijing]]''
* [[Mudang]]
* [[Poe divination]]
* [[Tangki]]
* [[Tung Shing]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[William J. Broad|Broad, William J.]] (2007). ''The Oracle: Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind Its Lost Secrets''. New York: Penguin Press.
* [[William J. Broad|Broad, William J.]] (2006). ''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}}
* [[E. E. Evans-Pritchard|Evans-Pritchard, E.]] (1976). ''Witchcraft, Oracle, and Magic among the Azande''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
* [[Joseph Fontenrose|Fontenrose, J.]] (1981). ''The Delphic Oracle: Its Responses and Operations, with a Catalogue of Responses''. Berkeley: [[University of California Press]].
* [[Kajava, Mika (ed.)]] (2013). ''Studies in Ancient Oracles and Divination (Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae 40)''. Rome: [[Institutum Romanum Finlandiae]].
* Smith, Frederick M. (2006). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=CuB7K3bDWDsC The Self-Possessed: Deity and Spirit Possession in South Asian Literature]''. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|0-231-13748-6}}.
*  Stoneman, Richard (2011). ''[http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/The-Ancient-Oracles.php The Ancient Oracles: Making the Gods Speak.]'' Yale University Press.
*  Garoi Ashram, (2004–2023). ''[http://www.garoiashram.org/english/oracle.html The Copper Oracle of Sri Achyuta: Answers as Instantaneous Inscription.]''
*{{cite book |last1=Woodard |first1=Roger D. |title=Divination and prophecy in the ancient Greek world |date=2023 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |isbn=9781009221610}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|oracle}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category|Oracles}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Oracle}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Divination]]
[[Category:Prophecy]]