A prophecy is a prediction about the future, especially one believed to come from divine inspiration or special insight. In ancient times, people called prophets claimed to receive visions or messages from gods about what would happen years or even centuries later. The Greek Oracle at Delphi delivered prophecies that kings and generals consulted before making major decisions.

Prophecies appear throughout history and literature. In the Bible, prophets like Isaiah made prophecies about future events. In Greek mythology, a prophecy warned King Laius that his son would kill him, setting the tragic story of Oedipus in motion. Many fantasy stories feature prophecies about chosen heroes who will defeat evil or save their worlds.

A prophecy differs from an ordinary guess or prediction because it carries a sense of certainty and importance, as if the future has already been determined. When someone says “that's a self-fulfilling prophecy,” they mean that believing the prediction actually helped cause it to come true.

The verb form is prophesy (pronounced PROF-uh-sigh), meaning to make a prophecy: “The oracle prophesied that the kingdom would fall.”