Omen

An omen (also called portent) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages from the gods.

These omens include natural phenomena, for example an eclipse, abnormal births of animals (especially humans) and behaviour of the sacrificial lamb on its way to the slaughter. Specialists, known as diviners, variously existed to interpret these omens. They would also use an artificial method, for example, a clay model of a sheep liver, to communicate with their gods in times of crisis. They would expect a binary answer, either yes or no, favourable or unfavourable.

Though the word omen is usually devoid of reference to the change's nature, hence being possibly either "good" or "bad", the term is more often used in a foreboding sense, as with the word ominous. The word comes from its Latin equivalent omen, of otherwise uncertain origin.

Ancient Near East

The oldest records of people believing in signs that could tell the future come from Mesopotamian practices from the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. Kings like Esarhaddon and his son, Ashurbanipal, used these beliefs a lot in the 7th century BC.

People used different ways to understand these signs, like looking at a sheep's liver or studying special liquids. They also watched the stars for guidance. Important advisors would tell the king what the signs meant and sometimes even put a stand-in king on the throne for a little while to protect the real king. Once they felt safe again, the stand-in king was removed, and the real king returned to power.

These ideas about signs spread across many places, including Boghazkoi, Ugarit, Megiddo, and Hazor. Letters from Mari show that these beliefs were important not just to kings, but to everyday people too.

Ancient Greece

In ancient times, people believed that signs in nature could tell them about the future. These signs were called omens. In Ancient Greece, special birds like vultures were thought to be messengers from the gods. By watching where the birds flew and listening to their cries, people tried to understand what might happen next. They also paid attention to lightning and thunder, believing these were messages from the gods as well. For example, seeing a vulture on the left side was seen as a warning, while a heron's cry or lightning on the right was a good sign. These beliefs helped people make decisions in their daily lives.

Ancient Rome

In ancient Roman religion, special priests called augurs watched the flight of birds to understand what the gods wanted. They had many rules, like how a bird on the left side was a good sign, but on the right was not. They also looked at special chickens before big events to see if it was a good time to go ahead.

People also watched for strange events, like unusual weather or rare births, which they thought might be messages from the gods. If something bad was predicted, leaders would perform special ceremonies to try to calm the gods down. Some important people even avoided certain signs to keep themselves safe.

Astrology

See also: Eclipse cycle, Metonic cycle, Saros cycle, and Comets

In astrology, events like eclipses, comets, and even the full moon have been seen as signs of important things happening, such as special births or deaths in many cultures. For example, in the story of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, wise visitors known as the Magi are said to have predicted his birth after seeing a special star called the Star of Bethlehem.