Religious motifs : Overview. Search. About religious motifs
See also Prophet, prophecy
Keywords:
Augury, omen, portent, sign
Description of this motif: Signs, portents and omens are numerous in Andersen's fairy tales and stories. There are two main types of omens: omens evoked by experiments, socalled divination (asking the God(s) by, for example, tossing dice. Cf. Picturebook Without Pictures's First Evening), and omens that come unexpectedly, e.g. in a dream.
Example :
The tale has not been translated (by Hersholt) and is therefore quoted in Danish. Further information and links.
(...) deilige, brogede Billeder fløi i Drømme forbi hans Sjæl. Han saae sin Fader frisk og sund; alt var lyst og smukt rundtomkring, og en deilig, men bleg og liigklædt Pige satte ham en Krands paa Hovedet; hans gamle Fader lagde Pigens Haand i hans (...)