![]() ![]() The word comes from its Latin equivalent omen, of otherwise uncertain origin. 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". They did these to predict what would happen in the future and to take action to avoid disaster. They would expect a binary answer, either yes or no answer, favourable or unfavourable. 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 had specialists, the diviners, to interpret these omens. 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. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages from the gods. ![]() Explanations in English were added to this manuscript by a nineteenth-century American missionary Īn omen (also called portent) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. ![]() Manuscript of the mid-nineteenth century, possibly of Sgaw Karen origin, shows various appearances in the sun, the moon, clouds, etc., and indicates the primarily bad omens these appearances foretell. ![]()
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