Discuss both the role of seers within at least one Indo-European culture and the relationship of seers to other members of the society, including in that discussion how seers or visionaries would have supported themselves or how they would have been supported by their people. (minimum two paragraphs)
Back around 2010/2009, we had the fortunate blessing to have Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone visit CedarLight during a tour in America. It was a very intimate setting, but we had them for the evening to discuss anything and everything we wanted. One thing that stuck out with me though, is their discussion about the local Irish culture regarding what they refer to as “witches”. The local townspeople in Ireland are apparently VERY protective of “their witches”. They love to have them around, they want to keep them around, and they find them useful for many things in a very superstitious culture. This is because they see them as a form of protection from various ailments or threats, a guide, a diviner, etc. Granted this is not so much in the polytheistic culture where they are looking for messages from the Gods or anything like that, but it was still very interesting to have that sort of insight related to divination in modern society.
The way this relates to other cultures in Indo-European culture, such as the Greek, is how often Seer’s can get claimed or are sought out for help in one area or another. Greek’s of old (lets say around 500 B.C.) saw their seers and oracles as a very prominent role in society. The Greek’s commonly referred to seers, and those associated with oracles, before making decisions as a method for communication with the Gods. The Greeks opted to please the Gods, so they sought out their favor and in the seer’s job was to help petition that.
In addition to that, the power of an Oracle was never questioned. If a prophecy of sorts did not come true, it was blamed on the interpreter, not the oracle. This alone shows the amount of prestige behind seership in Greece. The King of Lydia spent time testing all of the Oracles to find the most accurate, and when he decided the Oracle of Delphi was the most accurate, he lavished her with gifts (Oracle). Being presented with Gifts, finding favor among Kings higher society peoples who simply want to keep an Oracle within arms reach are just a few of the ways a seer could or would have been supported by their people.
Seers in general are seen as having a power beyond comprehension across many cultures. Even today in Ireland, and those Oracles of Ancient Greece. There is always the unexplained that people attempt to decipher through divination.
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