Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

fatal omens before self-destruction

fatal_omens_before_self_destruction

A motif of the Prophecy and Systematic Divination family, within the sub-family Death and Doom Omens. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


roman

  • The Aeneid of Virgil BOOK THIRD / THE STORY OF THE SEVEN YEARS' WANDERING / BOOK FOURTH / THE LOVE OF DIDO, AND HER END; lines 2469-2540 confidence: high

    Dido prays for death; at incense-lit altars she sees holy streams blacken and wine turn into ghastly blood, a sight she tells no one, not even Anna.

    Dido prays for death, sees altar liquids darken and wine become blood-like, hears ominous cries, dreams fearful abandonment, and secretly plans her death.

    read in the book