In ancient times, at the dawn of civilization, people who were able to foresee the future were equated with divine creatures. And much later they did not lose their power and might. They are always called differently: prophets, soothsayers, seers. They have an uncharacteristic ability for most to see the future, distant or near.
Fortunetellers foresee the fate of entire states or individuals. Some consider this a unique gift, others - an excellent ability to compare their knowledge of the past, and based on it, make predictions about the future. Nevertheless, the most prominent of the prophets were respected by their contemporaries, and also became known throughout the world.
Ancient prophets
Epimenides is an ancient Greek diviner. According to legends, he was a simple shepherd who accidentally discovered his wonderful abilities. Epimenides was able to predict the Persian attack on Crete to his compatriots and saved them from the plague. For this, the inhabitants of Athens erected a monument to him.
Jeremiah is a major politician of his era. The fortuneteller was considered an outcast in his society. He tried to open the eyes of his fellow tribesmen to the real state of affairs in Jerusalem, to the poverty of the people, and imminent changes for the worse. But the ruling elite did not hear him, piously believing in the exclusivity of their nation.
Elijah is the most famous ancient prophet. He actively persuaded his people to renounce paganism and accept the true faith.
Daniel is a biblical prophet who predicted the end of the Babylonian Empire.
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Bukides is an ancient Greek soothsayer who was one of the first to describe his visions in the book. It is worth noting that this name eventually became a household name - in some countries, the prophets began to be called Bakids.
Cassandra is the daughter of King Priam of Troy. According to legend, the god Apollo gave her the gift of providence. The girl made her predictions in a trance state, so many considered her insane.
Michel Nostradamus (real surname de Notre Dame) is a French soothsayer who wrote the book "Centuries", containing prophecies about future events for 2000 years ahead (from 1559 to 3797). He predicted the death of King Henry II in duel, the victory of Christians over Muslims in Malta (1565). Many natural disasters have been predicted for 2016.
Edgar Cayce is an American visionary known for prophesying about the Great Depression and the invention of the laser, two World Wars and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although many of his predictions did not come true, for example, the unification of the countries of Europe by Hitler into a democratic union, the revival of Atlantis in the middle of the 20th century.
Wolf Messing is a Polish psychic. Hitler considered Messing an enemy, as he foresaw the fall of the Reich. Stalin also disliked him. Despite the help during the Great Patriotic War, the "leader of the peoples" could not forgive the seer for knowing the exact date of his death.
Vanga is a blind peasant woman from Bulgaria. She knew how to diagnose a patient, although she herself did not treat. “I saw” the fate of the person who turned to her. Foresaw the beginning of the Second World War, the death of the Kursk submarine and left prophecies until 3797.
Sheikh Sharif is an African boy. His prophecies are mostly related to Muslims. He knew how to heal with the touch of his hand, knew several languages, although he had not studied anywhere, at four months he quoted the Koran.
Russian seers
Procopius Ustyuzhsky was one of the first canonized by the Orthodox Church. He predicted the death of Ustyug and thereby saved the city, healed the city squad. According to legend, if this holy fool was carrying three pokers with a bend up, then this is for a good harvest, with the handle upward - for poor money in everything.
Basil the Blessed is a Moscow holy fool. He knew how to predict the future of people. He predicted to Elena Glinskaya the birth of his son Ivan the Terrible, not forgetting to mention his cruelty and despotism. He prophesied death to Tsarevich Fyodor and Ivan Vasilyevich himself, and foresaw his own demise.
Seraphim Sarovsky. It is believed that he predicted the 1917 Revolution and the death of the royal family, described in his letter to Nicholas II.
Monk Abel. Russian clairvoyant who predicted the time of death of Catherine II, Paul I, Napoleon's attack and the destruction of Moscow.
Vasily Nemchin. Russian fortuneteller, who told about the reign of three empresses: Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth and Catherine II, about the bloody reign of Ivan the Terrible, about the attack of the French. Although some skeptics call Nemchin an invention of Pavel Globa.
Grigory Rasputin. He played a significant role in the life of the last imperial Romanov family. He predicted the blockade of Leningrad, the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, the flight of Gagarin, the landing of the Americans on the moon, the communist regime.
Nina Kulagina. She possessed telekinesis abilities. Could light up photographic film, influence magnetic fields, cause burns on the skin with a touch of the palm. During one of the experiments, Ninel Kulagina was able to stop the frog's heart by an effort of will.
Djuna (Evgenia) Davitashvili - Russian seer, our contemporary, was the personal healer of L. I. Brezhnev. She left behind prophecies about the economic crisis and sanctions.