Anon - not logged in Report This Comment Date: April 26, 2025 03:46AM
Something like this actually happened, to one of Alexander of Macedon's
generals. The following is from
The Annals of the World, by James
Ussher.
280 BC
2745. Seleucus planned to end his days in his old and native country of
Macedonia. He crossed over the Hellespont and went to Lysimachia. By chance, he
saw a certain altar standing in a conspicuous place and asked what the name of
that altar was. He was told that it was called "Argos". Now it is said
that he had been forewarned by an oracle to beware of Argos. He further asked
why it was called Argos. Whether it was from the Argonants, who passed that way
in olden time, when they went with Jason to Colchos. Or was it named after the
Argivi, who went to the siege of Troy or that the great Argos in which Jason
went, was cast away there on their return or that it was the country of the
Arridae, Agamemnon and Menelaus. As he was thus questioning about the name of
that altar, Ptolemy Ceraunus, who was standing behind him, ran him through with
his sword and killed him. Ptolemy was the son of Ptolemy the First, by his wife
Euridice and brother to Arsinoe the widow of Lysimachus. He killed his great
benefactor who kept him and always wanted him with him. So Seleucus within 7
months after the death of Lysimachus, lost both the kingdom of Macedonia, which
he had taken from him and his life.
It's really a matter of chance. Sooner or later, vague predictions will result
in one that seems to come true. That's how 'oracles' and so on operated.