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The future is a puzzle, with many pieces to be solved. In time you will learn to separate what can be from what will be.

—The Seer to Rumplestiltskin src

Foresight, often in the form of a Prophecy or a Vision, is a type of magic featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the first episode of the first season.

One form of foresight, the one wielded by Merlin, is based on Merlin's foresight from Arthurian legend, and the Disney film The Sword in the Stone.

Uses

Foresight is the magical ability to see future, but that does not mean seeing the definite future. Seeing the future is only possible by predicting the outcome or viewing incomplete portions of visions. Because as the Seer says, the future is a puzzle with many pieces to be solved and one will need some time in order to distinguish between what can be and what will be. Rumplestiltskin creates a series of plans and has been executing those plans for more than a hundred years so that the Dark Curse is cast. However, even the outcome of Rumplestiltskin's prophecies sometimes do not go with the plan. ("Manhattan")

The Seer identifies this ability as "curse" and according to her, it is an unwanted one. However, Rumplestiltskin does not seem to have any trouble against it due to the fact that he mainly used it to get back to his son and it served him well over the years. ("Manhattan")

Originated from the three fates, the Shears of Destiny can sever the ties to one's own destiny. Once the fate is literally cut by the shears, the future (or possible future) is made sure not to happen. ("Street Rats", "The Black Fairy")

There are many ways to see the future and to acquire this ability:

  • While the Holy Grail grants someone great power and immortality, it also grants the ability of foresight. This is what happens to Merlin when he drinks from the grail. However, even though Nimue also drinks from it, she does not seem to have foresight, therefore neither do the Dark Ones that come after her. The reason behind it is unknown. ("Nimue")
  • After Rumplestiltskin becomes the Dark One, she finds the Seer again, who willingly hands over her powers to him. Rumplestiltskin accepts and takes her power while also killing her in the process. ("Manhattan")
    • It is unknown if Rumplestilktskin kept this ability after he killed himself and returned back to life. It should be noted though that after his resurrection, he never shows any kind of foresight ability. ("Going Home," "Quiet Minds")
  • Unicorns also have the ability of showing the future to a person. However, the person must first get close enough to feed an apple to a unicorn. Once the unicorn has eaten the apple, all the person needs to do is to touch the unicorn's horn. ("Best Laid Plans")
  • There are others who have this ability (see the "Known Practitioners" section), however how they got this ability or why they have it is unknown.

History

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Before First Curse

In the Enchanted Forest, a jailer takes Snow White and Prince Charming to see Rumplestiltskin, warning her not to reveal her name. When they arrive at the cell, Rumplestiltskin knows immediately who they are. He says that he can reassure them but it will cost them something in return. Prince Charming refuses, but Snow White insists and asks what he wants. Rumplestiltskin asks for the name of their child and Snow White agrees, and he tells them that they will all soon be imprisoned when time stops, imprisoned somewhere horrible where everything they love will be ripped from them.

When Snow White asks what can stop it, Rumplestiltskin says that her child is their only hope and they should get her to safety. On the child's 28th birthday, she will find them and the final battle will begin. Snow White and Prince Charming walk away and Rumplestiltskin demands the name of the child, saying that it is a girl. Prince Charming insists that it is a boy, but Rumplestiltskin says that Snow White knows the truth. She turns and tells Rumplestiltskin that the child's name is Emma. ("Pilot")

After Fifth Curse

Known Practitioners

List of Prophecies/Visions

S Ep Predictor Prophecy/Vision Outcome
1 1 Rumplestiltskin On her twenty-eighth birthday, the Savior returns and finds Snow White and Prince Charming Emma Swan breaks the Dark Curse with Henry's help ("A Land Without Magic")
After the Savior finds them, the Final Battle begins Almost 3 years after Emma Swan arrives Storybrooke, she fights the ultimate battle against the Black Fairy ("The Final Battle Part 1," "The Final Battle Part 2")
1 16 Rumplestiltskin He invests in Snow White's future Emma is born ("Pilot")
1 22 Rumplestiltskin He invests in Prince Charming's future
2 2 Rumplestiltskin Someday, Regina does something for Rumplestiltskin Regina enacts the Dark Curse ("Pilot")
2 14 Seer Rumplestiltskin's child becomes orphan due to the actions he causes on the battlefield Years after Rumplestitskin cripples himself in the battlefield, he lets Baelfire go off to the Land Without Magic and kills the mother of his son, Milah, therefore making Baelfire an orphan. ("The Return," "The Crocodile")
A young boy leads Rumplestiltskin to his son Henry Mills accompanies Mr. Gold to find his own son, who is later revealed to be Henry's father ("Manhattan")
This boy is Rumplestiltskin's undoing Henry, who is the Wish Realm version of Henry Mills, uses the Author's pen to strip away Weaver's magical powers and immortality, therefore causes him to be able to sacrifice himself ("Homecoming," "Leaving Storybrooke")
2 16 Rumplestiltskin A curse that will take Rumplestiltskin to a land without magic can only be cast by Cora's daughter Cora has not one, but two daughters. Though Rumplestiltskin considers her first-born for a time, the daughter who casts the curse is turned out to be her second-born child. ("It's Not Easy Being Green")
He sees "snow white" in Cora's future Due to the series of plans that Cora creates, her daughter becomes Snow White's stepmother. ("The Stable Boy," "The Queen Is Dead")
3 3 Rumplestiltskin Regina "gets a roast swan" later in time Regina becomes the adoptive mother of Henry, whose mother is Emma Swan, whom Regina often clashes for custody. ("Pilot" et al.)
3 9 Rumplestiltskin Regina comes to Mr. Gold to fill the hole in her heart in the new land Regina asks Mr. Gold to procure a child for her for adoption ("Save Henry")
3 20 Book of Records A powerful sorceress arrives to Oz by cyclone to join the sisterhood of witches as a protector of Oz and unseat "the greatest evil the realm has ever seen". Dorothy arrives to Oz from a place called Kansas by a cyclone. After the witches begin to see her as one of them, Dorothy throws a bucket of water at Zelena in self-defense, causing the witch to melt. However, it is all orchestrated by Zelena in order to usher Dorothy out of Oz. ("Kansas")
4 6 A prophecy scroll from the Storybrooke Library The name of the Savior is Emma. And the Savior shall become Ingrid's sister. Ingrid and Emma share a sisterly bond when Emma is sixteen years old. Years after, Emma is briefly forced to be Ingrid's sister due to the magic ribbons. ("Shattered Sight")
4 16 A unicorn Prince Charming sees his child as beautiful as it can be Emma Swan first becomes the Savior and then becomes the Dark One ("Operation Mongoose Part 2")
Snow White sees her daughter ripping her heart out and crushing it
5 1 Merlin Only the true ruler of Camelot pulls Excalibur from its stone and shall be "the greatest king in all the realms". Arthur pulls it from the rock, however it's missing its piece ("The Dark Swan")
5 4 Merlin Arthur will repaire a broken kingdom The kingdom Arthur has to repair is not Camelot, but the Underworld. ("Last Rites")
5 6 Merlin A group of King Arthur's guards pass them The prophecy is completely fulfilled.
5 7 Merlin A sword named Excalibur to cut away his immortality He uses the Flame of Prometheus to melt down the Holy Grail to turn it into a sword named Excalibur ("Nimue")
5 17 Emma Swan A storm comes and a monster kills Mary Margaret A cyclone appears and Ruby comes out of it from Oz ("Her Handsome Hero")
6 1 Emma Swan and the Oracle Emma Swan fights with an unknown figure and dies at the hands of them Emma fights Gideon a second time, and lets him kill her in order to save the light. However she is revived with the true love's kiss thanks to Henry ("The Final Battle Part 2")
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6 5 Red Bird Aladdin sees himself die The future is made sure not to happen due to the Shears of Destiny.
6 11 Gideon Gideon kills the Savior, gains her power and becomes the "new Savior" Emma Swan lets Gideon kill herself in order to save the light. However she is revived with the true love's kiss thanks to Henry, and Gideon reverts to being the baby he was before the Black Fairy kidnaps him ("The Final Battle Part 2")
6 19 Book of Prophecy Rumplestiltskin, the Savior, dies at the hands of a "great evil" The future is made sure not to happen due to the Shears of Destiny.
6 22 Fairies Lucy reunites with her father, after that "is unclear" After the breaking of the Dark Curse, Lucy reunites with her mother and father, however she and Jacinda are later taken prisoners in the Wish Realm by Wish Rumplestiltskin ("Homecoming")
7 4 Fairy Prophecy Scroll After the Dark One finds eternal love, his dark powers can be removed only when the sun is at its brightest and that it sets in the Edge of Realms The sun in the sky that is featured in the prophecy is only a figurative "sun" in the Dark One's life: Belle. Belle then dies for Mr. Gold's desire to be mortal and to reunite with her in the afterlife ("Beauty")
7 10 Unknown A curse is cast when Henry Mills' child is eight years old Drizella crafts a new formation of the Dark Curse and casts it over the New Enchanted Forest on Lucy's eighth birthday ("The Eighth Witch")

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.


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