History Main / ThreadOfProphecySevered

Overlaps with ScrewDestiny when a character intentionally defies a prophecy, causing it to fail. May be caused by ThePoorlyChosenOne (or may have caused ThePoorlyChosenOne to exist in the first place), by someone ImmuneToFate getting involved, or a [[TimeTravel Time Traveller]] deciding to MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight (or [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong the opposite!]]). Compare SelfDefeatingProphecy. Contrast with PropheciesAreAlwaysRight, SelfFulfillingProphecy. Not to be confused with the webcomic ''Webcomic/ProphecyFailed''. See also ThreadsOfFate.

* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', which {{handwave}}d away the apparent failure of TheChosenOne Anakin Skywalker to permanently destroy the Sith and balance the Force[[note]]The Emperor returned from the dead in ''ComicBook/DarkEmpire'', and then various other dark side users emerging in other stories, many of which were written before the prophecy was introduced in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and needed {{retcon}}ning to still fit into canon.[[/note]] with the notion that Anakin's role was not, in fact, to destroy all the Sith forever, but to end Literature/DarthBane's line of Sith specifically, due to the damage that the experiments of Literature/DarthPlagueis on the Force itself were doing. The Jedi of the prequel era simply [[ProphecyTwist misinterpreted the prophecy]].

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'': When the Norns deliver a prophecy that Heimdall will kill Atreus, Kratos fights him while simultaneously trying to persuade him not to go after his son. When Heimdall makes it clear he will never stop trying to kill him, Kratos kills him to make sure that prophecy will never come true.

* Myth/ClassicalMythology One of the extremely rare success stories is the tale of Metis. Zeus heard a prophecy that the child Metis bore after she gave birth to Athena would become the lord of heaven, so, to prevent this from happening, he swallowed Metis while she was still pregnant with Athena. Which as far as we know, successfully averted his doom.

* Myth/ClassicalMythology One of the extremely rare success stories is the tale of Metis. Zeus heard a prophecy that the child Metis bore after she gave birth to Athena would become the lord of heaven, so, to prevent this from happening, he swallowed Metis while she was still pregnant with Athena. Which as far as we know, successfully averted his prophecy.

* Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies'': After most of her classmates prove to be [[FairWeatherFriend Fair-Weather Friends]], Marinette decides that Alix will ''never'' receive the Rabbit Pocket-watch and become Bunnyx. In order to prevent a TimeParadox, the Bunnyx that had already appeared in the past is [[TrickedOutTime implied to be]] [[spoiler:a sentimonster impersonating Alix's future self]]. Alix doesn't take this well.

Overlaps with ScrewDestiny when a character intentionally defies a prophecy, causing it to fail. May be caused by ThePoorlyChosenOne (or may have caused ThePoorlyChosenOne to exist in the first place), by someone ImmuneToFate getting involved, or a [[TimeTravel Time Traveller]] deciding to MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight (or [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong the opposite!]]). Compare SelfDefeatingProphecy. Contrast with PropheciesAreAlwaysRight, SelfFulfillingProphecy. Not to be confused with the webcomic ''Webcomic/ProphecyFailed''.

* For propaganda purposes, when he entered the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, the Swedish King [[UsefulNotes/NotableSwedishMonarchs Gustavus Adolphus]] adopted the moniker of ''Der Löwe aus Mitternacht'' ("the Lion from Midnight", or "the Lion from the North"), a world-altering figure from a prophecy by 16th-century Swiss philosopher Theophrastus von Hohenheim (also called Paracelsus). Unfortunately for those who believed his prophetic claims, King Gustaf was killed in a mishap at the Battle of Lützen in 1632. Explained in more detail by ''WebVideo/SabatonHistory'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyliVNq-nE here]].

* PlayedWith in the episode "Movie Madness" of ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce''. The MonsterOfTheWeek is a movie director with borderline RealityWarper powers who can do just about anything he wants for the movie he's making about the destruction of the Power Rangers as long as it's in his script, to the point he seemed unbeatable. Then during the climax of the Megazord battle, turns out that the script's final page depicting their destruction is missing, because Trip ripped it out to ask for an autograph, which allows the Rangers to destroy him.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', the Dark Prognosticus is a prophetic book detailing how TheMultiverse will be destroyed. The Ancients responded to this by writing the Light Prognosticus, a book that details how the destruction can be prevented, though it's noted that unlike the Dark Prognosticus it's not a 'real' prophecy, just a sequence of countermeasures that are tailor-made to ScrewDestiny. It ''just barely'' works.

* ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'': Attempted by Baphuma'al twice in two separate timelines by attempting (and mostly succeeding) to destroy the weapons prophesised to destroy him. Both times, at least one survive. Also, accidentally accomplished in the main timeline, as Nodwick visiting the alternate one invalidated the existing prophecies, requiring the gods to scramble a fair bit.

* For propaganda purposes, when he entered the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, the Swedish King [[UsefulNotes/NotableSwedishMonarchs Gustavus Adolphus]] adopted the moniker of ''Der Löwe aus Mitternacht'' ("the Lion from Midnight", or "the Lion from the North"), a world-altering figure from a prophecy by 16th century Swiss philosopher Theophrastus von Hohenheim (also called Paracelsus). Unfortunately for those who believed his prophetic claims, King Gustaf was killed in a mishap at the Battle of Lützen in 1632. Explained in more detail by ''WebVideo/SabatonHistory'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyliVNq-nE here]].

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* In ''FanFic/TheManySonsOfWinter'', a Green Man makes an offhand comment to Arya Stark, asking her not to allow her brother Bran to climb any towers. This perplexes her, as he's long since abandoned the hobby in favor of starting warg training. This disquiets the Green Man, who laments destiny has been severed and fate is no longer certain.

* {{Invoked}} in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' trilogy ''Literature/TheYearOfRogueDragons''. The ''BigBad'' of the piece is the one attempting to fulfill a prophecy, that {{dracolich}}es will inherit the Earth (for whatever reason, he seems to think this is a ''good'' thing), and it's the heroes' job to ''prevent'' this.
* Both sides in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' fear this happening, and the Prophecies get very edgy in circumstances that neither can account for. TheLegionsOfHell try to do this in order to nullify both Prophecies and take over, though the attempts fail.

* Played with in the episode "Movie Madness" of ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce''. The MonsterOfTheWeek is a movie director with borderline RealityWarper powers who can do just about anything he wants for the movie he's making about the destruction of the Power Rangers as long as it's in his script, to the point he seemed unbeatable. Then during the climax of the Megazord battle, turns out that the script's final page depicting their destruction is missing, because Trip ripped it out to ask for an autograph, which allows the Rangers to destroy him.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* Played with in ''VideoGame/TakAndThePowerOfJuju'', when Lok, the believed mighty warrior prophesied to save the Pupununu people, ends up getting SquashedFlat, thus sending Tak on a quest to revive him to put the prophecy back on track. It's then revealed near the end of the game that the prophecy was never severed: ''Tak'' is the prophesied hero.

* ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'': [[http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2014-01-18/comic/non-storyline/randoms/everchosen/ The Everchosen is about to murder the sacrifice that will allow him to become the vessel for the dark gods and take over the world...]] and then the team's gunship lands on him. [[AccidentalHero Not even on purpose]]; they were [[AchievementsInIgnorance looking for the beach]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'': In a strip inspired by ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', TheChosenOne enters a weapon shop [[https://www.oglaf.com/pay-win/ and tries to take a legendary sword without paying for it.]] The shopkeeper [[ShopliftAndDie threatens to give him a Crossbow of Annihilation to the back of the head]], the Chosen One call his bluff, and we cut to a party of adventurers wondering why the book of prophecy is just blank pages afterwards.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' episode "Jack and the Wandering Creatures", Jack encountered a powerful guardian of a time portal, who had declared that only one person was destined to defeat him and use the portal. After {{Curb Stomp|Battle}}ing Jack, the Guardian spared him because Jack ''was'' the one destined to use the portal, but [[YouAreNotReady couldn't use it yet]]. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, episode "C" reveals that Jack would never get to use the destined portal as Aku had found and destroyed it ''and'' the Guardian]].

* In the bonus chapter of ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', a precognitive terrorist sets up a DeathTrap for Shiki, foreseeing a 100% chance of successfully killing her. Because his vision is so clear, however, Shiki is able to "see" it, too, and, using her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (which let her essentially destroy anything she can perceive visually), "kills" that particular timeline outright, rendering her attacker's prophecy utterly wrong (and stripping him of prophetic powers as a side effect).