History Main / BirthmarkOfDestiny

* Two examples from the ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' fanfic ''Fanfic/YoullGetNoAnswersFromTheBlueSeaStar'':

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'', TheHero possesses a birthmark on his right hand that marks him as the Luminary - the reincarnation of a great hero from legends. It also allows him to connect with the WorldTree and to DeusExMachina himself out of particularly tough situations.

* Alinua in ''Webcomic/{{Aurora}}'' has a life rune birthmark that denotes her as the current Chimeric Plague carrier. This becomes... increasingly plot-relevant, to say the least.

* Alinua in ''Webcomic/{{Aurora}}'' has a life rune birthmark that denotes her as the current Chimeric Plague carrier.

** It appears to be a Triforce thing since said birthmark tends to show off which piece is theirs, and in some games it only appears when they have it. [[spoiler:Ganondorf also has one]].

* In ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog, Edmund, the first Guardian of Angel Island, had a white crescent birthmark on his chest, a trait that would carry over to every guardian to follow him, including Knuckles.

* ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'' has the Kinniku family birthmark on his buttock. He presents it in the Scramble For The Throne arc to prove that he's the rightful heir, only for the impostor princes to reveal their own birthmarks on their backs.
* All of the members of the Joestar HeroicLineage in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' have the same star-shaped birthmark on the back of their neck. In retrospect, the birthmark is a bit of an InformedAttribute for [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Jonathan]] and [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Joseph]], as it was only introduced later in ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]''. The anime adaptations rectified this by showing some brief moments with Jonathan and Joseph exposing their shoulders and displaying the mark.

* Owen Krysler from ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' has an eagle-shaped birthmark on his forehead. This was meant to mark him as the future Chief Judge who is destined to save Mega-City One. [[spoiler:In fact, he turns out to be truly evil, and the disaster he was meant to save the city from was ''himself'', as his psychic powers would turn him into a mutant OmnicidalManiac.]]
* In ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog, Edmund, the first Guardian of Angel Island, had a white crescent birthmark on his chest, a trait that would carry over to every guardian to follow him, including Knuckles.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa]]'': Alex is identified as Zuba's missing son by the Africa-shaped birthmark on his paw.

* ''Film/{{Willow}}'' - The movie introduction details this trope, exactly, right off the bat.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/TheCourtJester'' where The Rightful Heir (still an infant) has a birthmark on his butt. There are a couple of scenes of Hawkins holding the infant in his arms, lowering the swaddling clothes [[{{Mooning}} just far enough to reveal the birthmark]].

* Damien in ''Film/TheOmen'', of course, bears the MarkOfTheBeast (hidden conveniently beneath his hair).

* Subverted in ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': she had it removed.
* Subverted in ''Film/TheGoldenVoyageOfSinbad'', when MsFanservice's eye tattoo is seen by the savage tribe. The PluckyComicRelief guesses that they're so excited because they think it's a BirthmarkOfDestiny that brands her their goddess, but the character who knows their language reveals that, no, it's actually a sign she should be given to the local one-eyed monster. (A cyclops/centaur, that is.)
* In ''Film/TheDreamers'', Theo and Isabelle are twins and share the same birthmark.
* In ''Film/CloudAtlas'', each protagonist of the six stories has the same comet-shaped birthmark. ([[Literature/CloudAtlas in the book]], the one for the sixth isn't Zachry, but his love interest). The book's themes indicate that this birthmark signifies the same singular soul, reincarnated in different bodies again and again throughout time.
* In ''Film/TheGiver'', the ability to "see beyond" seems to be linked to a spot-shaped birthmark on one's wrist, as opposed to [[Literature/TheGiver the book]] where it was indicated by pale blue eyes.

* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', Garion has a discoloured mark in the shape of a circle on one of his palms. [[spoiler: This mark is actually possessed by every descendant of Riva who is in line to inherit the Rivan throne. It dates back to Riva himself, who had the mark burned into his hand when he carried the Orb of Aldur.]]
** Sorcerers also have such a mark somewhere. Polgara's is the distinctive white streak in her otherwise black hair.
** Among the Ulgo people, the one destined to become their holy man is known by the color of his eyes - they're blue, and ''stay'' blue. (All Ulgo have blue eyes at birth, but they darken after a few weeks; the future holy man's eyes don't.)
* Discussed in ''Literature/ArtemisFowl: The Atlantis Complex''. Orion wants Foaly to help him search for one. [[WeWantOurJerkBack Foaly is not amused]].
* A main plot point of the childrens' series ''Dragonblood'', which centers on kids born with a dragon heritage who can usually transform into dragons. They all have a dragon-shaped birthmark on their arm.
* In ''The Gathering'' by Kelley Armstrong, Maya Delaney has a paw print shaped birthmark, [[spoiler: which is a sign that she is a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent skin-walker]].]]
* Literature/HarryPotter is an interesting case. He only got the lightning-shaped scar that identifies him as the hero ''because'' Voldemort "chose" him as his enemy when he was little ([[SelfFulfillingProphecy upon hearing an incomplete prophecy]]) and tried to kill him, [[NiceJobBreakingItHerod thus giving him the scar and the tools]] [[YouCantFightFate to ultimately bring him down]].
* In Joanne Bertin's ''Dragonlord'' books, were-dragons are born as humans who have various birthmarks, which can be anything - albinism, splotches of color, shortness, webbed fingers, etc. These are called their Marking. Some of these run in families and the vast majority of birthmarked humans aren't nascent Dragonlords, but oddly enough there is still a stigma to having a birthmark.
* In ''Literature/AutobiographyOfRed'', Geryon is a red-skinned WingedHumanoid born into an otherwise ordinarily human family. Another character explains that this is a sign of his being a [[ChosenOne Yazcamac]].

* Certain incarnations of Link from ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' have a birthmark in the shape of the Triforce on their left hand. Occasionally happens to Zelda herself, though not as often.
** It appears to be a Triforce thing since said birthmark tends to show off which piece is theirs, and in some games it only appears when they have it. [[spoiler:Ganondorf also has one]].
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem''

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', Kinzo's polydactyly was interpreted as a sign that he was destined for greatness, which is why he was put in charge of restoring the wealth of the Ushiromiya family.
* ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'': Ecco has a group of marks on his head that some in the pod say look like stars in the sky. It is, in fact, the constellation Delphinus.
* The main character of Beyond Atlantis, the second game in the ''[[VideoGame/AtlantisTheLostTales Atlantis]]'' series, has a mark in the palm of his left hand. It proves he's the one who carries the light part of an alien power.
* The Qunari in ''Franchise/DragonAge'' believe that the rare members of the horned humanoids most strongly associated with the Qun born hornless are destined for great things. The Sten from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is one of these hornless. He is the very first member of his race to fight in a Blight, [[spoiler:and can even become one of the Qun's triumvirs afterwards]].

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'', TheHero possesses a birthmark on his right hand that marks him as the Luminary - the reincarnation of a great hero from legends. It also allows him to connect with the WorldTree and to DeusExMachina himself out of particularly tough situations.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the [[BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats Stone Cutters]] ([[CaptainErsatz who are TOTALLY not the Freemasons]]) go from heaping punishment on Homer to making him their new leader when they discover a birthmark on his butt is shaped like the Stone Cutters' symbol.
* ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'': Bullwinkle has one of these on on the bottom of his foot/hoof. It's subverted at the end when it turns out that it's actually the design on his bathroom floor mat, imprinted when he stepped out of the tub. DoubleSubverted when he later reveals that he has another one on the sole of his other foot that '''won't''' wash off.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' gives Raven glowing red birthmarks in the shape of occult-looking symbols all over her body as a sign that she is the daughter of/portal for the demon Trigon. However, these marks are normally invisible and only appear when Trigon is stirring (i.e. [[LawOfConservationOfDetail only when they're relevant to the plot]]).
* Subverted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SagwaTheChineseSiameseCat'' where Sagwa's younger sister Sheegwa is thought to be a princess because of a star-shaped birthmark on her body, but at the end of the episode the "birthmark" is accidentally washed off and is revealed to be just a stain of mud.

** Sorcerers also have such a mark somewhere. Polgara's is in her ''hair''.

* ''Film/TheCourtJester'' - The Rightful Heir (still an infant) has a birthmark on his butt. There are a couple of scenes of Hawkins holding the infant in his arms, lowering the swaddling clothes just far enough to reveal the birthmark.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Illidan Stormrage was born with golden eyes, which meant he had a great destiny. That destiny was lost when Sargeras showed him a vision of the Legion, burning out Illidan's eyes in the process. This gets deconstructed when it's revealed his original destiny was to be the slave of the Light; since the forces of good have been conditioned to believe their guiding force is IncorruptiblePureGoodness, he would have lost himself to rigid fanaticism ''and nobody would stand up for him''.[[note]]in the Legion expansion, Xe'ra decreed she could restore Illidan's birthmark and destiny. Illidan, still weary after being tricked into performing a FaceHeelTurn, refuses the offer. Then Xe'ra reveals she doesn't care what he thinks and tries to burn his destiny back into his eye sockets by force; notably, none of the mortals around them speak up. Illidan responds by eye-beaming Xe'ra to death.[[/note]]

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Illidan Stormrage was born with golden eyes, which meant he had a great destiny. That destiny was lost when Sargeras showed him a vision of the Legion, burning out Illidan's eyes in the process. This gets deconstructed when it's revealed his original destiny was to be the slave of the Light; since the forces of good have been conditioned to believe their guiding force is PureIncorruptibleGoodness, he would have lost himself to rigid fanaticism ''and nobody would stand up for him''.[[note]]in the Legion expansion, Xe'ra decreed she could restore Illidan's birthmark and destiny. Illidan, still weary after being tricked into performing a FaceHeelTurn, refuses the offer. Then Xe'ra reveals she doesn't care what he thinks and tries to burn his destiny back into his eye sockets by force; notably, none of the mortals around them speak up. Illidan responds by eye-beaming Xe'ra to death.[[/notes]]

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Illidan Stormrage was born with golden eyes, which meant he had a great destiny. That destiny was lost when Sargeras showed him a vision of the Legion, burning out Illidan's eyes in the process.

** Invoked in ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'', when the witches talk about a "strawberry birthmark", despite there being no evidence the lost heir does have one. And nobody's entirely sure what it even means; Nanny Ogg seems to vaguely think it would taste of strawberries.
** In ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'' the characters discuss birthmarks as if they're something that can be ''handed down from father to son''.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

** While not exactly physically obvious birthmarks, Crests in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' serve the same purpose as Holy Blood from the Jugdral games, said to be a gift from the Goddess, and specific Crests are represented by their own symbol. They come in a few categories: The Crests of the Divine, the Four Saints, the Ten Elites, and a few other Crests lost to history. Crests are also a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope, as not only are Crests a bit more commonplace than the trope would normally indicate, Fódlan's nobility culture is built around them, such as the Book of Seiros declaring [[ComesGreatResponsibility the Nobles who bear Crests have a "Noblesse Oblige" responsibility when wielding them]], leading to all sorts of social dysfunction. Most Crest bearers are nobles and/or [[HeroicLineage descended from one of the Ten Elites or Four Saints]], but lineage isn't guaranteed to produce a Crest, and Crests can pop up in commoners as well. This can lead to situations such as commoners trying to marry Crest-bearing nobles in the hope of increasing their own social status, non-Crest bearing nobles trying to marry into families with Crests, or nobles adopting Crest-bearing commoners. Children of noble lineage born without Crests can [[ParentalFavoritism lose their inheritance to a younger sibling with a Crest]], leading to internal power struggles. Noble children born with Crests don't have it much easier either, as aside from the aforementioned power struggles, they have high expectations placed on them and are frequently subject to loveless arranged marriages for producing more Crests or political advantages for their House. There is also at least one Crest (the Crest of the Beast) that ''nobody'' wants due to the storied past of its first human bearer, and so their descendants have experienced persecution. [[spoiler:In two known cases in recent times, the desire of a certain cult to get more power out of Crests led them to perform lethal experiments on children to give them two Crests (something conventionally considered impossible), and those who survived the experiments without being crippled or driven insane have a varyingly shortened lifespan. Also, the part about Crests originally being gifted by the Goddess is a historical revision made by Seiros to cover up the fact that they can be made by humans if they have the right resources, namely the blood of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Nabateans]] like her family. Only the Crests of Seiros and the Saints were actually gifts.]]

** While not exactly physically obvious birthmarks, Crests in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' serve the same purpose as Holy Blood from the ''Jugdral'' games, said to be a gift from the Goddess, and specific Crests are represented by their own symbol. They come in a few categories: The Crests of the Divine, the Four Saints, the Ten Elites, and a few other Crests lost to history. Crests are also a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope, as not only are Crests a bit more commonplace than the trope would normally indicate, Fodlan's culture is built around them, leading to all sorts of social dysfunction. Most Crest bearers are nobles and/or [[HeroicLineage descended from one of the Ten Elites or Four Saints]], but lineage isn't guaranteed to produce a Crest, and Crests can pop up in commoners as well. This can lead to situations such as commoners trying to marry Crest-bearing nobles in the hope of increasing their own social status or nobles adopting Crest-bearing commoners. Children of noble lineage born without Crests can [[ParentalFavoritism lose their inheritance to a younger sibling with a Crest]], leading to internal power struggles. Noble children born with Crests don't have it much easier either, as aside from the aforementioned power struggles, they have high expectations placed on them and are frequently subject to loveless arranged marriages for producing more Crests or political advantages for their House. There are also Crests that ''nobody'' wants, and such Crest-bearers are often persecuted. [[spoiler:In more extreme cases, others will perform lethal experiments on children to give them two Crests, and those who survive the experiments without being crippled or driven insane can have shortened lifespans. Also, the part about Crests originally being gifted by the Goddess is a historical revision made by Seiros to cover up the fact that they can easily be made by humans if they have the right resources, namely the blood of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Nabateans]] like her family. Only the Crests of Seiros and the Four Saints were actually gifts.]]

** While not exactly physically obvious birthmarks, Crests in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' serve the same purpose as Holy Blood from the ''Jugdral'' games, said to be a gift from the Goddess, and specific Crests are represented by their own symbol. They come in a few categories: The Crests of the Divine, the Four Saints, the Ten Elites, and a few other Crests lost to history. Crests are also a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope, as not only are Crests a bit more commonplace than the trope would normally indicate, Fodlan's culture is built around them, leading to all sorts of social dysfunction. Most Crest bearers are nobles and/or [[HeroicLineage descended from one of the Ten Elites]], but lineage isn't guaranteed to produce a Crest, and Crests can pop up in commoners as well. This can lead to situations such as commoners trying to marry Crest-bearing nobles in the hope of increasing their own social status or nobles adopting Crest-bearing commoners. Children of noble lineage born without Crests can [[ParentalFavoritism lose their inheritance to a younger sibling with a Crest]], leading to internal power struggles. Noble children born with Crests don't have it much easier either, as aside from the aforementioned power struggles, they have high expectations placed on them and are frequently subject to arranged marriages for producing more Crests or political advantages for their House. There are also Crests that ''nobody'' wants, and such Crest-bearers are often persecuted. [[spoiler:In more extreme cases, others will perform lethal experiments on children to give them two Crests, and those who survive the experiments without being crippled or driven insane can have shortened lifespans. Also, the part about Crests originally being gifted by the Goddess is a historical revision made by Seiros to cover up the fact that they can easily be made by humans if they have the right resources, namely the blood of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Nabateans]] like her family.]]

** The Branded from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' each have a mark somewhere on their bodies to identify that they are descended from [[HalfHumanHybrids both]] beorc and [[VoluntaryShapeshifting laguz]]. [[spoiler: A particular brand on the back of someone's right hand marks the bearer as a descendent of Lehran and the true apostle]].

* Owen Krysler from ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' has an eagle-shaped birthmark on his forehead. This was meant to mark him as the future Chief Judge who is destined to save Mega-City One.

* Morgon in Patricia [=McKillip=]'s ''TheRiddleMasterTrilogy'' has three star-shaped birthmarks on his forehead.

* The Qunari in ''Franchise/DragonAge'' believe that the rare members of the horned humanoids most strongly associated with the Qun born hornless are destined for great things. The Sten from ''Franchise/DragonAgeOrigins'' is one of these hornless. He is the very first member of his race to fight in a Blight, [[spoiler:and can even become one of the Qun's triumvirs afterwards]].

A subtrope of DistinguishingMark. Overlaps with ClaimedByTheSupernatural when the Chosen One is literally chosen by something.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1438107931030381700

** It appears to be a triforce thing since said birthmark tends to show off which piece is theirs. [[spoiler:Ganondorf also has one]].