In various mythologies, prophecy serves as a critical device, shaping destinies and motivating characters. It often acts as a foreshadowing means, guiding heroes towards their fates, while also illustrating the tension between free will and predestination. Prophecies can inspire both hope and despair, leading to dramatic consequences as characters strive to fulfill or evade their foretold destinies, as seen in Greek and Hebrew texts, where characters like Oedipus face their doomed fates.