forutsies

Forutsies is a term used in folklore and speculative fiction to describe individuals, groups, or phenomena with the ability to foresee or project future states. The word is often traced to the root forutsi, from Norwegian, meaning to foresee, and in English fiction the plural forutsies has been used to denote a class rather than a single clairvoyant.

Descriptions of forutsies vary but commonly include visions, omens, or analytical readings that reveal possible futures rather than certainties. Some depictions emphasize supernormal perception or dream-interpretation, while others frame forutsies as highly skilled analysts who detect patterns in large data sets, ecological signals, or social trends.

In social contexts, forutsies may serve as advisors to rulers, merchants, or communities, guiding decisions about resource allocation, diplomacy, or risk management. Their authority is frequently ambivalent: forecasts can be trusted, doubted, or weaponized, leading to debates about bias, determinism, and consent when forecasts shape life choices.

Different works explore different implications. In some narratives, forutsies are rare and revered as essential sages; in others they are marginalized, persecuted, or controlled by institutions that fear disruption of the status quo. The concept also functions as a literary device to examine uncertainty, probabilistic thinking, and the ethics of prediction in society.

See also: prophecy, divination, seer, forecasting.