Harbinger
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
A harbinger is a sign of things to come. Throughout history and literature, harbingers and omens figure prominently, and are responsible for major decisions which have altered the course of both.
If legend were fact, Christianity and Western civilization could owe their existences to signs. The legend has it that Constantine the Great saw a vision in which either (depending on which version we read) a cross, a fish or a Labarum monogram was emblazoned in the sky. A loud, steady voice then allegedly told him, In hoc signo vinces ("By this as your standard, you will conquer"). Conquer he did, bringing Christianity to the Empire.
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Synonyms
- herald, omen, premonition, sign, signal
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