Liebesorakel

English translation: prophecy of love

16:56 Oct 6, 2010
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Folklore
German term or phrase: Liebesorakel
I know the literal translation of this is, of course, "love oracle," but I wonder if there's a better translation for it in the context of this article title:

Walpurgisnacht im Harz: Hexenzauber und Liebesorakel

And, wouldn't you put either an indefinite or definite article before "love oracle" in any case? It seems off without one. Would you choose a definite or indefinite article?

I have no other context for how the "love oracle" is described in this article, unfortunately. Perhaps there's a cultural context I'm missing and there is only one "love oracle" (that term still strikes me as non-transparent in English, a bit) associated with Walpurgis Night?

Thanks.
BrettMN
Local time: 00:15
English translation:prophecy of love
Explanation:
im Sinne von Weissagung
Selected response from:

Annie and Rolf Reiser (X)
Local time: 23:15
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1oracle of love
Thayenga
4 +1prophecy of love
Annie and Rolf Reiser (X)
3harbinger of divine love
Lisa Miles
Summary of reference entries provided
Info
Kim Metzger

Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
oracle of love


Explanation:
.

Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 06:15
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Craig Meulen: Sounds good to me and gets a few thousand google hits, as does "love oracle".
16 hrs
  -> Yes, it does. Thank you, Craig.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
harbinger of divine love


Explanation:
if the article is related to and or explaining the origins of the myth and if it makes reference to Goethe. The love oracle is normaly depicted by angels battling with the "evil" forces, the devil or witches.

Lisa Miles
Canada
Local time: 01:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: No, there's a link to the article in Kim's reference entry.
1 hr

neutral  Annett Kottek (X): References?
12 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
prophecy of love


Explanation:
im Sinne von Weissagung

Annie and Rolf Reiser (X)
Local time: 23:15
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Annett Kottek (X): I'd use the plural: '...and prophecies of love'.
9 hrs
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Reference comments


56 mins peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Info

Reference information:
Nach altem Volksglauben eignet sich die Walpurgisnacht auch besonders gut für Zukunftsdeutungen und Liebesorakel: rüttelt eine junge Frau nachts an Obstbäumen und ertönt daraufhin Hundegebell, so wird aus dieser Richtung eines Tages ihr Zukünftiger erscheinen. Den Vornamen des oder der Zukünftigen wird erfahren, wer in der Nacht durch ein Tor geht und den ersten Menschen, der ihm begegnet, nach seinem Namen fragt. Sollte es dabei zufällig regnen, muß dies kein Grund für Traurigkeit sein, denn eine alte Bauernregel weiß: Regen auf Walpurgisnacht hat stets ein gutes Jahr gebracht.

http://archiv.rhein-zeitung.de/old/97/04/23/topnews/walpurgi...

Wahrig - Orakel: Zukunftsdeutung, Wahrsagung, Weissagungstätte, Schicksalspruch

Oracle
1. (esp. in ancient Greece) an utterance, often ambiguous or obscure, given by a priest or priestess at a shrine as the response of a god to an inquiry.
2. the agency or medium giving such responses.
3. a shrine or place at which such responses were given: the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.
4. a person who delivers authoritative, wise, or highly regarded and influential pronouncements.
5. a divine communication or revelation.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oracle

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Note added at 59 mins (2010-10-06 17:56:01 GMT)
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Psychologist Julian Jaynes categorized divination according to the following four types:
• Omens and omen texts. "The most primitive, clumsy, but enduring method...is the simple recording of sequences of unusual or important events." (1976:236) Chinese history offers scrupulously documented occurrences of strange births, the tracking of natural phenomena, and other data. Chinese governmental planning relied on this method of forecasting for long-range strategy. It is not unreasonable to assume that modern scientific inquiry began with this kind of divination; Joseph Needham's work considered this very idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 3

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Annett Kottek (X)
13 hrs
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