Could Authoritative Prophecies Be Ignored Without Giving Up Legitimacy?

Hattusili I wanted to relocate his people.

He found a spot that was defensible, was home to seven springs, and surrounded by a thick forest that could be viewed from an outcrop of rock.

There was one problem: a past King, Anitta, left a curse: “May the Storm God strike down anyone who becomes king after me and resettles Hattusa”.

Hattusili I moved Hattusa anyway.

And on his deathbed, when he found his heir wanting, he ensured the throne would pass on instead to his grandson, Mursili.

Leaders, Hattusili seemed to believe, must prove their fitness to rule.