Retrocognition was the psychic ability to perceive past events. It was often exhibited by Slayers,[1][2] seers,[3][4] and oracle-like creatures.[5][6]
Similarly, the ability to perceive future events referred to precognition.[7]
Examples[]
Slayers experienced the connection to their predecessors in the Slayer line through their prophetic dreaming.[8] Once Buffy was called, she began dreaming of being other girls in different historical periods, specifically Slayers who had also faced Buffy's upcoming enemy, Lothos.[1]
In the 23rd century, Harth Fray inherited the memories of past Slayers in place of his twin sister, Melaka. Harth used such knowledge about vampires[9] and Buffy's encounter with him to lead the Reckoning in the 21st century.[10] After his death, these memories returned to Melaka.[2]
The seer Drusilla also experienced past events through her empathy. While in the Manners residence, the vampire could hear sirens and feel people afraid of a bombing, sensing the wine cellar had been a bomb shelter in the fifties.[3]
As a seer, Cordelia once experienced visions of an event that had already happened, a man killing her wife one week before. The visions conducted the Angel Investigations team to the true cause of the death, William Blim, to prevent his upcoming threats.[4]
Beljoxa's Eye was an oracle-like creature that could see the truth of the present and the past, but not the future. In 2002, the Eye revealed to Giles and Anya that Buffy's resurrection had provided the opportunity for the First Evil to act against the Slayer line.[5]
Sephrilian used his non-linear reality influence to show Buffy and Willow certain truths they did not know about each other. It included visions of past events, such as Buffy's robbery of a Swiss bank vault to finance the Slayer Organization and Willow keeping Kennedy from Buffy because of Tara's death.[6]
Appearances[]
Canonical[]
- The Origin, Part One
- "Reunion" (Only mentioned)
- "Billy"
- "Showtime" (Only mentioned)
- The Worst of It (Only mentioned)
- Anywhere but Here
- Harmonic Divergence (Only mentioned)
- One Year Later (Only mentioned)
- Finale