Deformed births almost always carried a negative connotation.  In Babylonia, teratoscopy or fetoscopy predicted future events based upon the features of the infant15 These events could include financial ruin, war in the empire, or a loss of political or familial power.

Throughout the ancient world, these births appeared as deviations from the natural order and as signs of future, important events.  The word monster most likely originated from the Latin monere, which means ‘to warn’ 16