Robert Todd Carroll
SkepDic.com
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divination (fortune
telling)
An undue opinion of
our own importance in the scale of creation is at the bottom of our
unwarrantable notions in this respect. --Charles Mackay
Divination is the attempt to foretell the future or discover occult
knowledge by interpreting omens or by using paranormal or supernatural powers. The list of
items that have been used in divination is extraordinary. Below are listed just a
few. Many end in 'mancy', from the ancient Greek manteia
(divination), or 'scopy', from the Greek skopein (to look into, to
behold).
- aeluromancy (dropping wheatcakes in water and interpreting the result)
- aeromancy or acromancy (divination by examining what the air does to certain things)
- alectoromancy or alectryomancy (divination by a cock: grains of wheat are placed on
letters and the cock "spells" the message by selecting grains)
- alphitomancy (dropping barleycakes in water and interpreting the result)
- anthropomancy (divination by interpreting the organs of newly
sacrificed humans)
- arithmancy (divination by numbers)
- astragalomancy or astragyromancy (using knucklebones marked with letters of the
alphabet)
- astrology
- astromancy (by stars)
- axinomancy (divination by the hatchet: interpreting the quiver when whacked into a
table)
- belomancy (divination by arrows)
- botanomancy (divination by herbs)
- bronchiomancy (divination by studying the lungs of sacrificed white
llamas)
- capnomancy (divination by the smoke of an altar or sacrificial
incense)
- cartomancy
- catoptromancy or crystallomancy (using mirrors or lenses)
- cephalomancy or cepthaleonomancy (divination by a donkey's head)
- ceromancy (by the melting of wax)
- chalcomancy (by vessels of brass or other metal)
- chiromancy (palmistry)
- cleidomancy (divination by interpreting the movements of a key suspended by a thread
from the nail of the third finger on a young virgin's hand while one of the Psalms was
recited)
- coscinomancy (divination by a balanced sieve)
- cromniomancy (divination by onions)
- crystallomancy (by crystals)
- dactylomancy (divination by means of rings put on the fingernails or the number of
whorls and loops on the fingers)
- daphnomancy (divination using the laurel branch: how did it crackle when burned?)
- dowsing
- extispicy (divination by examining entrails)
- fractomancy (interpreting the structures of fractal geometric
patterns)
- gastromancy (by the sound of or marks on the belly)
- geomancy
- gyromancy (divination by walking around a circle of letters until
dizzy and one falls down on the letters or in the direction to take)
- haruspicy (inspecting the entrails of slaughtered animals)
- hepatoscopy or hepatomancy (divination by examining the liver of
sacrificed animals)
- hydromancy (divination by examining what certain things do in water or when taken out of
water, such as coffee grounds or tea leaves); hydatoscopy (if rainwater is used);
pegomancy (if spring-water is used)
- kapnomancy (by smoke)
- katoptromancy (by looking0glasses)
- kephalonomancy (burning carbon on the head of an ass while reciting
the names of suspected criminals; if you're guilty, a crackling sound
will be heard when your name is spoken)
- koskinomancy (by sieves)
- krithomancy (by corn or grain)
- lampadomancy (interpreting the movements of the flame of a lamp)
- libanomancy or knissomancy (interpreting the smoke of incense)
- lithomancy (divination using precious stones)
- lecanomancy (dropping precious stones into water and listening for whistles)
- logarithmancy
- macharomancy (by knives and swords)
- margaritomancy (divination by the pearl: if it jumps in the pot when a person is named,
then he is the thief!)
- metoposcopy (interpreting frontal wrinkles)
- molybdomancy (divination by melted lead: interpreting its noises and hisses when dropped
into water)
- myrmomancy (divination by watching ants eating)
- necromancy (communicating with spirits of the dead to predict the future)
- oinomancy (divination by wine)
- omphalomancy (interpretation of the belly button)
- oneiromancy (interpretation of dreams)
- onomancy (divination by names)
- onychomancy (interpreting the reflection of sun rays off fingernails)
- ornithomancy or orniscopy (interpreting the flights of birds)
- ovomancy or oomancy or ooscopy (breaking eggs into a container of
water and interpreting the shape of the egg white)
- papyromancy (divination by folding paper)
- podomancy (by the feet)
-
psychometry (divination by touching objects)
- pyromancy or pyroscopy (divination by fire)
- rhabdomancy (using the divining rod or magic wand)
- rhapsodmancy (divination by a line in a sacred book that strikes the
eye when the book is opened after the diviner prays, meditates or
invokes the help of spirits)
- rumpology (divination
by the lines on the buttocks)
- scapulamancy
- sciomancy (by shadows)
- scrying
- sideromancy (interpreting straws thrown on a red-hot iron)
- skatharomancy (interpreting the tracks of a beetle crawling over the
grave of a murder victim)
- stereomancy (diving by the elements)
- spatilomancy (by skin, bones, etc.)
- splanchnomancy (reading cut sections of a goat liver)
- stichomancy
- sternomancy (divination by the marks from the
breast to the belly)
- sycomancy (by figs)
- tasseography (reading tea leaves)
- tephromancy (by ashes)
- theriomancy (divination by beasts)
- tiromancy (interpreting the holes or mold in cheese)
- tyromancy (by cheese)
- urim v'tumim (reading sacred stones attached to
the breastplate of the high priest in ancient Judaism)
- uromancy (divination by reading bubbles made by urinating in a pot)
further reading
readers comments
Christopher, Milbourne. ESP, Seers & Psychics (Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
1970).
de
Givry, Grillot. Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy (New York: Dover
Books, 1971), republication of the 1931 Houghton Mifflin Company edition, Book II, chapter
viii, "the Divinatory Arts."
Mackay, Charles. (1841). Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of
Crowds (Crown Publishing, 1995).
Pickover,
Clifford A. Dreaming the Future - the fantastic story of prediction
(Prometheus, 2001).
Steiner, Robert A. "Fortunetelling," in The Encyclopedia of
the Paranormal edited by Gordon Stein (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1996) pp.
281-290.
Zusne, Leonard and Warren Jones. Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of
Magical Thinking. 2nd edition. (Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc. 1989). |
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