124. Divination

See also 24. ASTROLOGY ; 174. FUTURE ; 252. MAGIC .

aeromancy

1 . the art or science of divination by means of the air or winds.

2 . Humorous. weather forecasting. Cf. austromancy .

alectoromancy, alectryomancy

a form of divination by recording the letters revealed as a cock eats kernels of corn that cover them.

aleuromancy

an old form of divination using meal or flour. —aleuromantic , adj.

alomancy

halomancy.

alphitomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of barley.

ambulomancy

a form of divination involving walking, usually in circles. Cf. gyromancy .

amniomancy

a form of divination by examining the embryonic sac or amniotic fluid.

anthracomancy

the art of divination through the study of burning coals. —anthracomantic , adj.

anthropomancy

a form of divination using the entrails of dead men. —anthropomantist , n. —anthropomantic , adj.

arithmancy

numerology.

armomancy

a form of divination involving the shoulders of animals. Cf. spatulamancy .

aspidomancy

a form of divination involving examination of a shield.

astragalomancy

a form of divination involving dice or knuckle-bones, in which letters are marked on the faces of the dice and the future is foretold from the words formed as the dice fall. Also called cleromancy .

astrology

a form of divination involving the relative positions of heavenly bodies. Also called genethlialogy, genethliacs .

astromancy

divination by observation of the stars. Also called sideromancy .

augury

1 . the art of f oretelling the future by means of signs, originally by the flight of birds; divination.

2 . an omen or portent from which the future is foretold. —augur , n. —augurial , adj. —augurous , adj.

austromancy

divination by observing the winds, especially the south wind. Cf. aeromancy .

axinomancy

a form of divination involving the use of an axhead. —axinomantic , adj.

belomancy

divination in which marks or words are placed on arrows which are then drawn from a quiver at random.

bibliomancy

a form of divination using books or the Bible in which passages are chosen at random and the future foretold from them.

botanomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of plants.

capnomancy

a form of divination involving smoke.

cartomancy

a form of divination involving playing cards.

catoptromancy

a form of divination involving a crystal ball or mirrors.

cephalomancy

a form of divination involving the head.

ceraunomancy

a form of divination involving thunder or thunderbolts.

ceromancy

a form of divination involving dropping melted wax into water.

chalcomancy

a form of divination involving brass vessels.

chaomancy

a form of divination involving aerial visions.

chiromancy, cheiromancy

palmistry.

chronomancy

a divination to determine the precise time for action.

cleidomancy, clidomancy

a form of divination involving a key or keys.

cleromancy

astragalomancy.

coscinomancy

a form of divination involving a sieve and shears. —coscinomantic , adj.

crithomancy

a form of divination involving the strewing of grain over the bodies of sacrificed animals. —crithomantic , adj.

crystallomancy

a form of divination involving crystal-gazing.

cubomancy

Rare. a form of divination involving thrown dice. —cubomantic , adj.

dactyliomancy

a form of divination involving finger rings.

demonomancy

a form of divination involving a demon or demons.

empyromancy

a form of divination involving a fire and smoke.

enoptromancy

a form of divination involving a mirror and its reflections.

extispicy

haruspicy. —extispex , n. —extispicious , adj.

gastromancy

1 . a form of divination involving listening to stomach sounds.

2 . a form of divination by gazing into a crystal ball or a glass full of water. Cf. crystallomancy . Also called crystal-gazing . —gastromantic , adj.

geloscopy, gelotoscopy

a form of divination that determines a person’s character or future from the way he laughs.

genethlialogy, genethliacs

astrology.

geomancy

a form of divination that analyzes the pattern of a handful of earth thrown down at random or of dots made at random on paper. —geomancer , n.

graphology

1 . a form of divination involving analysis of handwriting. Also graptomancy .

2 . a technique of personality analysis involving the examination of handwriting.

graptomancy

graphology def. 1.

gyromancy

a form of divination involving walking in a circle. Cf. ambulomancy .

halomancy

a form of divination involving the use of salt. Also called alomancy .

hariolation

the act or art of prognostication or divination; soothsaying.

haruspicy, haruspication

a form of divination from lightning and other natural phenomena, but especially from inspection of the entrails of animal sacrifices. Also called extispicy . —haruspex , n. —haruspical , adj.

hematomancy, haematomancy

divination by means of blood.

hieromancy

a form of divination involving sacrificial remains or sacred objects. Also called hieroscopy .

hippomancy

a form of divination involving the observation of horses, especially by listening to their neighing.

horoscopy

1 . the art of casting horoscopes or divinations based upon the relative positions of heavenly bodies.

2 . the position of the sun and stars at the time of a person’s birth. —horoscoper, horoscopist , n.

hydromancy

a form of divination involving observations of water or of other liquids.

ichnomancy

the analysis of the personality and appearance of people by studying their footprints. —ichnomantic , adj.

ichthyomancy

a form of divination involving the head or entrails of fishes.

idolomancy

a form of divination involving idols.

lampadomancy

a form of divination involving observation of the flame of a torch or lamp. Cf. lychnomancy .

lecanomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of water in a basin.

lithomancy

a form of divination involving rocks or stones.

logarithmomancy

a form of divination involving logarithms.

logomancy

a form of divination involving the observation of words and discourse.

lychnomancy

a form of divination involving lamps. Cf. lampadomancy .

manticism

the art of divination and prophecy. —mantic , adj.

mantology

Obsolete, the art of fortune-telling. —mantologist , n.

margaritomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of pearls.

meteoromancy

a form of divination involving the observation of meteors.

metopomancy

Rare. a form of divination involving examination of facial features.

molybdomancy

Rare. a form of divination by studying the motion of molten lead.

moromancy

a form of divination that is flawed or foolish.

myomancy

a form of divination through observation of the movements of mice.

necromancy

1 . the magic practiced by a witch or sorcerer.

2 . a form of divination through communication with the dead. Also called nigromancy . —necromancer, necromant, nigromancien , n. —necromantie , adj.

nephelognosy

divination by the observation of clouds.

nomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of letters, possibly from a graphological point of view. Cf. onomancy .

numerology

a form of divination involving numbers. Also called arithmancy .

oenomancy, oinomancy

a form of divination involving observation of the colors and other features of wine.

omoplatoscopy

a form of divination involving the examination of shoulder blades. Cf. armomancy, scapulomancy, spatulamancy .

omphalomancy

a form of divination in which the number of knots in a new-born’s umbilical cord are counted to foretell the number of children the mother will have later.

oneiromancy

a form of divination involving dreams. —oneiromancer , n.

onomancy, onomomancy

a form of divination involving the letters of a name. Cf. nomancy .

onychomancy

a form of divination involving examination of the fingernails.

oomancy

a form of divination involving eggs.

ophiomancy

a form of divination involving snakes.

ornithomancy, ornithoscopy

a form of divination involving the observation of birds, especially in flight.

osteomancy, osteomanty

divination by the examination of bones. —osteomantic , adj.

palmistry

a form of divination involving analysis of the appearance of the hand, especially of its various lines. Also called chiromancy, cheiromancy .

pedomancy

a form of divination involving the study of the soles of the feet. Also called podomancy .

pegomancy

a form of divination by studying springs or fountains. —pegomantic , adj.

pessomancy

a form of divination involving pebbles. Also called psephology, psephomancy .

phyllomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of leaves.

podomancy

pedomancy.

psephology

pessomancy.

psephomancy

1 . pessomancy

2 . a form of divination involving the study of marks made on pebbles which are drawn at random from a container.

pseudomancy

a form of divination that is deliberately false or misleading.

psychomancy

a form of divination involving communication with the spirits of the dead.

pyromancy

a form of divination involving fire or flames.

pythonism

a form of divination in the manner of Pythia, the Delphic priestess.

rhabdomancy

a form of divination involving a rod or wand, especially to locate objects or materials beneath the ground, as water or precious metals; dowsing.

rhapsodomancy

a form of divination involving verses.

scapulomancy

a form of divination in which a shoulder blade is heated in a fire and the resulting cracks in the bone are consulted for omens. Cf. armomancy, omoplatoscopy, spatulamancy . —scapulomantic , adj.

scatomancy

a form of divination by examination of excrement.

schematomancy

divination of a person’s future from observation of physical appearance.

sciomancy

a form of divination through communication with the spirits of the dead. —sciomantic , adj.

scyphomancy

a form of divination involving the use of a cup.

selenomancy

a form of divination involving observation of the moon.

sibyl

Ancient Greece and Rome. a woman with oracular or prophetic powers, the most celebrated being that of Cumae. —sibyllic , —sibylic, sibylline , adj.

sibyllist

1 . a believer in or follower of the sibyls.

2 . a believer in their prophecies.

sideromancy

1 . astrom ancy.

2 . a form of divination involving observation of the sparks, shapes formed, etc., when straws are burnt against a red-hot iron.

sortilege

a form of divination involving drawing lots.

spasmatomancy

a form of divination used to foretell disease by observing spasms or twitching of the potential sufferer’s body.

spatilomancy, spatalamancy

a form of divination involving the examination of animal feces.

spatulamancy

a form of divination by means of an animal’s shoulder blade. Cf. armomancy, omoplatoscopy, scapuloniancy . —spatulamantic , adj.

spodomancy

a form of divination through the uses of ashes. —spodomantic , adj.

sternomancy

a form of divination involving examination of the breastbone.

stichomancy

a form of divination involving lines of poetry or passages from books.

stignomancy

a form of divination involving the examination of writing on or carving in the bark of a tree.

sycomancy

a form of divination involving figs or fig leaves.

telegnosis

clairvoyance or other occult or supernatural knowledge.

tephramancy, tephromancy

a form of divination involving the examination of the ashes remaining af ter a sacrifice.

theomancy

a form of divination involving the responses of oracles or other soothsayers.

theriomancy

1 . a form of divination involving wild beasts.

2 . a form of divination based upon observation of the movements of animals. Cf. zoomancy .

tyromancy

a form of divination involving observation of cheese, especially as it coagulates.

uromancy

Rare. a form of divination by studying urine. —uromantic , adj.

xylomancy

a form of divination involving pieces of wood.

zoomancy

a form of divination based upon the observation of animals or their movements under certain circumstances. Cf. theriomancy .

divination [L divinus, god]. Foretelling the future or discovering what is hidden or unknown, especially through intuitive, occult, or allegedly supernatural means; this includes vaticination, only foretelling the future through esoteric or occult means, but is distinct from prophecy, which does not always imply a magical motive. Abundant commentary from both Celtic and non-Celtic sources testifies to the widespread Celtic belief in divination under many forms. From the earliest times birds, especially the raven and the wren, were thought to have divining powers. Celtic New Year, 1 November (Samain in Old Irish), was a popular time to practise divination, to see who would survive the winter or who would marry a young maiden. Druids, both male and female, were thought adept at divination. In many stories heroes and heroines, notably Deirdre, have their fate foretold at birth. To ignore such warning is to court disaster, as Conaire Mór shows. Divination might take many forms: signs from nature, omens, and dreams. Astrology may have been practised; an early Irish word for astrologer appears to be nél(l)adóir ‘cloud diviner’. At Tara a new king was selected by using a bull in a special rite called tarbfheis, ‘bull feast’. Wood was thought to have special properties for divination. In early Ireland one could learn the future by casting yew wands with ogham inscriptions upon the ground. In Fenian stories, wood shavings may help to find a missing or fugitive person. Fionn mac Cumhaill and Merlin are described as having special powers of divination.

See AWENYDDION; DÍCHETAL DO CHENNAIB; DYN HYSBYS; IMBAS FOROSNAI; SECOND SIGHT; SHAMANISM; SOUS; TEINM LAÍDA. See also Margaret E. Griffiths, Early Vaticination in Welsh with English Parallels (Cardiff, 1937).

divination practice of foreseeing future events or obtaining secret knowledge through communication with divine sources and through omens, oracles, signs, and portents. It is based on the belief in revelations offered to humans by the gods and in extrarational forms of knowledge; it attempts to make known those things that neither reason nor science can discover. It is known that divination by means of crack patterns in shells was practiced in China as early as the 2d cent. BC In the West, before divination spread throughout the Greco-Roman world, various branches of the practice as used by the Chaldaeans were considered superior to all the sciences. Among those branches the most significant were the study of the flight of birds, the study of water and water patterns, the study of the entrails of sacrificial animals (haruspication), and the inspection of animals' shoulder blades (scapulimancy). The Greeks placed their greatest trust in the wisdom of the oracle . Divination was essential to all the religions of classical antiquity; no state and hardly any individual would have dared undertake a significant action without first consulting the gods. Divination persists to the present day in crystal gazing, palmistry, fortune-telling, and astrology.

Bibliography: See W. R. Halliday, Greek Divination (1913, repr. 1967); W. B. and L. R. Gibson, The Complete Illustrated Book of Divination and Prophecy (1973).

Divination. The art or skill of divining (sc., by use of ‘divinity’ or deity) that which is unknown—e.g. the future, the identity of culprits, lost items, the best partner for marriage, etc. Divination may be entirely divorced from the gods, and usually is undertaken by recognized and designated specialists who use mechanical means or manipulative techniques. J. Collins (Primitive Religion, 1978) attempted a classification of ten methods: (i) by dreams; (ii) by presentiments; (iii) by body actions; (iv) by ordeals; (v) by possession; (vi) by necromancy; (vii) by animals or parts of dead animals; (viii) by mechanical means, using objects; (ix) by patterns in nature; and (x) by observing other patterns, e.g. that death always comes in threes.

div·i·na·tion / ˌdivəˈnāshən/ • n. the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. DERIVATIVES: di·vin·a·to·ry / diˈvinəˌtôrē/ adj.

divination Divination is an act which tries to foretell the future or discover the origin of a situation—usually of a calamity or illness. It does this through the consultation of an oracle or deity by a religious specialist, the diviner.

divination Foretelling the future by interpreting various signs. Divination is a form of magic with worldwide distribution. Omens are often thought to be found in cards, palms, or the entrails of sacrificed animals.