Divination

1 Conversation

The human race has always been interested in predicting the future. Many civilisations have invented methods of looking into the future. The fancy name for it is Augury, interpreting signs and omens, and is used to cover fortune telling in general.
There are a number of sensible ways to predict the future, but more importantly a lot of silly ones. They fall into a few broad categories, which any one who practises one will probably hate being associated with the other, but you should have seen it coming.

Aeromancy


Aeromancy is any number of methods of divination taken from the air and sky, such as cloud shapes, comets or sky colour. Forms of this are: -

Meterotomancy: - Telling the meaning of meteors. I.E. see that big one there, that means someone's house won't be much longer.
Austromancy: - Reading the direction and strength of wind.
Ceraunoscopy: - Divination from thunder and lightning, (very, very frightening).
Astrology: - Divination from the position of the heavenly bodies.



Related forms exist such as: -

Catoptromancy: - Turning a mirror to catch lunar rays. Why?
Onychomancy: - Signs given by sunlight reflected on fingernails.

Pyromancy


Similar to a pyromaniac, with the reassuring knowledge that anyone who claims to be practising pyromancy and has just set fire to your house will shortly be telling you how much your romantic life will improve. Pyromancy is really the study and interpretation of flames, but again we have other forms of it.

Causimomancy: - No, not how close you get to the fire with your partner. It is the way in which an object burns gives an indication of the future
Sideromancy: - The shape of straws burned on a hot iron, not a practise often seen being practised by men.
Spodomancy: - Signs found from cinders ashes and soot, see also insurance claims.
Tephramancy: - Burnt tree bark has hidden meaning in the ash, tells most of us it has been near a fire.
Capnomancy: - Studying the smoke arising from a fire. This could cause confusion to a Red Indian try to communicate a message.

Radiesthesia


The book I found the definition for this says, "If the dangling object circles it means yes. If it goes back and forth, it means no" And who can argue with that? Radiesthesia is simply looking at the way something swings when dangled on a piece of string. It would be too simple to just have this name though: it has many other guises.

Clidomancy: - dangling keys.
Dactylomancy: - dangling rings.
Rhabdomancy: - A wizard's staff has a knob on the end, and if it swings the right way, you'll soon find out what's going to happen.

Liquid studies


Often it takes a brave fortuneteller to say that glass of water is just a glass of water, the only way it will affect me is if I drink it I shall need to go to the toilet. As not many are willing to admit that this is the case, they have come up with a multitude of meaning for runny stuff.

Ceroscopy: - Pouring hot wax in water and interpreting the bubbles.
Hydromancy: - The father of all water studies, interpreting the colour, flow, ripples and anything else in water.
Moylbdomancy: - Listening to hissing molten lead.
Oinomancy: - A lot like hydromancy, and tea reading. Except that ones a man find out what this means, plus how to pronounce it, he will use it to chat up any woman he sees. This is the study of wine to tell the future.
Pegomancy: - Spring water and it's bubbles are used for divination. Although, any one going around with divining rods will see a problem with that. It may work on bottled water, I am not clear on that point.

Personal Studies


Ever wondered how to fondle someone with an excuse? Well, fortune-tellers have hundreds of them; here are a few.

Chiromancy: - reading the lines of the hand.
Chirognomy: - reading the shape and structure of the hand.
Palmisty: - Chiromancy + Chirognomy.
Geloscopy: - Predicting the future from laughter. For a topical joke see Caroline from Big Brother, and how this does not work.
Gyromancy: - Run around in circles, marking where you stumble. This will tell you that you are mad.
Oculomancy: - Another one for the boys, seeing the future by looking deep into your eyes.
Phyllorhodomancy: - The practise of slapping rose petals against palms and judging the sound of the clap.
Anthopomancy: - Not often practised now-a-days, prophecy through human sacrifice. Often the out come told of a bad day for the sacrifice.

Animal worryings


Before we had the RSPCA a lot of this was going on, now its a little more difficult to do.


Alectryomacy: - Cock abuse is nothing new, but first thing in the morning it's a little hard to get up for. But, if you are awake, recite the alphabet as rooster croes, it may have a message.
Cephalomancy: - Reading the head of an animal.
Haruspicy: - If you happen to have a dead animal, take a look at it's innards, they may tell you something.
Ichthyomancy: - smiley - fish
entrails.
Oomantia: - Go predicting on an egg.
Ophiomancy: - Seeing what a serpant can tell you.
Ormnithomancy: - Studying birds to tell what your future will be. (Too close a study may result in a black eye.)

Random stuff

Aleuromancy: - Fortune cookies.
Arithomancy: - Divination by numbers.
Bibliomancy: - Opening a book at random
Cartomancy: - No bluffing, this is fortune telling by cards. (I will go and stand in a corner for that, I am very sorry)
Cleromancy: - Casting lots using an number of objects, like sticks.
Crominiomancy: - Telling the future from onion sprouts.
Sortilege: - See Cleromancy.
Rhapsodomacny: - Bibliomancy using a book of poetry.
Tiromancy: - No matter what it may make you think of it will not be what this is. This is the telling of the future by studying cheese.

If any one has any other odd romancies to add to the list, please let me know.


Bookmark on your Personal Space


Conversations About This Entry

Entry

A410086

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Written and Edited by

Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more