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Throughout history, humans have been fascinated with the unknown future. From ancient times, we've searched for omens and signs in the world around us, hoping they would reveal our destinies or help us avert danger. Here are 10 of the most bizarre tools used for fortune-telling throughout the ages.
10. Augury: Divination Through Birds
The ancient Romans had a deep fascination with birds as omens. People from all walks of life would interpret their fortunes by observing the species, calls, and flight patterns of birds soaring in the sky.
Chickens, in particular, played a key role in predicting the results of battles. Priests would scatter grain in front of specially raised chickens, and the birds' enthusiasm for eating was believed to mirror the likely success of the Roman forces that day. It may sound strange, but it proved quite accurate in at least one famous instance.
During the First Punic War against Carthage, Roman consul Publius Claudius Pulcher commanded the Roman navy. He consulted the chickens, hoping to determine the ideal day to launch an attack on the Carthaginian fleet.
However, the chickens showed little interest in his plan and refused to eat. Pulcher, undeterred, had the chickens thrown overboard, stating, “If they won’t eat, let them drink!” He proceeded to send his ships into battle, which ended in a devastating defeat.
Pulcher was summoned back to Rome and put on trial—not for losing the battle, but for the sacrilegious act of killing the sacred chickens. He was exiled and passed away shortly thereafter.
9. Osteomancy: Divination Using Bones
Bones have been among the most commonly used tools for fortune-telling. The Zulu people of Africa relied on the patterns formed by scattered bones to predict the future. In ancient China, inscriptions or paintings were made on bones or turtle shells, which were then heated until they cracked. The diviner would interpret the crack patterns and sizes to find answers.
The early Scottish inhabitants practiced a form of osteomancy called slinneanachd, where the shoulder bone of a cooked animal was consulted. But there was a challenge for the querent—they had to remove all the flesh from the bone without ever touching it with iron, such as a fork or knife.
8. Alphitomancy: Divination Through Bread
In the ancient world, alphitomancy was commonly used to solve crimes. Suspects would be gathered, each given a piece of blessed bread or cake made from barley. For the innocent, it was just a harmless snack. However, the guilty party would often experience stomach pains, indigestion, or even choking.
Even those who found the cake unpleasant were considered guilty. It’s believed that the bread was intentionally poisoned to ensure that the person the judge sought to accuse would fall ill.
7. Gastromancy: Divination Through Stomach Rumbles
Gastromancy is the practice of divining the future by interpreting the “sounds and signs of the belly.” The noises made by digestion were believed to be the voices of the dead, which the seer would decode as if in a trance. Some scholars suggest that those who interpreted (or even created) these sounds were the precursors to modern ventriloquists.
Renaissance writer Dr. Francois Rabelais recorded that this method was “for a long time together used in Ferrara by Lady Giacoma Rodogina, the eugastrimythian prophetess.” Over time, gastromancy evolved to include divination with round, belly-shaped objects like water goblets or crystal balls, which remain popular tools today.
6. Margaritomancy: Divination By Pearls
Margaritomancy might sound like it has something to do with mystical insights found at the bottom of a margarita glass, but it's actually an ancient practice of divination involving heating a pearl until it jumps or shatters. Pearls were considered magical by the ancients, as they are the only gems created by living creatures. However, due to the value of the materials, this practice was probably not commonly used.
A typical method involved placing a pearl into a cast-iron pot over a fire. As the diviner read aloud a list of names of people suspected of theft, the pearl would begin to move when the name of the guilty party was spoken. Another version suggests that the pearl would only stir when a guilty person approached it.
5. Anthropomancy: Divination Through Human Sacrifice
Anthropomancy (also known as antinopomancy) is one of the most disturbing methods of divination. Evidence of human sacrifice has been found across nearly every part of the world. This practice was often believed to appease the gods, though it may have also been used as a way to seek answers from them.
While this practice was often associated with and included extispicy—examining the organs of animal and human sacrifices—anthropomancy was more focused on the actual moment of death. Predictions were made based on the death throes, the quantity and intensity of screams, the direction of blood flow, or even the way the victim's body fell after death.
One of the most famous instances of anthropomancy in Western history occurred when the seer Spurinna, according to Roman historian Suetonius, warned Julius Caesar to beware the Ides of March after performing a grim divination.
4. Myomancy: Divination By Mouse
In many ancient cultures, mice and rats were considered ominous symbols of misfortune and disaster. Beyond being a clear indication that your grain supplies were under threat, mice were believed to foretell all kinds of trouble.
Myomancy could involve interpreting the movements of mice within a specific area or listening to the sound of their squeaks. While the idea of your doom being foretold by the tiny, high-pitched squeaks of a mouse might seem somewhat cute, the ancients took it very seriously. Mice gnawing at treasures in a Roman temple were thought to signal the onset of the first Roman civil war, and dictator Fabius Maximus even retired early after the squeak of a mouse predicted his doom.
3. Scatomancy: Divination Through Poop
Indeed, seers and magic practitioners from various ancient cultures were known to predict a person's future by examining their excrement. The Egyptians took scatomancy a step further by not only studying the feces but also observing the behavior of dung beetles, which roll the feces into balls during their mating rituals. The speed and movement of the beetles, as well as the marks they left behind, were all considered in the final prediction.
Staring at poop to uncover hidden knowledge may seem like something only ancient barbarians would do. However, modern doctors still engage in scatology, the practice of analyzing stool samples, to assess a patient's health. It may be unpleasant, but it works.
2. Molybdomancy: Divination By Molten Metal
Molybdomancy is a form of divination that dates back to the Greek and Roman Empires, and it spread to Germany and the Nordic countries through Imperial conquests. A metal that melts easily, such as lead or tin, is heated over a fire and then poured into cold water. As it cools, the metal quickly solidifies into strange shapes, which are then interpreted for their meaning.
This practice continues as a New Year’s tradition in Finland, where each family member receives a small horseshoe-shaped piece of tin to melt. The melted tin is poured into cold water and the cooled shapes are held up to a candle flame. The shadows they cast are believed to reveal events that will happen in the coming year.
1. Dactylomancy: Divination By Jeweled Rings
The typical image of a fortune-teller draped in glittering shawls and adorned with an abundance of jewelry might hold some truth if the fortune-teller practices dactylomancy, the most glamorous form of divination.
Dactylomancy has many variations. One well-known form dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe and involved a set of seven rings. Each ring was made of a different material, each corresponding to a specific day of the week.
Though the exact method remains unclear, it is likely that the correct ring was rolled across or hovered above a table marked with letters. The letters that the ring touched were considered part of a message.
In modern times, a simpler version of dactylomancy is practiced by using a ring or other small object suspended from a string. The answers are interpreted based on the direction in which the ring swings.
