a little Schott

TECHNIQUES OF DIVINATION


observing facial features...................................anthroposcopy
analyzing currents of water..............................bletonism
studying the passage of smoke........................capnomancy
behavior of birds...............................................augury
looking into fire.................................................pyromancy
examinatioin of arrows....................................belomancy
interpreting oil poured on water....................leconomancy
studying the entrails of animals......................haruspicy
shadows or ghosts.............................................sciomancy
examination of ashes........................................spodomancy
studying bones...................................................osteomancy
analysis of numbers..........................................arithmancy
interpretation of random(often biblical)texts..bibliomancy
becoming dizzy and falling...............................gyromancy
looking at fountains and springs....................pegomancy
randomly drawing lots.....................................sortilege
studying patterns in the flight of birds..........ornithomancy
observation of lights or candles......................lampadomancy
examining the entrails of sacrificial victims..hieroscopia
interpretation of laughter................................geloscopy
burning straw on hot iron................................sideromancy
analysis of pebbles............................................pessomancy





-from Schott's Original Miscellany

Comments

Anonymous said…
A little Schott indeed.
Anonymous said…
That observation of facial features is talked about in the Stone Gap books by that lady...the Art of Chinese Face Reading or something. I always wondered if it was a real book.

(Yes, I'm a librarian...but I guess since I listen to them in my car and there's no internet in my car...)

Sorry...your flickr collage has me sort of mesmerized...I wonder if that could be a form of divination...flickrmancy...
Joke said…
Sortilege is a fun word to say. Sounds like something to order at Les Halles.

-J.
Anonymous said…
Burning straw on a hot iron? hmmm.

But studying the passage of smoke is something that's falling out of fashion, I reckon.
Anonymous said…
And the ever popular "necromancy"
nec·ro·man·cy
–noun 1. a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead;

a living lurker....
Anonymous said…
I love Schott! His book on food and drink is also great, as is the one on sport...
Anonymous said…
Mancy and Scopy are buddies!Then they met Scopia and things got weird.