A FURTHER Divination GUIDE Company, 197 Tism
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32 -Ologies & A FURTHER DIViNATION GUIDE Company, 197 tism. Take y< METOPOSCOI ination of thE NAUSCOPY. ing ships or DMITRI A. BORGMANN Dayton, Washington OMOPLATOS< blotched or c In the May 1982 issue of Word Ways, Paul Hellweg presented a ONE I ROSCOF list of 124 English words designating various forms of divination. All of the terms listed ended in the combining form -MANCY, which OOSCOPY. [ specifically means "divination." ORNISCOPY. A second, though considerably smaller, group of words denoting ORNlTHOSCC forms of divination ends in the combining form -SCOPY, meaning "observation, scruti ny I exami nation." Si nce this addi tiona I group PYROSCOPY. seems never to have been collected anywhere, I present a first SCATOSCOP) list of -SCOPY terms for divination here. Readers are invited to expand the list, as well as to compile lists of divination terms TERATOSCOI ending in still other suffixes or combining forms. BLETONISM, for All of the instance, is the faculty for discovering subterranean streams or either from springs through supernatural means, as by using a divining rod. Dictionary. 1 BRONTOSCOPY. Divination of the omen of a clap of thunder. Hellweg's lis graphical en CERAUNOSCOPY. The observance of thunder as an omen; alternativ ly as a vari ely, divination by means of lightning. term (see be DEUTEROSCOPY. Clairvoyance, second sight, or prophetic vision. wi th names E of the two s1= GELOSCOPY. An inferior form of the term GELOTOSCOPY. CHAOMANCY GELOTOSCOPY. Divination of someone I s character or future from the individual's way of laughing. COUNTERNEI HEPATOSCOPY. Divination by inspecting the livers of animals. leaving its s DAPHNOMAN HIEROSCOPY. Divination by obserVing the objects offered in sacri fice; a Iternatively, divi nation by inspecting the entrails of sacri HIDROMANC ficial victims. , tion. HOROSCOPY. The art of determining the future from the positions L IBANOMANI of the heavenly bodies. f MACHAEROM HYDATOSCOPY. Divination by means of water, as by observing the ebb and flow of tides, or by crystal vision. PESSOMANC' KERA UNOSCOPY or KERAUNOSCOP IA. Divination by thunder. It in I t is POSSl trigues me how one can watch or see thunder. suIting other Dictionary of LECANOSCOPY. The practice of gazing fixedly at water in a ba includes the sin. None of the major dictionaries explains the reason for so ob APANTOMAN serving water. Since lecanomancy is divination by throwing three stones into water in a basin and invoking the aid of a demon (Cen hazardly. tury Dictionary, 1889-1891), one may assume that lecanoscopy --is ARITHOMAN an allied form of divinatIon. A minor dictionary (Howard G. Zettler, ing numbers) 33 -Ologies & -Isms: A Thematic Dictionary, Detroit, Gale Research Company, 1978), however, defines the term as a form of self-hypno tism. Take your pick! 'j METOPOSCOPY. The art of telling someone' s fortune from an exam- ination of the markings on his or her forehead or face. NAUSCOPY. The pretended power or act, or the gi ft, of di scover ing ships or land at great distances. OMOPLATOSCOPY. Divination by observing a shoulder blade that is blotched or cracked in a fire. presented a ONEIROSCOPY. The art of interpreting dreams. divination. \NCY, which OOSCOPY. Divination by means of inspecting eggs. ORN ISCOPY. Divi nation by observing birds and thei r flight. ds denoting ORNITHOSCOPY. Divination by observing birds and their flight. Y, meaning lonal group PYROSCOPY. Divination by means of fire or flames. ent a first SCATOSCOPY. Divination by inspecting dung. invited to ,ation terms TERATOSCOPY. Divination by observi ng prodigies or monstrosities. TON ISM , for All of the terms both in Hellweg' s list and in mine are taken streams or ei ther from Webster's Second Edition or from The Oxford English ling rod. Dictionary. Ask not why - some things are better left unexplored. ,der. Hellweg I s list includes at least two errors: ARlTHOMANCY is a typo graphical error for ARI THMOMANCY, and HIDROMANCY is given mere alternativ ly as a variant of HYDROMANCY, whereas it is also an independent term (see below). The list omits at least seven forms of divination c vision. with names ending in -MANCY, all of them included in one or both of the two specified dictionaries: CHAOMANCY. Divination by observing the air. future from COUNTERNECROMANCY. Webster's Second does not defi ne this word, leaving its signification to our imagination. limals. DAPHNOMANCY. Divination by means of a laurel tree. ~d in sacri ls of sacri- HIDROMANCY. Divination by means of an individual's perspira tion. ~e positions '1 LlBANOMANCY. Divination by burning incense. I MACHAEROMANCY. Divination by means of knives or swords. I observing PESSOMANCY. Divination by means of pebbles. It is possible to make further additions to Hellweg I s list by con der. It in sulting other reference works. As an example, Harry E. Wedeck's Dictionary of Spiritualism (New York: Philosophical Library, 1971) :r in a ba includes the seven following additIonal terms: for so ob APANTOMANCY. Divinahon by observing objects that appear hap Jwing three jemon (Cen hazardly. lOSCOpy is ARlTHOMANCY. An error for ARlTHMOMANCY (divination by observ G. Zettler, ing numbers). 34 CAUSIMOMANCY. Divination by casting objects into a fire. KNOW TH CRITOMANCY. Divination by observing the paste of cakes and the barley flour sprinkled over a sacrificial victim. Probably a variant of, or an error for, CR I THOMANCY. OVOMANCY. Divination by putting eggs on a fire and observing how they break. Possibly, an error for OOMANCY. PEGNOMANCY. Divination by means of a wand. DMITRI A. Be PHYLLORHODOMANCY. Divination by observing rose leaves. Dayton, Wash Wedeck's work also provides an additional term ending in -SCOPY: The Septerr MOLEOSCOPY. The prediction of future events in an individual's readers to n life through studying the shape and location of his or her moles. each. The m think of mor The 1961 Edition of Collier's Encyclopedia lists the following in mind, as seven additionaI terms: LIP, RIB, an AXIOMANCY. Divination using a floating or turning axe. In some w CHARTOMANCY. Divination using a deck of Tarot cards. my attention shaws Editor CIROMANCY. Divination using wax. the two of l KYPOMANCY. Divination using tea leaves in a cup. sented a list MEILOMANCY. Divination using the location, size, and number such as DOG, tions such as of an individual's moles. A decade 1 NEPHELOMANCY. Divination by observing clouds. figurativel PHYSIOGMANCY [sic]. Divination by observing an individual's 66 of the thr face. man. It is, what must The 1970 Edition of The Encyclopedia Americana provides one listed above additiona1 -MANCY and one additiona 1 -SCOPY term: remaining 56 NEOMANCY. Divination based on the distribution of moles on the AIR. A mi body - the third such term! any living I OPHTHALMOSCOPY. Divination by examining an individual's eyes. such a being sidered in it~ In Chapter 25 of the third book of Gargantua and Pantagruel, Rabelais mentions 32 forms of divination ending either in -MANCY ALA. The a or in -SCOPY, including these two: ANI. The CHOIROMANCY. Divination by means of swine. type in the 1 ONYOMANCY. Divination by rubbing wax and oil over revela tory ARC. The fingerna ils. more neurons BAG. The 1 1965 Edition I BAR. Merc; ridge joining the bladder tion) . BED. The in which a f1 BOW. The' .