THF. 



EDINBURGH ENCYCLOPAEDIA. 



lVINATION is often confounded with OMEN. The 

 two words, however, have peculiar and distinct mean- 

 ings. An omen is an indication of what is to come to 

 pass, which happens without the person seeking it, or 

 at least being instrumental in producing it ; whereas 

 divination is obtaining the knowledge of futurity by 

 some endeavour of our own. It is evident, however, 

 even after this distinction is made, that it will be diffi- 

 cult to determine under which division many supposed 

 indications of future events, to which superstitious peo- 

 ple give credence, ought to be placed. The supersti- 

 tions inferences that are drawn from certain animals 

 crossing the path, and from the flight of birds, &c. are 

 certainly, by this definition, to be considered as omens ; 

 but it is not easy to determine whether the superstitious 

 inferences, which were drawn by the ancients from the 

 appearance of the entrails, c. of their sacrifices, should 

 be classed under the head of divination or omens. 



It is not our intention in the present article, to enu- 

 merate all the species of divination which have been 

 and are practised by superstitious people ; but only to 

 notice those kinds or instances, which are less familiar 

 to general readers, or which are particularly curious. 



The Jews had many kinds of divination, most of 

 which arc descril>ed or mentioned in the Old Testament, 

 or by the Rabbinical commentators on it. Some of these, 

 however, seem to belong rather to the class of omens, 

 than to that of divination. The first kind was perform- 

 ed, by consulting the stars, clouds, signs, tokens, and 

 the like ; and is designated in the Old Testament by 

 the word monachesk. This, though reckoned a species 

 of divination by the Talmud, is evidently a species of 

 omen. The second kind was by a divining cup, which 

 is particularly mentioned in the 44th chapter of Genesis, 

 verses 5 and 15. The third mode was by consulting 

 familiar spirits ; and it is singular, that the Hebrew 

 word for this species, is very similar to the word whirl) 

 the Negroes apply to their Oboe man in the West In- 

 die*. The 4th species of Jewish divination was by in- 

 terrogrting the dead. The 5th seems to have consist- 

 ed in a species of legerdemain. The 6th is expressed 

 by a word, which signifies a mutterer. Besides these, 

 divination was practised by tcraphims,.by the flight of 



VOL. VIM. PART I. 



arrows, by the liver of beasts, by sticks and staves, &c: Divination. 

 The practice of divining by the raphim, or images, by ^^"Y"**' 

 the entrails of beasts, and by arrows, the Jews borrowed 

 from the Egyptians. The last mode, that of divining 

 by arrows, was also very common among the Arabians, 

 who continued to practise it till Mohammedism pre- 

 vailed, which, in several parts of the Koran, absolutely 

 forbids it. The arrows used for this purpose were 

 without heads or feathers, and were kept in the temple 

 of some idol, in whose presence they were consulted. 

 The divination, in general, was made by three only : 

 on one of which was written, " My Lord hath command- 

 ed me ;" on another, " My Lord hath forbidden me ;" 

 and the third was blank. If the first was drawn, it was 

 considered as approbation of the enterprise they were 

 about to undertake ; if the second, as disapprobation ; 

 and if the third, they drew them over again, till either 

 the first or second was drawn. This practice was also 

 used by the ancient Greeks. The other modes of divi- 

 ning used by the Greeks and Romans, we shall pass 

 over, as familiar to most of our readers. The ancient 

 Germans, besides the mode common to most nations, 

 that of divining by the entrails of beasts, had some so 

 peculiar as to deserve notice, especially as they seem to 

 confirm the hypothesis of the Persian origin, or affinity 

 of the Goths ; for, like the Persians, their most favour- 

 ed species of divination was drawn from the horse. Ta- 

 citus informs us, that by the neighing of a white horse, 

 which had never been subject to the yoke, they foretold 

 the success of the enterpnzes they were about to under- 

 take. Another mode of divining by this animal was 

 used by the Vandals. When they were about to com- 

 mence hostilities, they fixed three rows of spears up- 

 right in the ground, and across each row they placed 

 another spear ; a horse -was then brought out by the 

 priest, and led up to these rows, and if he touched ei- 

 ther of them first with his right foot, the omen was pro- 

 pitious, but if with his left it was adverse. 



The kinds of divination, to which superstition in 

 modern times has given belief, are not less numerous, 

 or less ridiculous, than those which were practised in 

 the days of profound ignorance. The divining rod, 

 which is mentioned in scripture, is still in some repute/ 



