Divination and Animals

There are hundreds of types of Divination which have been practiced throughout recorded history, as early as in Babylonian times. Divination is defined as the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.

One type of Divination directly involves the anatomy or behavior of animals. Known by the Romans as Harupiscy, this method of foretelling the future consists of thoroughly examining and analyzing a specific body part of a sacrificial and/or sacred animal.

The most popular animals to use in Divining are chickens and sheep, although there are many documented cases involving the use of snakes, insects and other small animals. Many specifics about the practice of Divination are unknown to the outsider or tourist, because they are carefully kept within each individual family, tribe or culture. However, even the smallest details of the Divining process have been passed down through the generations through the oral tradition.

Although Divination practices are most commonly associated with ancient civilizations, many cultures are still executing this prediction ritual in the modern world. The Dominican Republic and certain peoples in West Africa, such as the Yoruba tribe, are keeping the Divination custom alive.

Chicken Bone Divination

This form of Divination is varied depending on the geographical region the Divination is taking place in. The earliest form of it entailed the tossing of chicken bones into the middle of a designated circle on the ground. This type of Divination is called Cleromancy. The foretelling of the future lied within the resting placement of the bones in relation to the distance they landed from either a letter of the alphabet or a number symbol. Many experts believe that this was the first form of number and letter association with the future, and that this practice paved the way for modern day Tarot card use.

In modern day Dominican Republic, this ritual has undertaken a more specific type of bone Divination. Only the thigh bones are used in predicting their future events or omens. They are held by hand and the seeker examines the angle of any holes in the bones, using small bamboo pieces (similar to a forensics examination of a bullet trajectory) to glean meaning about what is to come for themselves or for their loved ones.

Sheep Liver Divination

Early accounts of Babylonian liver Divination can be found in Book of Ezekiel in the Bible. “For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the household idols, he looks at the liver.”

A sheep liver replica made of ceramic is housed in the British Museum and it dates between 2050 and 1750 BC. It was a teaching tool used by those who wanted an exact idea of what the flaws in the sheep’s liver meant for their future fortune or misfortune.

Chicken Feed Divination

In ancient Roman times, certain special and sacred chickens were kept in cages and used for a ceremony of predicting future events. They were kept hungry and were closely examined when feed was present. If they chose to eat the feed in a lively and enthusiastic way, when presented with it, the omen was thought to be good, while if they ignored the food, this indicated a bad omen.