Astragalomancy
Astragalomancy is the divinatory art of casting astragalos (small bones from the heel of sheep or goats) and reading the configuration in which they fall. Variant of dadomancy with bones — direct precursor of the modern dice. Practised since ancient times in Greece, Rome and many other cultures.
Origin and history
The word "astragalomancy" comes from the Greek astragalos ("astragalus, vertebra, talus heel bone") and manteia ("divination"). The astragalus is a small bone of the heel of cloven-hoofed mammals (sheep, goats, calves) of irregular roughly hexahedral shape; can fall on four different specific stable sides. Greeks and Romans used 4 astragali in play and divination, casting them on the table and reading the resulting combination.
The combinations had names: the "throw of Aphrodite" (most fortunate — the four astragali falling on different sides), the "throw of Midas", etc. Each combination was interpreted by codified manuals. Roman soldiers consulted before battles. Roman emperors in important political decisions. The practice survived through the Middle Ages and gradually evolved into the cubic dice we use today (more regular, with six identical faces — but the practice of cubic-dice divination, dadomancy, continues the original astragalomantic principle).
Method
In the simplest version of the practice: 1) Get 4 real astragali (still available in some specialist suppliers; or use 4 modern dice as adapted version). 2) Concentrate on the question. 3) Cast on a smooth surface (cloth or table). 4) Note how they fall. 5) Read the combination according to your tradition or consulted manual. The names of the four sides of the original Greek astragalus: chios (1 point — bad), kybos (3 — good), tetra (4 — neutral), kos (6 — excellent). Sum all and consult interpretation tables.
In modern adaptation, you can use 4 standard dice (faces 1-6) and read by sum + frequency of repetitions. Sum 4 (all 1s) = poor or pessimistic energy. Sum 24 (all 6s) = full success. Most combinations between these extremes have specific interpretations that you can develop with your own practice. Ancient astragalomancy is more poetic and ceremonial than precise modern divination — it is more useful as simple meditative oracle than for specific predictive answers.
Also known as
- Bone divination
- Astragali oracle
- Pre-cubic dice divination