Augury

Roman origin

"Augury" comes from the Latin augurium, derived from augur: the specialist priest. The etymology is debated (it may come from avi-, "bird", or from augere, "to increase, to make grow"). The augurs formed an official Roman priestly college, with constitutional prerogatives: no important public act (assemblies, battles, foundations) could be celebrated without first consulting the auspices.

The augur observed the flight of birds within a templum (an imaginary quadrant of the sky, divided by stick into four parts). Relevant details: the side from which the bird appeared (left = sinistra, not necessarily bad; right = dextra, generally positive), the height, the direction of the turn, the song, the number of birds. Each combination had codified interpretation.

Significant birds

In the Roman tradition, not all birds were equal: eagle (Jupiter, maximum authority), raven and crow (Apollo, messengers of news), owl (Minerva, wisdom — but also funerary omen if it appears in an inappropriate place), vulture (Fortuna, foundation of Rome — Romulus saw it before founding the city).

In later popular traditions, other birds add symbolism: dove (peace, love, gentle message), seagull (changes, journeys), magpie (gossip, thief), stork (births, home), rooster (awakening, alert). In Spanish folklore related beliefs survive: a swallow that enters the house announces news; seeing seven magpies is a specific sign; the song of the cuckoo marks the beginning of something.

Augury today

In the contemporary world, formal Roman augury is not practised, but attention to bird signs is still alive in many traditions. Some people report important synchronicities with appearances of specific birds at key moments of their lives. Without a system as rigid as the Roman one, the practice of paying symbolic attention to the birds that cross your path remains, especially when the question is important.