Back to Home Page or Contents Page or Divination or Index

Anthropomancy


Divination of human entrails. This horrid form of divination is very ancient. Herodotus wrote that Menelaus practiced it when detained in Egypt because of contrary winds. Because of his barbarous curiosity he sacrificed two country children in order to discover his destiny.

Also, Heligabalus practiced anthropomancy.

Julian the Apostate incorporated anthropomancy in his magical operations. He had large numbers of children killed so he could read their entrails. During his last experiment at Carra, in Mesopotamia, he enclosed himself within the Temple of the Moon, and having performed all manner of evil within, he had the Temple doors sealed and placed a guard there so no one would enter until his return. However, he was killed in battle with the Persians. When men of Julian's successor entered the Temple at Carra they discovered a woman hanging by her hair with her liver torn out.

It is speculated that the infamous Gilles De Laval also performed such hideous species of this divination. A.G.H.

Source: 9.