Ornithomancy is the practice of readingomens from the actions of birds followed in many ancient cultures including theGreeks, and is equivalent to theaugury employed by theancient Romans.
Ornithomancy in some form has been found globally among a wide variety of pre-industrial peoples.[1]
The modern term from Greekornis "bird" andmanteia "divination"; inAncient Greek: οἰωνίζομαι "take omens from the flight and cries of birds"
Prophesying by birds appeared among theHittites in Anatolia, with texts on bird oracles written in Hittite known from the 13th or 14th century BCE,[2] and from whom the Greek practice may derive.[3] It was also familiar to theEtruscans, who may have brought it to Rome.[4]
Ornithomancy dates back to early Greek times, appearing on Archaic vases, as well as inHesiod andHomer:[5] one notable example from the latter occurs in theOdyssey, when an eagle appears three times, flying to the right, with a dead dove in its talons, an augury interpreted as the coming of Odysseus, and the death of his wife'ssuitors.Aeschylus hasPrometheus claim to have introduced ornithomancy to mankind, by indicating among the birds “those by nature favourable, and those/Sinister”.[6]
Ornithomancy could be spontaneous, or it could be the result of a formal consultation:[7] the seer would face north, and birds on their right—the east, the direction of sunrise—were taken as favourable (the reverse being true of the Roman augur, who by contrast facedsouth).[8] Although it was mainly the flights and songs of birds that were studied, any action could have been interpreted to either foretell the future or relate a message from the gods.
Omens from observation of the flight of birds were considered with the utmost seriousness by Romans. The practice of ornithomancy by priests calledaugurs was a branch ofRoman national religion from before the founding of the city, which had its own priestly college to supervise its practice.[9]
The word "inauguration" is derived from the Latin nouninauguratio derived from the verbinaugurare which was to "take omens from birds in flight." Since Romanaugurs predominantly looked at birds for omens, they were also calledauspex ("bird watcher", pluralauspices), however they also interpreted thunder, lightning, the behavior of certain animals, and strange events. The phrase "under theauspices" is derived from this need for a favourable reading of the omens by the augurs.[10][11]
TheTaivoan people refer to the 'oh-ah, oh-ah' call of crows aspháinn-kiat-tiāu, signifying an omen of bad luck and could also indicate an impending attack by other indigenous communities. Hunters are advised not to leave for hunting if they heard such a call. The black bird sculptures, commonly seen on the roofs of the Public HallKong-kài in Taivoan communities likeRauron, are believed to represent crows.[14]
