Greek divination

Oracles

Oracles were individuals committed to and capable of vatic practice.

Amongst a number of others, there were Oracles at Delphi and Dodona, although Greek divination had less of an institutional facet.

Tiresias

Of all oracles of ancient Grecian culture and society, a man named Tiresias was thought as the most vital and important.

Zeus

Zeus was known as Zeus Moiragetes, which is to refer to the power of Zeus to know the fate of mortals. The newly-born Zeus himself learnt his fate by the Night and, accordingly, by Phanes, while within a dark cave.

Herodotus stated the earliest oracle was the oracle of Zeus located at Dodona, although archaeological remains at Delphi date to earlier. There was an oracle at Dodona from the 5th century BCE, although the oracle of Zeus might have still have had a practice at the same locus earlier, prior to construction of the temple, a possibility which seems probable since the temple remains show an oak tree at the location.

Apollo and Hermes

Apollo transfers to Hermes a skill in divination, which is divination by mantic dice. which Hermes didn't request but still was given. Speaking within the Hymn, Apollo expounds on the difficulty he experiences with his own divination, and then proceeds to provide the gift of divination to his brother, Hermes, though a lesser skill, because the mantic dice are not under the control and influence of the will of Zeus. Hermes skill at divination though inferior to the skill of Apollo is still of a divine nature.

The gift of Apollo is bee maidens with oracular abilities.

Apollo

Apollo is next to and most closely associated with the supreme knowledge of future events which is the possession of Zeus. Apollo was known as Apollo Moiragetes which is to refer to Apollo as the God of Fate. The oracle at Delphi gave oracles from Apollo.

Apollo in an oracular function is sometimes associated to both plague, and purification.

Evidence of the instruction of Apollo by Pan in divination is found within myth.

Hermes

Hermes is associated with lottery, otherwise known as cleromancy.

The triad of bee maidens are prophetic via Hermes.

Pan

In Arcadia Pan was the principal oracular deity instead of Apollo.

Methodologies

Greek practice made use of various techniques for divination. When considering making classification of divinatory practice it is possible to discern four types, these being, either direct or indirect, and, either spontaneous, or, artificial.

Direct

Direct divination is where and when a divinater might experience an experience of divination by way of dreaming and dreams, by way of a temporary experience of madness, or phrensy (frenzy), all of these things being a state into which an inspired recognition of truth is attained. A necessary condition is of the divinator having made his or her own effort to produce a state of being and mind which creates a precondition for an experience of divination. These efforts include, attested to historically, sleeping in conditions where-by dreams might be more likely to occur, inhaling mephitic vapour, the chewing of leaves from the bay plant, drinking of blood.

Indirect

This is divination where-by a divinator observes natural conditions and phenomenon

Augury

Was used by Grecians and is divination by omens. Practice still survives to the modern era (circa 2013).

Cleromancy

This is divination by throwing of lots, stones, or dice. Cleromancy was practiced at places including Dodona, and by the Pythia at Delphi.

Astragalomancy

Astragalomancy made utility of throws of the bones of sheep ( astragaloi) to be able to tell the future.

Extispicy

Divination by way of the making of a sacrifice took the form of examination of entrails, by which is meant the bowels, and also, or, viscera.

Enthusiastic

Enthusiastic prophecy is when a god speaks through the mouth of a divinater.

Hydromancy

Was used by Grecians and is divination by water. Practice still survives to the modern era (circa 2013).

Necromancy

This type of divination is a divination where the dead are utilized and consulted.

Pyromancy

Was used by Grecians and is divination by fire. Practice still survives to the modern era (circa 2013).

Stikhomanteia

Divination of this type is achieved by utilizing writings, either by scraps of paper with writing upon them chosen from within a vessel, or by opening a book at random. The former (first) of these two type was practiced by the Sibylline oracles.

Thriai

This is divination by using pebbles. The Thriai were personification of this type of divination.

Prometheus

The god Prometheus gave the gift of divination to humanity.

Aeschylus wrote Prometheus Bound during the 5th century BCE in which Prometheus founded all the art of civilization including divination. This he did by stealing fire from the gods and gifting this fire to humankind. The 5th century BCE telling is a re-telling of a story told by Hesiod within the 8th century BCE

Caves

Prophecy is associated with caves and grottoes within Greek divination, and the Nymphs and Pan were associated variously with caves.

The Nymphs and Pan as precursors for divination

Pan was able to dwell within people, which is known as panolepsy. A degree of possession of an individual by a nymph is known as nympholepsy.

Pan

Panolepsy is a cause of inspirational states of mind, ergo, abilities of a mantic nature.

Epilepsy

Greek thinkers thought epileptic fitting ergo epilepsy had an origin with a divinity, and the means of making this association is thought through divination. This conclusion on the consciousnesses of ancient Greek thinkers is drawn by the fact of the sheer number of divine signs observed within society of the time, and the propensity of people to know a variety things as all having divine causes.