Ophiomancy
Ophiomancy (from Ancient Greek ὄφις (óphis) 'snake' and μαντεία (manteía) 'divination'){{Cite web |title=Etymology of "ophiomancy" by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/ophiomancy |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=etymonline |language=en-US}} is a form of divination that interprets omens from the appearance or behavior of snakes.{{Cite journal |last=Unknown |date=2020-12-22 |title=Ophiomancy |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/did/did2222.0003.926/--ophiomancy?rgn=main;view=fulltext |journal=Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert - Collaborative Translation Project}}
History
Belief in the prophetic significance of snakes possesses a long and geographically diverse history, emerging in various cultures across the globe.
Within Ancient Greece, snakes held strong associations with deities of healing, most notably Asclepius. Their appearances, particularly within dreams or during religious ceremonies, were sometimes interpreted as omens or divine messages.{{Cite web |title=Divination in Ancient Greek III. Earth and the Dead {{!}} Charles Explorer |url=https://nomos.is.cuni.cz/publication/514836?query=Divinity&lang=en |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=nomos.is.cuni.cz |language=en}}
In Zoroastrianism, snakes could be interpreted either as positive or negative omens.{{Cite book |url=https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/11122#page=83 |title=Officina Magica: Essays on the Practice of Magic in Antiquity |date=2021-10-25 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-474-0784-3 |editor-last=Shaked |editor-first=Shaul |language=en |chapter=Lunar and snake omens among the Zoroastrian}}
The narrative of the serpent in the Garden of Eden holds a pivotal position within Abrahamic religions. According to Duane E. Smith, the narrative of the serpent in the Garden of Eden can be interpreted in the context of Mesopotamian ophiomancy.{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Duane E. |date=2015 |title=The Divining Snake: Reading Genesis 3 in the Context of Mesopotamian Ophiomancy |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.15699/jbl.1341.2015.2757# |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=134 |issue=1 |pages=31–49 |doi=10.15699/jbl.1341.2015.2757 |issn=0021-9231}}
The methodologies employed in interpreting omens from snakes likely exhibited variation depending on the cultural context and the specific circumstances of the observation. Interpretations could be derived from a range of factors, including the species of snake encountered, its specific behaviors (such as its manner of movement, patterns of coiling, instances of striking, or the shedding of skin), the location and time of the sighting, and any unusual physical characteristics it might possess.{{Cite web |title=Websters Dictionary 1828 - Webster's Dictionary 1828 - Ophiomancy |url=https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/ophiomancy |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Websters Dictionary 1828 |language=en-US}}
References
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Bibliography
- {{Cite book |title=Officina Magica |year=2021 |isbn=978-90-47-40784-3 |language=en |url=https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/11122#page=83 |editor-last=Shaked |editor-first=Shaul |volume=4}}