Alectryomancy, reading the future
ALECTRYOMANCY
Greek alektor, rooster. Ancient legend which assumes that it is possible to find a stone with magical powers in the stomach of some cocks. Come to possess it acquires a talisman with esoteric powers. Alectryomancy expression arises from the union of alektor , Rooster, with manteia, divination. One of the ways to foretell the future with enough precision was put a rooster in the center of a circle formed by grains, where each bead represented one letter. He would then that chose the cock and swallow grain by grain, and that succession of grains/lyrics was forming words just indicating the destination. Eraessential to the future could explain with a few letters, clear is. One of the most curious stories was that of two fortune tellers who reported that the successor of the emperor would be Teodoro, as the cock had risen lyrics/beads T, E O, D, O and that was enough. Although the Emperor Theodosius. What a thing! Close walked the rooster, as even today with the gurus of all kinds.
Divination has been pressing subject at all times. I guess has a divine root, because it is considered to the gifted as possessor of a gift granted by the gods. Humans, especially the powerful, had no patience to wait for the outcome of their acts, living surrounded by farsighted and resorted to all formulas possible to anticipate events. Perhaps because they had little faith in their actions.
In the Bible, in the Old Testament and in other documents, there are several mentions on various forms of divination through the revision of the liver (hepatoscopy); the interpretation of dreams (oniromancia); the name of the people (onomancia); analyzing the urine (uromancia); summoning the dead (necromancy or necromancy); by means of magical staves (rabdomancia); by the lines of the face (metoposcopia); by means of cards (Cartomancy); practiced by a person who walked in circles to get dizzy and fall (gyromancy): according to the point where his head was obtained a signal about the future; by the lines of the Palm of the hand (palmistry); by sound that make precious stones (lecanomancia); divination practiced on the head of a donkey (cefalonomancia); by the vision of aerial phenomena, lightning, clouds, hail (aeromancy); with salt (alomancia); examination of traces remaining on the nails of children after having been smeared with oil and soot (onicomancia); filling the mouth of a defendant with flour. If you swallow it though with difficulties, it was considered innocent. If he drowned, was clear his guilt because he had died already sentenced by the judgement of the flour.
There is even a system of divination by means of dc storms (ceraunomancia) and a ceraunomctro is a device for measuring the intensity of the rays and lightning, but this is not magic.
A very demonstrative passage is Genesis (40:9-41:46) when Joseph interprets the dreams of the Butler and the Baker of the Pharaoh who had been imprisoned by the monarch. Butler told: «I dreamed that in front of me there was a vine and three branches (the vine stem). Just vine gave outbreaks, they left flowers and ripened the grapes in their clusters. The Pharaoh's Cup was in my hands. I took the grapes and exprimí them and gave the Cup to the Pharaoh.
"Jose said: three clusters represent three days." Within three days Pharaoh you pardon and you put the Cup in your hands as you inquiring to do so when you were his Butler.
"Then the Baker told: I had on my head three Wicker baskets full of bread and the birds ate them." "Joseph replied: the three baskets are three days, when the Pharaoh will send you to kill, and the birds will feed your remains". "It so happened as had guessed Jose.
"Two years later was himself Pharaoh who dreamed that he was next to the Nile when he saw climb to seven cows beautiful and robust. Back, came seven squalid and ugly cows that ate the fat cows. He then returned to sleep and had another dream: seven ears large and thriving out of a same stem. But immediately after sprouted seven ears, thin and burnt by the wind. These are devoured large pegs loaded with grains. The next morning he commanded to call all the magicians, but none could give interpretation to sleep. Then released Butler suggested calling the young Hebrew, Jose, and Pharaoh sent to look for it. Joseph interpreted the dream warning the Pharaoh that they represented the same. Egypt would have seven years of abundance and then seven years of famine which asolarían the country. The only possible salvation was to designate a prudent and wise man who administer the harvests of the good years to solve the famine. Pharaoh appointed Joseph as the second authority of the Kingdom. Joseph accumulated during the seven years of plenty and gathered as many beads as the sand of the sea'. And all countries suffering hunger came to Egypt for food. And up to Joseph's own brothers filled their troubles when they came to ask for help."
The expression related to the times of fat and skinny cows has reached our days, as well as the ongoing need to envision the future, although as the Chinese say: "is very difficult to do omens. Especially about the future". The remarkable Jose is coming from a very complex adventure in Genesis (1:39).
The captain of the guard of the Pharaoh's name Potiphar, relied both on it letting it go and come to your own liking, and manage it all. Joseph was also good looking. The wife of Potiphar cast her eyes and tried to conquer it, without success. The woman insisted both until one day tore the coat of Joseph and broken, cried out that the young man had tried to seduce her. It was imprisoned, its capacity and the assistance of the Lord became also the prison administrator, until it became the subject of dreams. Joseph ended as Prime Minister and then ruler of all Egypt.