Discuss both the role of seers within at least one Indo-European culture and the relationship of seers to other members of the society, including in that discussion how seers or visionaries would have supported themselves or how they would have been supported by their people. (minimum two paragraphs)

Seers (Mantis) played a very important role in Greek society.  There were two main types of Mantis.  The first type was stationary and worked in temples as oracles.  A prime example of this type of Mantis can be seen at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, also known as the Oracle of Delphi, and Apollo's personal Mantis, the Pythia.  These seers often were appointed to office for life and were supported by sacrifices brought to the temple by petitioners.  Certain cuts of meat from the animals given by worshippers would go to the Mantis, as would the pelt of the animal, which could be sold in the local markets. Seers of this type were highly profitable for local towns, because if the oracles was popular enough, then tourism it brought would bring a great deal of traffic to local merchants. These types of seers were often talked up in how accurate and powerful they were, as to heighten the popularity, and hopefully bring more petitioners. 

“Nor was it only priests who made out well...local hotels and taverns had a steady trade in housing and feeding visitors.  Those who sold the animals to be sacrificed and , merchants who sold small objects for people to dedicate to the God benefited too.” (p.35, Johnston)

These Seers also could claim direct, divine inspiration from the Gods, often through means such as vapors, or a mirror lowered into a well of water.  Many of the sites where the Oracles were founded often had “creation myths,” in which a God would give a sign that a temple was to be built there and that it was a spot that was good for oracular activities. This aspect of the Oracles might be why most political decisions were made with advice obtained from these seers, and military campaigns often did not begin without at lease one consultation with the Oracles.

The second type of seer often traveled from town to town. These seers would offer palm readings, augury (ornithoskopoi), spirit possession consultation, dream interpretation (oneirokritai), and many other forms of divination and spell work. These independent seers often interpreted omens for small charges, and were often accused of being charlatans. Many operated on the edges of society, and did not hold the high respect and prestige that the seers of the temples did. Despite all this, these seers were fairly common and seemed to move through society with little trouble.

“Begging priests and manteis go to the doors of the rich and convince them that by means of sacrifices and incantations they have accumulated a wealth of power from the Gods, which enables them to cure any injustice committed by a person or his ancestors through pleasant festivals. Moreover, if anyone wants to harm an enemy, either justly or unjustly, he will be enabled to do so for a small cost, since priests and manteis are master spells to invoke ghosts and spells to bind people...” (Plato, Republic 364b5-365a3)

Many of traveling seers would claim descent from Apollo, or from a long line of seers. “We must be careful, however not to leap to the conclusion that the Greeks always understood divinatory talents to be what we would nowadays call “genetically determined.”  That is, although such talents might sometimes be viewed as inheritable...they could also be viewed as skills that a parent taught to a child.”(p. 110, Johnston) The seers also often belonged to guilds which traced their founding back to other famous seers. “Sometimes, the guilds are better known than their mythic founders...Often, even when the guild of a mantis is mentioned, a full family pedigree is given as well.” (p.110, Johnston)

One place where the traveling Mantis held great importance was on the battle field.  While the stationary Oracle would be consulted before starting a war campaign, the battle field Mantis would be consulted as to timing for attacks. Alexander the Great often consulted his mantis, Aristander, before battle.

Both types of seer seemed to play an important role in society.  There was a bit of competition between the two groups, but both found niches that allowed them to coexist peacefully.

Sources:

“Ancient Greek Divination,” by Sarah Iles Johnston. Wiley-Blackwell Press (2008).

“The Republic,” by Plato as translated by Desmond Lee. Penguin Books (2003).

“The Seer in Ancient Greece, by Michael Attyah Flower. University of California Press (2009).

Within the context of a single paleo-pagan Indo-European culture, discuss three different forms of divination or seership, and give an example of each. (minimum 100 words each)

There is a great deal of information on Greek divination in its many varied forms. One common form of Greek divination was Haruspicy1, or the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals. Entrails were used as a way to interpret the wishes of the Gods. There are many sources that attest to the consultation of entrails to predict the future as well.  As Cicero once said, “Nearly everyone uses entrails in divination” (Divination 1.10). Examples of its use can be seen on attic vases as well being mentioned in texts written by Xenophon in which he speaks of entrail readings being preformed shortly before battles. Plato also spoke of the practice in Timaeus.

Entrails were taken from animals that were commonly sacrificed at the various temples, and often entrail readings were taken during these celebrations just before the meat from the sacrifice had been distributed to the celebrants.  This allowed the ritual leaders to know if the sacrifice had been accepted or not. One theory developed by the Stoic school of philosophy for why the Gods spoke through the body parts of slain animals was called “sympatheia (συμπάθεια)” 2. Sympatheia asserted that the divine realms and beings were connected to every part of creation, including the animals being led to the knife. This connection left marks that could be discerned and interpreted because divine entities’ greater movements would affect smaller things and beings on Earth.  The liver tended to be the organ of choice, but the Gods might motivate a diviner to a better organ during the reading.3 Abnormalities of the organs were considered extremely important messages and a single organ could be divided up into different segments which would have specific meanings.

Animals seemed to play important roles in several form of divination used by the Greeks.  Another form of divination that concerns animals is that of “Oionomanteia.4” This system of divination used birds (especially birds of prey) as a means of interpreting the will of the Gods. The person who read the bird signs was called an Auspice.5

“The birds of clearest omen were the great birds of prey--hawks," Apollo's swift messengers,"  and eagles, "the birds of Zeus." It was a good omen if the birds flew from left to right, a bad omen if in the reverse direction.” 6

Perhaps it is because birds fly in the heavens, and are thus closer to the Gods than land bound humans, that they were considered by Cicero and other writers as the most important means for the Divinities to communicate with the mortal world.7  We do not have a list of specific rules which the Auspice would use to judge what exactly the Gods were trying to say by sending a bird flying by. We do know from Roman and other nations that used Oionomanteia, that an Auspice would be required to stand and look in a particular direction when he surveyed the sky. Noises the birds made, or how they flew would also affect how the omen was interpreted.

“We do know, however, that Greek oionoskopeis distinguished between right and left, with right generally being positive and left negative.8 .

The last form of Greek divination I wish to look at is Astragalomancy, or the throwing of dice.  The dice in question were often made from sheep or goat bones called “astragalos”.9 The Greek system often involved the use of dice with a statue of Hermes on which the prescribed interpretations of the numbers thrown would be written. These Hermes statues (often just a pillar with the God’s head adorning the top), were common in market places.

“A passerby would pick up five astragaloi, roll them, note the combination of numbers they displayed and then look up the relevant oracle on the side of the Hermes’ statue.10 

Biblioteca Arcana has also provided a way for the dice throws to be tied into a Greek alphabet oracle by modern users of this system of divination11. The numbers as added up after the dice are thrown are assigned a letter value.  Each letter has its own interpretation based on poems and other Greek writings.

1 Mapping the Entrails: The Art of Greek Hepatomancy by Derek Collins.   http://apaclassics.org/images/uploads/documents/abstracts/collins_1.pdf

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_Stoicism_terms

3 Ancient Greek Divination by Sarah Iles Johnston. John Wiley and Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Chichester, West Sussex, UK. 2008. p.127

4 Reading the Birds: Oionomanteia in Early Epic by Derek Collins.  Colby Quarterly, Volume 38 Issue 1 March (2002). ( http://digitalcommons.colby.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3362&context=cq&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dgreek%2520entrial%2520reading%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D10%26ved%3D0CGQQFjAJ%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.colby.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D3362%2526context%253Dcq%26ei%3DzE1JULz4LaebyQH494C4Cw%26usg%3DAFQjCNH_Kz5uRnfs-5Oq9g69j_LhNeYnoQ#search=%22greek%20entrial%20reading%22

5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auspice

6 “A Day in Old Athens,” by William Stearns Davis. p. 186 (1910)

7 Johnston. p129

8 Johnston, p. 129

9 http://www.helium.com/items/1639025-astragalomancy-dice-divination

10 Johnston, p.9911 http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/GAO.html

I have a goal.  I have a plan.  I have yet another chance to fall off the face of the map in an attempt to be lazy instead of doing what needs doing. First, a Grove up date.  

Paperwork to become a provisional (Chartered Grove) has been sent into Mother Grove. I don't know if we will get word back in time for the ritual this equinox, but I am sure we will know by Samhain.  This is a big step for our little congregation.  We will become a full blown official church in the eyes of the state of Kansas.  I am excited and have my fingers and eyes crossed for approval from the Mother Grove. May they have mercy on my poor nerves and decide fast.

Okay back to the plan...The goal?  To finish Divination 1 by the end of the month. 

In an effort to also do more here (the way I should be doing, but, for whatever crappy excuse, I have not), I will be posting the essays as I finish first drafts.  Why first drafts, and not the finish product, you may well ask?  Well, because I would love feedback to help improve these essays before I hand them in. In short, I am lazy with "teh ed-it-in."  So without further ado... Question One:

1.Name and briefly describe one method of divination or seership technique common to three paleo-pagan Indo-European cultures. (minimum 100 words each)