armomancy

English

Etymology

From Latin armus (“shoulder blade”) +‎ -mancy.

Noun

armomancy (uncountable)

1. Divination using the shoulder blade of an animal. It was taken from a dead animal and thrown into a fire, and the cracks formed in the bone were then interpreted.
2. Divination through inspecting one's shoulders. In ancient times, this inspection was to see whether a human was a suitable sacrifice to the gods.

Synonyms

• omoplatoscopy
• scapulimancy
• scapulomancy
• spatulamancy
• (in Scotland): spealomancy

References

• "Armomancy, divining by the shoulders of beasts." -- Coles An Eng. Dict, 1676
• 1973, Walter B. Gibson, Litzka R. Gibson, The Complete Illustrated Book of Divination and Prophecy, London: Souvenir Press, published 1987, →ISBN, page 312:

  ARMOMANCY: A long-forgotten mode of divining suitable candidates for sacrificial rites by inspecting them physically. Any modern survival of such practices is probably computerized rather than divinatory.