ichthyomancy

English

Alternative forms

• icthiomancy
• icthyomancy

Etymology

From ichthyo- +‎ -mancy.

Noun

ichthyomancy (uncountable)

1. Divination interpreting the appearance and behaviour of fish. A form of augury.
2. Divination interpreting the entrails of fish. A form of aruspicy.

Quotations

• 1610, Ioannes Lodovicus Vives, chapter 35, in St. Augustine, translated by John Healey, S^t/ Augustine, of the Citie of God, With the Learned Comments of Io. Lod. Vives‎^[1], George Eld, page 294:

  Diuination generally was done by diuers means: either by Earth, Geomancy: or by fire, Pyromancy [...] or by fiſhes, Icthyomancy (this Apuleius was charged with:) [sic.] or by the twinckling and motions of the eies called Saliato

• 1693, François Rabelais, translated by Thomas Urquhart, Rabelais Gargantua and Pantagruel Translated from the French into English by Sir Thomas Urquhart and Peter Le Motteux‎^[2], volume II, London: Humphrey Milford: Oxford University Press, published 1934, page 124, III.XXV:

  By Ichthiomancy, in ancient times so celebrated, and put in use by Tiresias and Polydamas, with the like certainty of event as was tried of old at the Dina-ditch within that grove consecrated to Apollo, which is in the Territory of the Lycians.

• 1920, Lewis Spence, An Encyclopædia of Occultism‎^[3], New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, page 223:

  Ichthyomaney [sic.] : Divination by the inspection of the entrails of fish.

• [1973, Walter B. Gibson, Litzka R. Gibson, The Complete Illustrated Book of Divination and Prophecy, London: Souvenir Press, published 1987, →ISBN, page 319:

  ICHTYOMANCY: Divination by the examination of fish offered for a sacrifice. This can be extended to include the actions of living fish, which have many traditional interpretations, some still popular with present-day fishermen]

• 1986 P. Hellweg Insomniac's Dict. x.

  Ichthyomancy - The next fish caught.

• 1986, Paul Hellweg, “'-Omancy' Fancy: A Divine Guide to Divinations”, in The Insomniac's Dictionary: The Last Word on the Odd Word‎^[4], New York, New York: Facts on File Publications, →ISBN, pages 76–77:

  NAME               DIVINATION BY
  Aeromancy        Air, including augury [...]
  [...]                     [...]
  Ichtyomancy      The next fish caught