divination

Introduction
Nature and significance
The structure of divination
- Types of divination
- The function of divination
Varieties of divination
- Inductive divination
- Interpretive divination
- Intuitive divination
- Divination at the end of the 20th century

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Barotse basket diviner. The diviner shakes various objects in the winnowing basket and, by interpreting their final juxtaposition, seeks to predict the outcome of an illness and to name the sorcerer responsible.

At a Glance

divination summary

Related Questions

How could drugs or self-energized techniques induce a trance for divinatory purposes?
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How did shamans and curers use trance states for divination?
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How did the political standing of an oracle’s owner affect the oracle’s authority among the Zande?
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Why could people with different beliefs use the same divination practice, such as a Ouija board or a forked stick?
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Why did people consult diviners during illness, drought, death, or suspected theft?
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Why was the liver considered important in Mesopotamian and Etruscan divination?
What is the meaning of astrology?
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How did astrology develop and spread historically?
How did astrology develop in India?
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Philosophy & Religion Religious Beliefs

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External Websites

Kenyon College - Department of Religious Studies - Divination as Spiritual Practice in Song Confucianism (PDF)
Learn Religions - Methods of Divination
Jewish Virtual Library - Divination
Encyclopaedia Iranica - Divination
Pressbooks@MSL - The Bright Continent: African Art History - Art and Divination

divination

religion

Also known as: soothsaying

Written by

Robert Andrew Gilbert

Antiquarian bookseller. Author of The Golden Dawn: Twilight of the Magicians and others.

Robert Andrew GilbertAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026 •History

divination, the practice of determining the hidden significance or cause of events, sometimes foretelling the future, by various natural, psychological, and other techniques. Found in all civilizations, both ancient and modern, it is encountered most frequently in contemporary mass society in the form of horoscopes, astrology, crystal gazing, tarot cards, and the Ouija board. In the context of ancient Roman culture and belief, divination was concerned with discovering the will of the gods. Today, however,...

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