Ancient Greek Bird Divination

 

Bird divination has a long history in the ancient Near East. It was practiced by Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and ancient Greeks. Ancient Greek bird divination goes by two names, oinomanteia and ornithomancy. The former was mentioned in Homer’s Iliad, and usually focuses only on birds of prey. Ornithomancy includes a larger variety of birds in its methodology.¹ For the modern diviner, bird divination is a potentially valuable technique that can be utilized to get knowledge, guidance, and advice. Bird divination can be used in its simpler Homeric form, or in its more complex iteration to give positive or negative answers to questions or situations. Beyond the use of the basic method, there is also a symbolic language of bird divination that can also supplement any divination session and give a greater array of symbolic meanings. 

The fundamental rules of ornithomancy range from simple to complex, based on the historical version practiced. The most important rule concerns the orientation of the individual doing the bird divination session. In Homeric epic, it is assumed that the bird diviner looks upon the north.² As a result, the eastern horizon is to the right and the western horizon is to the left. The system suggests the appearance of the sun and the sky as being important to the overall scheme. The east would be associated with the dawn and the west would be associated with the setting sun. Auguste Bouche-Leclercq discussed some of the associations with right and left in ancient Greek in his 1879 work Histoire de la divination dans l’antiquite. Matthew Dillon explains how in the Iliad Hektor dismisses bird divination in his comments on how it doesn’t matter whether they fly ‘to the right towards the dawn and sun or whether on the left towards the murky darkness.’³ The right side of the bird diviner signifies the favorable while the left side signifies the unfavorable. The division of the sky into a dual system of either right or left was used in later examples of Greek bird divination. In an fragmentary inscription from Ephesus, further instructions are given. 

 

“…If a bird flying from right to left disappears, it is favorable; but if it raises its left wing, flies away and disappears, it is unfavorable. If a bird flying from left to right disappears on a straight course, it is unfavorable; but if after raising its right wing and flying away it disappears, it is favorable….”⁴ 

 

The additional information from the fifth or sixth century Ephesian inscription suggests that the entire course of the bird’s journey in the sky has relevance and that what first appears favorable may change based on the directionality and the behavior of the bird as it leaves the range of sight.⁵ Dillon summarized the description of bird divination in four parts: “a) if a bird flew from the right to the left, and disappeared from sight, the omen was unfavorable, b) but if it flew from the right to the left and it raised its left wing, flew away and disappeared, the omen was bad; c) if the bird flew from left to right, and disappeared on a straight course, it was a bad omen; d) if the bird flew from left to right, and it raised its right wing and disappeared the omen was good.”⁶ It can be helpful to fully explain the more complicated Ephesian method. The additional interpretive principles relate to whether the bird crosses to the other quadrant, flies straight, or its body sways to one side or the other. The bird might start out on the right side but end up crossing the imaginary line that the human body creates when it faces north and flies out of view on the left side. The details of the flight are observed carefully to see not only the entire course of the flight but if the bird continues its flight with its body stationary or if it dips its wings to the right or left quadrant. These further rules give more complex divination sessions and both the simpler Homeric method and the more complicated Ephesian method should both be experimented with before setting upon one definitive method. Though there is plenty of evidence of some of the fundamental rules of Greek style bird divination, it’s not totally certain how it was done. Despite the Homeric and Ephesian sources giving big pieces of information like facing the north and the favorability of the right and left sides, certain problems exist if the technique is to be applied.

The sources are incomplete and thus leave a few problems when it comes to reconstructing ancient Greek bird divination. One problem is whether the first sight of the bird should be considered the omen, which it seems that the above Hektor quote and the Ephesian inscription suggest is not the case. Someone can do a simple bird divination using the Homeric source material, and consider the first sight of a bird on the western or eastern quadrant to be the omen. But most diviners probably should wait for the bird to fly out of sight on either the right or left side. A second problem is neither text tells whether a fixed point to watch for birds existed. Dillon suggests that the Ephesian inscription hints at the use of a vantage point.⁷ Duane Smith discusses how the Homeric system is unsolicited divination, and how it is similar to Mesopotamian bird divination and opposed to Hittite bird divination, which was a solicited form. He categorizes the Ephesian system as a solicited divination that might have come from the older Hittite form.⁸ A solution to the problem of use of a vantage point might lie in flexibility. For the purposes of most bird divination, it can be done either way, either fixed or moving, as long as the parameters are set up prior to the start of the session. However, the use of a vantage point makes more sense for the majority of applications of bird divination. A third problem is that the logic of the Ephesian system isn’t very clear. It is based on a short fragment and is open to interpretation. The only way to proceed, however, is to give an interpretation of my own. The simple rules that can be gleamed from the Iliad leave aspects of bird flight confusing to interpret. For example, if we assume that the bird flying is viewed in one quadrant but then changes course and appears in the other one, is the original quadrant the right one? My interpretation of the fragment suggests that the original quadrant the bird flies through is the correct one regarding a favorable or unfavorable answer. As the bird leaves the view of the diviner, a raised wing can change this outcome to the opposite. For example, the raising of the left wing, associated with the unfavorable left side, would mean the flight path altering from right to left was confirmed, and the outcome was bad. The same goes for the other side. A bird that appeared on the left quadrant and then the right quadrant would be a bad outcome, but the sudden change to the right side would be confirmed if the right wing of the bird was raised. Anyone who wants to practice bird divination is free to play around with their own interpretations or additions to the technique, though the whole point of taking on ancient Greek bird divination is to practice something as close to the original tradition as possible. So, the Homeric and Ephesian methods both offer ways to do bird divination. Either system can be utilized in a bird divination session. The interpretation offered here allows both systems to be compatible, as it just adds to what the Homeric system introduces. As for the types of birds that are accepted, either birds of prey can be the focus or any bird that flies can be seen as an omen.

A final consideration is the type of bird. Birds symbolize various deities in ancient Greek culture, and the type of bird can be linked to deities from other traditions, or the planets. According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus was symbolized by the eagle, Aphrodite the turtle-dove, sparrow, and goose, Demeter the turtle-dove, crane, and screech-owl, Artemis the guinea-fowl, quail, buzzard hawk, and unidentified sea bird, Athena the little owl, Ares the vulture, barn owl, eagle owl, and woodpecker, Hephaistos the crane, Hermes the hawk, and Hera the cuckoo, peacock, and crane, Apollo the swan and raven.⁹ People influenced by traditional or modern astrology can take it one step further to include further correspondences with types of birds. The planetary bird correspondences can be found with search engines or from a plethora of ancient and traditional sources. I’ve included one link in the notes that can be found below.¹⁰

The Bird Divination Process in Six Steps

Step 1

Prepare a question. 

Step 2

Do a ritual. If it’s impossible, the hallmarks of a ritual can still be performed. With just a phone or even without a phone, one can call upon a deity, though it will be missing sacred space, ritual tools, offerings, and other aspects.

Step 3

The ritual can take the traditional form that Hellenic reconstructionists practice. Or, it can be in a planetary system or another adapted system too. However, the focus on this method is ancient Greek bird divination so it probably should be in an adjacent tradition if not an ancient Greek derived one.

Step 4

The deity invoked would be Apollo, the god of divination. However, Hermes could also play that role and could be invoked instead. Using divination, one can ask if it’s permissible to invoke another deity instead of the ones who usually rule over divination. Zeus is a good choice, and I’ve done bird divination rituals with Zeus. In my understanding, any deity can be invoked, but if one wants to follow tradition, it should be Apollo or Hermes. 

Step 5

The diviner should step outside or go to a place outdoors. The location can be random or it can be decided upon beforehand. Face the north at a fixed spot. This will be the vantage point.

Step 6

After repeating the question and calling upon the deity that the ritual invoked, observe the sky and wait for the first bird you see. Once a bird is observed, watch it carefully until it leaves your view. Take note of exactly what happened. Write down the type of bird, the flight path, if it was on the left or right quadrant, and if it stayed on its path or entered another quadrant. Interpret the flight of the birds as such: your position divides the sky into favorable and unfavorable portions. The right is favorable and the left is unfavorable. The additional considerations are whether the bird flew straight, whether the bird entered the line of sight on one quadrant and exited on the other quadrant, and whether the bird’s body was stationary or it moved its right or left wings to one side or the other. After getting a favorable or unfavorable answer, the diviner can look to the type of bird that was observed. The kind of bird that is witnessed can tell additional information. It is a different type of omen and can tell the diviner which deity is associated with the issue at stake in the divination query. 

 

Figure 1. An illustration of the Homeric method. A bird flies on the right quadrant, or the east side of the sky. The omen is favorable.

 

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Figure 2. An illustration of the Homeric method. A bird flies on the left quadrant, or the west side of the sky. The omen is unfavorable.

 

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Figure 3. An illustration of the Ephesian method. A bird flies on the right quadrant, then goes to the left quadrant. The omen is favorable. 

 

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Figure 4. An illustration of the Ephesian method. A bird flies on the left quadrant, then goes to the right quadrant. The omen is unfavorable. 

 

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Figure 5. An illustration of the Ephesian method. A bird flies on the right quadrant, then goes to the left quadrant. As it flies, the left wing is higher than the right. The left side is confirmed by the raised left wing. The omen is unfavorable. 

 

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Figure 6. An illustration of the Ephesian method. A bird flies on the left quadrant, then goes to the right quadrant. As it flies, the right wing is higher than the left. The right side is confirmed by the raised right wing. The omen is favorable. 

 

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Notes

1. Derek Collins, “Reading the Birds: Oinomanteia in Early Epic,” Colby Quarterly, Volume 38, No. 1, (March, 2002), 17-41.
2. Collins, “Reading the Birds: Oinomanteia in Early Epic,” 27.
3. Matthew Dillon, “The importance of Oinomanteia in Greek divination,” Religion in the Ancient world: new themes and approaches, Matthew Dillon(ed.), Amsterdam: A.M. Hakkert, 99-121.
4. Collins, “Reading the Birds: Oinomanteia in Early Epic,” 28.
5. Collins, “Reading the Birds: Oinomanteia in Early Epic,” 28-29.
6. Dillon, “The importance of Oinomanteia in Greek divination,”  99-121.
7. Dillon, “The importance of Oinomanteia in Greek divination,”  99-121.
8. Duane E. Smith, “Portentous Birds Flying West: On the Mesopotamian Origin of Homeric Bird-Divination,” Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 13 (2013). 49-85.
9. “Summary,” Theoi Project, accessed April 8, 2022, <https://www.theoi.com/Summary/>
10. “Table of Planetary Correspondences,” Storm Cestavani: Astrological Life Coach, accessed April 8, 2022, <https://stormcestavani.com/2013/08/17/table-of-planetary-correspondences/>

 

Bibliography

1. Collins, Derek. “Reading the Birds: Oinomanteia in Early Epic.” Colby Quarterly. Volume 38. No. 1. March 2002. 17-41.

<https://paperity.org/p/82931641/reading-the-birds-oionomanteia-in-early-epic>

2. Dillon, Matthew. “The importance of Oinomanteia in Greek divination.” Religion in the Ancient world: new themes and approaches. Matthew Dillon(ed.). Amsterdam: A.M. Hakkert. 99-121.

3. Smith, Duane E. “Portentous Birds Flying West: On the Mesopotamian Origin of Homeric Bird-Divination.” Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 13 (2013). 49-85.

4. Theoi Project. “Summary.” Accessed April 8, 2022. <https://www.theoi.com/Summary/>

5. Storm Cestavani: Astrological Life Coach. “Table of Planetary Correspondences.” Accessed April 8, 2022. <https://stormcestavani.com/2013/08/17/table-of-planetary-correspondences/>

 

Photo Credits

1. A crane in flight. Photo by Phadke09.
2. A male house sparrow in flight. Photo by davidgsteadman.  
3. A little owl moving about in nature. Photo byمحمد الفلسطيني.