7. Pyromancy: From Ancient Greece to the Renaissance, people of the past believed looking closely into flames could show them the future
The practice of pyromancy, or trying to divine the future from reading flames, has been around for thousands of years. It was especially common in Ancient Greece, where fire readings were treated with the utmost seriousness. Indeed, it was believed that the Gods communicated with mortals through fire, giving them hints of what was to come. At the Temple of Athena in Athens, specially-selected virgins would light fires, possibly casting salt into the flames or burning different plants to produce dark smoke. However, only oracles or priests would be given the role of interpreting the fire.
But it wasn’t just the Ancient Greeks who believed they could predict the future through looking closely into a fire. During the Renaissance period, for instance, pyromancy was practiced right across Europe. In 1456, the German physician Johannes Hartlieb named it as one of the seven “forbidden arts” of ceremonial magic, along with trying to divine the future from reading palms. Similarly, the ancient Chinese, as well as the Mesopotamian empire also practiced pyromancy, though some peoples placed more emphasis on reading smoke rather than flames.