2. Amniomancy was a grisly but simple way of fortune-telling, with a baby’s birth enough to show what life held in store for them
The Ancient Greeks had some quite horrific ways of trying to predict the future, including sacrificing animals and reading their entrails. But perhaps no practice was quite so grisly as aminomancy. And none were quite so simple. Here, if a baby was born with a caul, or a piece of membrane, still over their face, it would be removed and then analysed for signs of what the future held. In most cases, a ‘wise woman’, probably an experienced midwife, would be on hand to assist the birth and then carry out the divination.
According to the ancient sources, the system was simple: if the caul was vividly colored, for instance still purple or red with blood, then the infant would be destined to live a full, eventful and successful life. If, however, the membrane was dull, then the baby would be destined for bad fortune. In some cases, the prediction made at birth could affect an individual’s chances in life, for instance barring them from entering the priesthood or politics. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the practice of amniomancy died out many centuries ago.