1. Cherokee Indians looked to the river, or ‘Long Man’ for clues as to what the future held, especially when one of their number fell ill
The Native Americans had a number of ways of looking to the future and trying to forecast events to come. For the Cherokee tribe, large rivers – other wise known as the Long Man – were seen as the key oracles. Wise men would go to the river to look for signs of what the future had in store for them, including health-wise. According to native tradition, the Long Man was able to predict whether a sick individual would live or die from their affliction.
The method of divination was simple. The wise man would make the ill individual vomit into the river. He would then check to see if the vomit sunk or if it floated on the surface of the water. If it sunk, it was believed that the river had decreed that the sickness was just too strong and the person would die. If the vomit floated, however, the Cherokee believed that the sickness would pass and the individual would live a long, healthy life.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Augures – Greek and Roman Mythology.” University of Pennsylvania Classics.
“Omens and Oracles: Divination in Ancient Greece.” Matthew Dillon, Routledge. 2017.
“Physiognomy, the Beautiful Pseudoscience.” The Getty Iris, October 2012.
“Discover the Hidden Roots of the Runes.” Ancient Origins.
“Lithomancy: The Psychic Art of Reading Stones.” Gary L Wimmer, 2011.
“Medieval Geomancy: Geomancy Step-by-Step.” Princeton.edu.
“PredictionX: Diviner’s Guide.” Harvard University edx online course.
“Palmistry.” Encyclopedia.com.
“The mystical objects of John Dee.” Royal College of Physicians, April 2016.