Catoptromancy

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Russian folk catoptromancy by Karl Briullov, 1836

Catoptromancy (Gk. κάτοπτρον, katoptron, "mirror," and μαντεία, manteia, "divination"), also known as captromancy or enoptromancy, is divination using a mirror.

Pausanias, an ancient Greek traveler, described as follows:

Before the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple by a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for all events, but for the sick only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread till its base touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered incense. Then; looking into the mirror, he saw the presage of death or recovery, according as the face appeared fresh and healthy, or of a ghastly aspect.

In Ancient Rome, the priests who used catoptromancy were called specularii.

See also

• Scrying
• Psychomanteum
• Crystal gazing
• Bloody Mary

Further reading

• Armand Delatte, La catoptromancie grecque et ses dérivés (1932)

External links

• Captromancy (or Enoptromancy)
• https://web.archive.org/web/20060529005509/http://agnosticwitch.catcara.com/divindex-part1.htm