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spodomancy
Divination by examining ashes, especially those of a sacrifice.

Also known as tephramancy or tuphramancy, it is a method of divination by means of the cinders, ashes or soot from sacrificial fires. The specific type of spodomancy that used patterns formed in the ashes of burned offerings made to the gods was often called tephromancy.

According to a Middle Ages method, hollow, oblong cinders were known as "coffins", indicating a coming death in the family; oval cinders, called "cradles", were indicative of the advent of a child. Round cinders, called "purses", indicated prosperity, and heart-shaped ones were the sign of a lover.

In Scotland it was said that if a clot of soot fell down the chimney during a wedding breakfast, it was a portent of bad luck for the newlywed couple.

This entry is located in the following units: -mancy, -mancer, -mantic, -mantical (page 14) spodo-, spod- (page 1)