#37321
08/11/2001 9:09 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12 |
My great-grandfather (Welsh, mother's side) was a "water witch", but called himself a "diviner", as many do.
I would bet that a survey of water witches would reveal that "diviner" is the current "politically correct" term. :)
The farmers for whom he found wells probably didn't care whether it was magic or science. His skill at finding wells was not questioned- perhaps the whole bit with the forked branch of a fruit tree was a way of "explaining" a natural gift or a scheme for hiding skill and knowledge, who knows?
He never charged for his work- I believe this is traditional for "the real thing", whatever the scientific explanation for the ability may be. As I type this, my wife says in her country it is taken for granted that a water witch (bajalicar) doesn't charge, and dowsing is accepted as a normal thing. "Bajalica" in Slovene is a forked branch-
perhaps if a water witch was called a "brancher" in English, he'd have less trouble in these modern cynical times. Then again, that might limit his ability to finding branch water, which any whiskey-drinking cowboy can do fine all by their lonesome. :)
At any rate, if "anagramancy" isn't a "real" word, it should be! What's the widely practiced dark art of reading the future in a bottle of hooch? Alchomancy?
And hi, this is my first post, this is a wonderful forum!
-CB
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#37322
08/11/2001 9:33 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
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#37323
08/11/2001 10:08 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Cameron: Welcome to the board! Hope you will have many more posts for us to enjoy!
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#37324
08/11/2001 10:39 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12 |
In reply to:
Welcome Aboard, Cameron, and thanks for the added background on water-divining. I had to read your profile twice, as the first time I misread it as saying that your mother was an American before there was a USA. I was going to ask you for her secret to such outstanding longevity. Please do stay around, I can promise that you will not regret it.
Apricot brandy, one glass in the morning...
Yip, my English, or American I should say, needs to be dry-docked! This forum will surely be good for running repairs, though. Glad to be here.
-CB
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#37325
08/12/2001 1:26 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Hi, Cameron, and welcome! We have another member who lives where you do. I've just sent her a private message, to let her know that she is missed and to tell her you're here. Hope she resurfaces soon. Gee--I started to ask "What's in your hod?", but realized how utterly lascivious that sounds! 
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#37326
08/12/2001 3:19 AM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
how utterly lascivious
Were you referring to the recent thread discussing Hooters (the restaurant, of course), or to the previous posting of "mazomancy" in this thread?
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#37327
08/12/2001 4:37 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Were you referring to the recent thread discussing Hooters (the restaurant, of course), or to the previous posting of "mazomancy" in this thread?Neither, Keive--just the word. again!
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#37328
08/12/2001 8:34 AM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12 |
Thanks for the welcome, Jackie, wwh and Max!
Jackie, listing "Hodcarrier" as my occupation is a reference to a Roald Dahl short story. I've never heard of anything but bricks or coal in a hod, but there may be other hods- it certainly sounds like a word that has a broader meaning, or at least once was more in use.
Is "osteomancy" too tame? I always pictured it involving the casting of small bones onto the ground and reading the patterns, and as an ancestor to dice throwing, but I can imagine far more gruesome methods of practicing osteomancy.
Phsychomancy, anthropomancy and spatulomancy, in ascending order of "no, thanks, you go ahead, I'll wait in the car..." value.
-CB
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#37329
08/12/2001 7:20 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
My great-grandfather (Welsh, mother's side) was a "water witch", but called himself a "diviner", as many do.
bletonism: the alleged ability to perceive an underground water supply.
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#37330
08/12/2001 7:28 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
Is "osteomancy" too tame? I always pictured it involving the casting of small bones onto the ground and reading the patterns, and as an ancestor to dice throwing...
astragalomancy: fortunetelling using dice.
cleromancy: fortunetelling with dice.
Haven't found dem bones yet.
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#37331
08/12/2001 8:56 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12 |
If you predict the future by hearing it from the horse's mouth, would that be hippostomamancy?  It's all Greek to me, as it should be...in fact, although I have read "osteomancy" (kooky girlfriends and their kooky books), the word "ossomancy" seems more pure. Word gurus, please pass judgment! (Make sure to include the disclaimer "No animals were injured, disembowled, dismembered, decapitated, boiled or otherwise harmed in the making of this wise judgement") -CB
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#37332
08/12/2001 9:56 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
http://phrontistery.50megs.com/divine.html Here is a URL to a very large number of "mancys" They do include "ossomancy" .
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