Bibliomancy

Bibliomancy is a kind of divination that uses books. Users select part of the book by chance, hoping to learn about possible future events.

Many religions and cultures have used bibliomancy. It often uses holy books such as the Bible, Quran, or the Vedas. Some bibliomancy uses non-religious books. These include works of the Greek poet Homer or the Roman poets Ovid and Virgil.

The word "bibliomancy" comes from the Greek βιβλίον biblion- 'book' and μαντεία -manteía 'divination by'.

In Islam

Bibliomancy has a long history in the Islamic world. They used religious and non-religious books, most often the Quran. The Persian language word Falnama or Falnamah means "Book of omens" or "Book of divinations". It covers two kinds of bibliomancy from Iran, Turkey, and India: Quranic Falnamas and Falnama books. Quranic Falnamas were sections at the end of hand-written Qurans used for fortune-telling. Qurans made in India and Iran often had these section, from the late 14th century to the 19th.

Falnama books, made in the 16th century onwards, worked in a different way. People opened a random page where they would see a painting with text beside it. They interpreted the painting and text to seek a message about their own situation. Only a few illustrated Falnamas now survive. These were made for rich people and have colourful, detailed paintings.

Falnama manuscripts were unusually large books. The ones that exist today are from 40 centimetres (16 in) to more than 66 centimetres (26 in) high. The paintings combined images from religious and non-religious stories. Their paintings of religious and mythical figures influenced other works of art. Each painting told the story of an event, but their order was random. There was no story for the book as a whole. People used these books to prepare for major decisions in business or their personal lives. People also used them if they were curious about far-away relatives or friends.

To answer a question, readers washed themselves, read from the Quran, then opened the book at a random page. The text explained whether the painting's meaning was good, bad, or in the middle. For example, a painting of the Sun meant a good outcome while a villain usually meant a bad outcome. To avoid the worst outcomes, the text told the reader to pray, take a pilgrimage, or be kind to others.

The Dispersed Falnama is the oldest known Falnama manuscript. There are parts in many collections in different countries. It dates from the reign of Shah Tahmasp in mid-16th-century Iran. For that reason it is also called the Falnama Tahmasbi.

The Khalili Collection of Islamic Art has a Falnama manuscript from 17th-century Hyderabad. This Khalili Falnama is the only known illustrated Falnama from South Asia. It was most likely created between 1610 and 1630.

Four more illustrated Falnama manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries still exist.

References

External links

The Simple English Wiktionary has a definition for: bibliomancy.