Friday, February 8, 2013

Scatomancy

Meaning: divination by excremental examination. Wikipedia alleges that dung beetles were sometimes involved.

Usefulness: 2 (Examination of stool is sometimes necessary medical practice; the Bristol Stool Chart is merely a modern form of scatomancy. I suppose you could use it while reading tabloids: "Let's see what this week's scatomancy predicts for society.")

Logofascination: 1 (There really is a word for everything.)

In the wild: Trust me: Don't. Even. Google. It.

Degrees: 2

Connections: Scatomancy - turdispiciny

Which is used in: The -mancy chapter. Tiers-Livre XXV: In Which Panurge Consulteth Herr Trippa. We are up to the -cinys, as they are in French and Sir Thomas' writing, or the -icys, as they are in English:
Or, for the more certainty, will you have a trial of your fortune by the art of aruspiciny, by augury, or by extispiciny?
By turdispiciny, quoth Panurge.
Aruspiciny (haruspicy) and extispiciny (extispicy) are synonyms for divination by entrails, as in anthropomancy and choeromancy. Panurge's response (Par estronspicine!) is of course scatomancy by a less respectful name. 

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