Thursday, October 25, 2012

Tyromancy

Meaning: divination by cheese. That's right: Divination. By. Cheese. It involved interpreting the patterns made in cheese as it coagulated, or writing in it before it set and observing the outcomes. I know how I will be making all my life decisions from now on.

Usefulness: 2 (if nothing else, it's a good conversation starter: "Did you know that people used to read their fortunes in cheese?")

Logofascination: 1 (Tyro- is from the Greek for cheese. It's only in a few other words, but they're interesting: for example, the Artotyrites used to celebrate the Eucharist with bread and cheese, and tyremesis is the technical name for that distinctive curd-like vomiting that babies tend to.)

In the wild: Yes, including a suggestion over here as to how you might do it these days, if you don't want to  make your own cheese every time you have a decision to make.

Degrees: 1

Connections: n/a

Used in: G&P, Third Book, XXV: the -mancy chapter, naturellement.
By tyromancy, whereof we make some proof in a great Brehemont cheese which I here keep by me.
Brehemont is in the Loire Valley, about 20km from Rabelais' birthplace.

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