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Pyromancy (from Greek 'pyros', fire, and 'manteia', divination) is the art of divination by means of fire.
History of pyromancy
Due to the importance of fire in society from the earliest of times, it is quite likely that pyromancy was one of the earlier forms of divination. It is said that in Greek society, virgins at the Temple of Athena in Athens regularly practiced pyromancy. It is also possible that followers of Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and the forge, practiced pyromancy. In ancient China, pyromancy was practiced in the Neolithic period and Shāng and Zhōu dynasties in the form of burning or heating oracle bones -- usually the scapulae (shoulder blades) of oxen or turtle shells -- to produce cracks which were then read as portents. Insciptions on such oracle bones from the late Shāng dynasty are important, as the earliest significant corpus of written Chinese ever found.
Types of pyromancy
The most basic form of pyromancy is that in which the diviner observes flames, from a sacrificial fire, a candle, or another source of flame, and interprets the shapes that he or she sees within them. There are several variations on pyromancy, however, some of which are as follows:
- Alomancy, divination by salt, one type of which involves casting salt into a fire
- Botanomancy, divination by burning plants
- Capnomancy, divination by smoke; light, thin smoke that rose straight up was a good omen; otherwise, a bad one.
- Causinomancy, divination by burning (non-specific as to the object burned)
- Daphnomancy (also, Empyromancy), divination by burning laurel leaves
- osteomancy, divination using bones, one type of which involves heating to produce cracks
- Plastromancy, divination using turtle plastrons; in China, this was done by heating pits carved into them.
- Scapulimancy, divination by scapulae; in Asia and North America, this was done pyromantically.
- Sideromancy, divination by burning straw
Pyromancers in fiction
In fiction, most pyromancers have the ability to use fire to damage others, often in flashy ways.
- Elementalists in Guild Wars can purchase Pyromancer armor, which adds fire defense in addition to armor and energy bonuses.
- In Tactics Arena Online,one of the units is a pyromancer who features an AoE of a regular cross area.They are quite weak in power and health,but can target many enemies if used correctly.
- Raye Hino uses pyromancy as divination in Sailor Moon
- Several game titles of "Heroes of might and magic" computer games give the pyromancy ability to certain heroes wich makes them able to cast fire spells.
- Pyromancers in Titan Quest, are the profession of the Earth Mastery, whom skills are primarily summoning a core dweller, casting earth and fire enchantments, and blazing their foes using ranged fire element attacks.
External links
"Pyromancy"