Word of the Week: Haruspex

by Carmen de Jesus

The word of the week: Haruspex

In Roman practice inherited from the Etruscans, a haruspex (plural haruspices) was a man trained to practice a form of divination called haruspicy, hepatoscopy or hepatomancy. Haruspicy is the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep. The rites were paralleled by other rites of divination such as the interpretation of lightning strikes, of the flight of birds (augury), and of other natural omens.

(Definition from Wikipedia)

Since I'm an animal loving kind of person, and because I think PETA would get up in arms, I've developed a modern kind of haruspicy, using various foods instead of live animals. If you ever need a Burrito Haruspex, give me a call.

| 01/24/07 | Beliefs