Cromniomancy
Encyclopedia
Cromniomancy is divination
by onion
s. It is usually done by interpreting their sprouting behaviour, after some kind of ritual
to state the topic of the divination. This often involves inscribing the onions, dedicating them on an altar or something similar. But cromniomancy is/was also done in idiosyncratic way not involving sprouting them.
It is not really known why the onion was chosen for that kind of divination, not other fast-sprouting plants. A look at other divination methods shows that plants used for divination have or had some significance as important food source and/or medicinal herb. The onion is rich in Vitamin C
and was important because of this, and it was widely used as medicinal herb against cold
s and other infections.
ians took their sacred oaths with their right hand on an onion. There are many forms of cromniomancy, from divining the weather by the thickness of the skin, to gaining inside information.
to learn about friends and family far away and out of contact. The names of the beloved are inscribed on individual onions and left undisturbed until they began to sprout. The faster the sprouting, the better health and happiness was enjoyed by the friend named on the onion.
Onions also provided romantic advice for the love-lorn. A woman trying to choose between lovers would carve out their names on separate onions. The one that sprouted first would reveal the suitor most worthy of her affections. Some sources have it that this should best be done on December 1.
Answers to any question could be sought by inscribing yes and no on two separate onions and planting them to see which sprouted first.
A method practiced in southern Germany to predict the weather for the following year goes like this: At Silvester
evening you take twelve big, sphere- like pieces of onion and put them on a wooden board in a row. They represent the months from January to December . Then a grain of salt is put into every piece of onion, and the whole thing is left overnight in a room without heating, but without frost. The amount of liquid in every onion piece tells how much rain/snow there will be in the respective month.
pages on the internet
. But in the general occult
community it is not considered a serious form of divination or even spiritual enlightenment
.
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
by onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s. It is usually done by interpreting their sprouting behaviour, after some kind of ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
to state the topic of the divination. This often involves inscribing the onions, dedicating them on an altar or something similar. But cromniomancy is/was also done in idiosyncratic way not involving sprouting them.
It is not really known why the onion was chosen for that kind of divination, not other fast-sprouting plants. A look at other divination methods shows that plants used for divination have or had some significance as important food source and/or medicinal herb. The onion is rich in Vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
and was important because of this, and it was widely used as medicinal herb against cold
Common cold
The common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
s and other infections.
History
Cromniomancy was historically performed across Europe, Africa and northern Asia. The sphere within a sphere of the onion made it a much-revered symbol of spirituality and eternity, to the extent that the ancient EgyptAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ians took their sacred oaths with their right hand on an onion. There are many forms of cromniomancy, from divining the weather by the thickness of the skin, to gaining inside information.
Specific methods
One method is to place onions on a sacred altarAltar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
to learn about friends and family far away and out of contact. The names of the beloved are inscribed on individual onions and left undisturbed until they began to sprout. The faster the sprouting, the better health and happiness was enjoyed by the friend named on the onion.
Onions also provided romantic advice for the love-lorn. A woman trying to choose between lovers would carve out their names on separate onions. The one that sprouted first would reveal the suitor most worthy of her affections. Some sources have it that this should best be done on December 1.
Answers to any question could be sought by inscribing yes and no on two separate onions and planting them to see which sprouted first.
A method practiced in southern Germany to predict the weather for the following year goes like this: At Silvester
Silvester
Silvester is used in some countries as a name for New Year's Eve, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Slovenia.The origin of the name is Saint Sylvester's Day in the Roman Catholic Church, named...
evening you take twelve big, sphere- like pieces of onion and put them on a wooden board in a row. They represent the months from January to December . Then a grain of salt is put into every piece of onion, and the whole thing is left overnight in a room without heating, but without frost. The amount of liquid in every onion piece tells how much rain/snow there will be in the respective month.
Comment on modern use
Today, cromniomancy is mainly practiced in rural areas where it has a long tradition. In the modern world, it seems to be done sometimes by teenagers who are desperate about finding a mate. It is cited on several WiccaWicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
pages on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. But in the general occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
community it is not considered a serious form of divination or even spiritual enlightenment
Enlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
.