01/25 - Blackheath & Auguries

blæchǣth

Ornithomancy is the practice of reading omens from observing birds, which occurred amongst cultures across the globe in ancient times. The Roman equivalent was called augury, a word which nowadays just relates to the interpretation of omens. However at the time, it was specifically related to the interpretation of omens through the observation of birds. 'Auspices' was what they referred to the omens as, and those who derived the auspices from the birds were known as Augurs. As times went on, the meaning of augury grew broader, to encapsulate the general practice of reading omens, not just from birds. This relates to the famous poem Auguries of innocence by Blake , he mentions birds a fair amount in them.

On Magpies

"The magpie…had an important role to play in Christian myth, not least in the well-known legend that it did not enter the ark with the other birds but instead sat on the roof, cackling as the world drowned."

"In Scotland…the magpie becoming known as 'the devil's bird'. Here it was believed that the bird possessed a drop of human blood on its tongue that gave it the gift of human speech. The satanic connection continued in the belief that should a cross be cut into the bark of a tree in which a magpie built its nest, the bird would have no choice but to desert it."

There are a few versions of the rhyme the most contemporary going as follows -

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.

Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it's the devil himself.

Images Canon EOS 500