astragalomancy

Astragalomancy is a form of divination that uses animal ankle bones, especially the knucklebones (astragali) of sheep or goats, to seek guidance or answers to questions. The name derives from the Greek astragalos, meaning ankle bone or knucklebone, with the suffix -mancy indicating divination.

In antiquity, knucklebones were used both as a game and as a divinatory tool. Practitioners would cast or roll the bones and interpret the patterns of landings. Readings could assign numbers, symbols, or yes/no meanings to the faces that appeared, with the interpretation depending on the tradition or question posed. Methods varied widely, and some traditions emphasized the physical arrangement of bones after landing, while others relied on predefined scales or outcomes.

Cultural variations existed across the Greek and Roman worlds and in neighboring regions, where different bones, markings, or symbolic systems informed the readings. The practice is often described in ancient sources as one of several casting or bibliomancy-like modalities, illustrating a broader historical interest in bone-based omen interpretation.

In modern contexts, astragalomancy persists mainly as a historical or occult curiosity. It appears in some contemporary ceremonial magic or neopagan writings as one of many bone- or dice-based divination techniques, but it remains a relatively obscure and specialized form of inquiry rather than a widely practiced system.