Sortes Vergilianae
Ever since ancient times, it's been widely believed that it's possible to use the text of Vergil's Aeneid to foretell the future. The practice is called the sortes Vergilianae.
What you do: think of a question about future events in your life, then open the Aeneid to a random page. The first passage that catches your eye will provide the answer to your question.
Of course, the practice is little known today. Instead, we've got the Magic 8 Ball. Someone should make a version of the Magic 8 Ball that would offer up lines from Vergil.
More details from A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel:
What you do: think of a question about future events in your life, then open the Aeneid to a random page. The first passage that catches your eye will provide the answer to your question.
Of course, the practice is little known today. Instead, we've got the Magic 8 Ball. Someone should make a version of the Magic 8 Ball that would offer up lines from Vergil.
More details from A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel:
Comments
The Bible was also used in this fashion.
Posted by eddi on 11/27/24 at 04:22 AM
It''s hardly ancient, given than Vergilius was writing in post-classical Roman times.
Posted by Richard Bos on 11/30/24 at 06:51 AM
The Aeneid was written between 29 BCE and 19 BCE, which to my way of thinking qualifies as ancient. I studied the Aeneid in high school Latin class and can still recite a line or two 50+ years later (yes, I too am ancient). Arma virumque cano...
Posted by ges on 11/30/24 at 05:40 PM
According to my dictionary, ancient history is the history of the Mediterranean and near east up to the fall of the western Roman Empire in the 5th C. But yeah, the Roman empire is much less ancient than Homeric times, so a bit odd they all get lumped in together.
Posted by Alex on 12/01/24 at 11:21 AM
Category: Predictions | Ancient Times