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{{Pottermoreold}}
  
{{Pottermoreold}}
 
{{Youmay|the magical discipline|[[Divination (class)|the Hogwarts subject]]}}
  
{{Youmay|the magical discipline|[[Divination (class)|the Hogwarts subject]]}}
  ⚫
{{Quote|Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future.|[[Sybill Trelawney]]|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}
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{{Template:Class infobox|||image = [[File:Divination_class.png‎|250px]]
  
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|professor = *[[Sybill Trelawney]]
  
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|required textbooks = *''[[Unfogging the Future]]'' by [[Cassandra Vablatsky]]|Divination|hidec = Divination}}{{Quote|Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future.|[[Sybill Trelawney]]|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}
  
   
 
[[File:DivinationHarryRon.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] unenthusiastically gaze into a [[crystal ball]] in [[Divination (class)|Divination class]].]]
  
[[File:DivinationHarryRon.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] unenthusiastically gaze into a [[crystal ball]] in [[Divination (class)|Divination class]].]]
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Learned wizards and witches seem to regard the practise of divination with scepticism. [[Hermione Granger]] once described it as "woolly" and "a lot of guesswork,"<ref name="poa6">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' Chapter 6</ref> [[Minerva McGonagall]] thought it was "one of the most imprecise branches of magic,"<ref name="poa5" /> and before he decided to take on [[Sybill Trelawney]] as Divination [[professor]] at Hogwarts, [[Albus Dumbledore]] was inclined to scrap the subject altogether.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 37</ref>
  
Learned wizards and witches seem to regard the practise of divination with scepticism. [[Hermione Granger]] once described it as "woolly" and "a lot of guesswork,"<ref name="poa6">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' Chapter 6</ref> [[Minerva McGonagall]] thought it was "one of the most imprecise branches of magic,"<ref name="poa5" /> and before he decided to take on [[Sybill Trelawney]] as Divination [[professor]] at Hogwarts, [[Albus Dumbledore]] was inclined to scrap the subject altogether.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 37</ref>
   
  ⚫
[[Silver lime]] [[wand]]s had a reputation for performing best for [[Seer]]s and those skilled in [[Legilimency]].<ref name="pottermore-wands">[[Pottermore]] - "[http://www.pottermore.com/en/book1/chapter5/moment3/wand-woods Wand Woods]"</ref>
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===Wandlore===
  
⚫
[[Silver lime]] [[wand]]s had a reputation for performing best for [[Seer]]s and those skilled in [[Legilimency]].
  
   
 
==Centaur divination==
  
==Centaur divination==
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*[[Astrology]] — observing the movements of planets and stars<ref name="ootp27" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', Chapter 13</ref>
  
*[[Astrology]] — observing the movements of planets and stars<ref name="ootp27" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', Chapter 13</ref>
 
*[[Cartomancy]] — reading [[Tarot cards]]<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', Chapter 10</ref><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', Chapter 25</ref>
  
*[[Cartomancy]] — reading [[Tarot cards]]<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', Chapter 10</ref><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', Chapter 25</ref>
  +
*[[Catoptromancy]] — looking into mirrors<ref name="PSdeluxe">Illustration of [[Diagon Alley]] by [[Jim Kay]] from the Deluxe Illustrated Slipcase Edition of ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' ([http://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/harry-potter-diagon-alley.pdf see here]).</ref>
 
*[[Chinese Fortune Sticks]]<ref name=WWHP />
  
*[[Chinese Fortune Sticks]]<ref name=WWHP />
 
*[[Crystal-gazing]] — looking into a [[crystal ball]]<ref name="poa15">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 15</ref>
  
*[[Crystal-gazing]] — looking into a [[crystal ball]]<ref name="poa15">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 15</ref>
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*[[Fire-omens]] — unknown, possibly related to observing [[Fire|flames]]<ref name="poa6" />
  
*[[Fire-omens]] — unknown, possibly related to observing [[Fire|flames]]<ref name="poa6" />
 
*[[Heptomology]] — unknown, possibly related to the number [[seven]]<ref name="ootp25">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 25</ref>
  
*[[Heptomology]] — unknown, possibly related to the number [[seven]]<ref name="ootp25">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 25</ref>
  +
*[[Ichthyomancy]] — involving fish<ref name="PSdeluxe"/>
 
*[[Palmistry]] — reading the lines on a person's palm<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 12</ref>
  
*[[Palmistry]] — reading the lines on a person's palm<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 12</ref>
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*[[Ornithomancy]] — unknown, possibly related to birds<ref name="ootp25" /> In history, Greeks studied the actions of birds
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*[[Ornithomancy]] — unknown, possibly related to birds<ref name="ootp25" />
 
*[[Ovomancy]] — cracking open [[egg]]s and observing which way the yolks fall<ref name="pottermore">[[Pottermore]] introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available [http://lady-slytherin-forever.tumblr.com/post/9001220525/ravenclaw-spoilers-stop-reading-if-you-dont-want-to here])</ref>
  
*[[Ovomancy]] — cracking open [[egg]]s and observing which way the yolks fall<ref name="pottermore">[[Pottermore]] introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available [http://lady-slytherin-forever.tumblr.com/post/9001220525/ravenclaw-spoilers-stop-reading-if-you-dont-want-to here])</ref>
 
*[[Tessomancy]] — reading tea leaves<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)]]''</ref>
  
*[[Tessomancy]] — reading tea leaves<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)]]''</ref>
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*''[[LEGO Harry Potter|Harry Potter LEGO Sets]]''
  
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter|Harry Potter LEGO Sets]]''
 
*''[[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter]]''
  
*''[[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter]]''
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*[[Harry Potter: The Character Vault]] (mentioned only)
   
 
==Notes and references==
  
==Notes and references==
 
{{Reflist}}
  
{{Reflist}}
 
[[es:Adivinación]]
  
[[es:Adivinación]]
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[[fr:Divination (branche de la magie)]]
 
{{Divination}}
  
{{Divination}}
 
[[Category:Divination| ]]
  
[[Category:Divination| ]]

Revision as of 14:35, 29 February 2016

"Point me!"
This article is about the magical discipline. You may be looking for the Hogwarts subject.
"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future."
— Sybill Trelawney[src]
DivinationHarryRon

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley unenthusiastically gaze into a crystal ball in Divination class.

Divination is a branch of magic[1] that involves attempting to foresee the future, or gather insights into future events, through various rituals and tools.

Human divination

Witches and wizards who are born with the rare natural gift for prophecy are known as Seers, who can foresee the future with their Inner Eye. Non-Seers can learn divination methods, but their success varies. Divination is taught as an elective subject from the third year on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[2]

Diviniation has been practiced since ancient times. The earliest known method of human fortune-telling is the product known in the West as Chinese Fortune Sticks.[3]

Learned wizards and witches seem to regard the practise of divination with scepticism. Hermione Granger once described it as "woolly" and "a lot of guesswork,"[4] Minerva McGonagall thought it was "one of the most imprecise branches of magic,"[1] and before he decided to take on Sybill Trelawney as Divination professor at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was inclined to scrap the subject altogether.[5]

Silver lime wands had a reputation for performing best for Seers and those skilled in Legilimency.[6]

Centaur divination

C27--the-centaur-and-the-snake

Firenze teaching Divination class in 1996.

Centaurs have a way of practising divination distinct from that of humans, apparently mainly based around observing the movement of planets, moons, and stars, which they had been doing for centuries by 1996.[7] It can take up to a decade for centaurs to understand what these celestial portents meant, and even then, the results were rarely precise.[7] They may attempt to narrow their prediction of when an event will take place by burning certain herbs, such as sage and mallowsweet, and looking for various shapes and symbols in the fumes.[7]

Centaurs seem to have had a low opinion of human methods of divination. Firenze, who taught Divination at Hogwarts, described what "humans call fortune-telling" as "self-flattering nonsense," and voiced the belief that humans obsess over mundane, day-to-day predictions because they are "blinkered and fettered by the limitations of [their] kind."[7]

Known methods

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic" - Minerva McGonagall
  2. ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 6
  5. ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37
  6. ↑ Pottermore - "Wand Woods"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 27
  8. ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 13
  9. ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 10
  10. ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 25
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Illustration of Diagon Alley by Jim Kay from the Deluxe Illustrated Slipcase Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (see here).
  12. ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 15
  13. ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25
  15. ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 12
  16. ↑ Pottermore introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available here)
  17. ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
  18. ↑ Pottermore - Xylomancy trunk description
  19. ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 15 - (The Forbidden Forest) - Hermione tells Harry that what he's saying sounds like "fortune-telling," which Professor McGonagall says is a very imprecise branch of magic.
Divination
Trelawney's first Divination lesson in the trio's third year
Professors: Percival Rackham · Mudiwa Onai · Sybill Trelawney · Firenze
Known Seers: Calchas · Cassandra Vablatsky · Cassandra Trelawney · Gellert Grindelwald · Inigo Imago · Johan Hoffman · Liz Tuttle's mother · Mopsus · Professor Mopsus · Susie Sooth · Tycho Dodonus · Unidentified Canadian Seer · Unidentified female Seer · Unidentified male Seer
Textbooks: The Dream Oracle · Unfogging the Future
Methods: Astrology · Bibliomancy · Capnomancy · Cartomancy · Catoptromancy · Crystal-gazing · Crystal ball · Dream interpretation · Fire-omens · Heptomology · Horoscope · Ichthyomancy · Lithomancy · Myomancy · Ornithomancy · Orrery · Ovomancy · Palmistry · Personal chart · Phyllomancy · Prophecy · Rune stone · Scrying mirror · Tarot cards · Tessomancy · Xylomancy
Divination at Hogwarts: Divination (class) · Divination Classroom · Divination staircase · Sybill Trelawney's office · Classroom Eleven · Xylomancy (class)
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