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{{Spoiler|HM|PAS|MA|HL}}
{{Pottermoreold}}
 
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{{Real world subject}}
 
{{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}}
+
{{Quote|Many [[Wizardkind|witches and wizards]], talented though they are in the area of [[Bangs-and-smells magic|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|250x250px|thumb|[[Harry Potter]] and [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]] unenthusiastically gaze into a [[crystal ball]] in [[Divination (class)|Divination class]]]]
 
'''Divination''' was a branch of [[magic]] that involved attempting to foresee the future, or gather insights into past, present and future events, through various rituals and tools.<ref name="POA6"/>
   
  +
Divination was different from other branches of magic in that it required the practitioner to possess a natural aptitude. One could not simply study hard and expect to get better at it, if a witch or wizard lacked any aptitude for divination, then they were doomed to fail no matter how hard they worked.
[[File:DivinationHarryRon.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] unenthusiastically gaze into a [[crystal ball]] in [[Divination (class)|Divination class]].]]
 
 
'''Divination''' is a branch of [[magic]]<ref name="poa5">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 5, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic" - Minerva McGonagall</ref> that involves attempting to foresee the future, or gather insights into future events, through various rituals and tools.
 
   
 
==Human divination==
 
==Human divination==
  +
{{Quote|Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it.|[[Minerva McGonagall]]'s negative view of Divination|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}
[[Wizards|Witches and wizards]] who are born with the rare natural gift for [[prophecy]] are known as [[Seer]]s, who can forsee the future with their [[Inner Eye]]. Non-Seers can learn divination methods, but their success varies. [[Divination (class)|Divination]] is taught as an elective subject from the [[third year]] on at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]].<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 4</ref>
 
  +
[[File:Trelawney first prophecy.jpg|left|thumb|250px|A record of Trelawney's first prophecy]]
  +
Divination had been practised since ancient times. The earliest known method of human fortune-telling was the product known in the West as [[Chinese Fortune Sticks]].<ref name="WWHP">{{WWHP}} - {{see image|File:Chinese Fortune Sticks.jpg}}</ref>
   
  +
[[Wizardkind|Witches and wizards]] who were born with the natural gift for [[prophecy]] were known as [[Seer]]s, and had the ability to foresee the future with their [[Inner Eye]].<ref name="POA6" /><ref name="OOTP15">{{OOTP|B|15}}</ref> Professor Sybill Trelawney is an example of someone with this gift; her predictions almost always seemed "woolly" and even fraudulent, and she was always predicting the deaths of students. However, aside from these death predictions that never came true, Professor Trelawney actually had an impressively accurate track record, seemingly by simply making stuff up in an effort to appear all-knowing, possibly her Inner Eye at work without her even realizing it.
Learned wizards and witches seem to regard the practice 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>
 
   
  +
Professor Trelawney has asserted that "''The Inner Eye does not See upon command!''". Furthermore, the Inner Eye apparently skips three generations in families.<ref name="OOTP15">{{OOTP|B|15}}</ref>
===Wandlore===
 
  +
[[Silver lime]] [[wand]]s had a reputation for performing best for [[Seer]]s and those skilled in [[Legilimency]].
 
  +
According to Professor [[Mudiwa Onai]], Divination was an important yet often misunderstood branch of magic. True Seers were very rare and as often the case with unique individuals, they could often be misread or even feared.<ref>{{HL}}</ref>
  +
  +
[[File:B3C6M2 Trelawney's first Divination lesson in the trio's third year.jpg|thumb|250px|A third year Divination class at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]]]
  +
While those born with the gift of the Inner Eye were rare, non-Seers could also learn divination methods and develop and gain various insights with them. A common way of seeing the future was with the aid of a [[crystal ball]].<ref name="poa15"/> To this end, [[Divination (class)|Divination]] was taught as an elective subject from the [[third year]] on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.<ref name="COS14">{{COS|B|14}}</ref><ref name="POA4">{{POA|B|4}}</ref><ref name="POA6" /> However, the success of these non-seers varied,<ref name="POA6" /><ref name="POA16">{{POA|B|16}}</ref><ref name="OOTP37" /> the main problem being that Divination was highly imprecise in the first place.
  +
  +
In some cases, the signs granted by Divination can be more literal that symbolic. An example of this was when [[Harry Potter]] had the [[Grim]] (a giant spectral dog that haunted churchyards, seen as an omen of death). As it turned out, the image of a dog just meant that a dog would play a significant role in his future. The dog actually being his Godfather, [[Sirius Black]], who was a dog [[Animagus]].
  +
  +
During a Divination class in [[1993]], Professor Trelawney told [[Hermione Granger]] that she perceived very little aura around her, indicating that she had "very little receptivity to the resonances of the future".<ref name="POA6">{{POA|B|6}}</ref> This indicated that there was a distinct correlation between a witch or wizards' "amount" of aura and whether or not they would be competent at Divination.<ref name="POA6"/><ref name="POAF 9">{{POA|F}} - Chapter 9 (''Tea Leaves'')</ref>
  +
 
Learned wizards and witches seemed to regard the practice of divination with scepticism. [[Hermione Granger]] once described it as "''woolly''" and "''a lot of guesswork'',"<ref name="POA6">{{POA|B|6}}</ref> [[Minerva McGonagall]] thought it was "''one of the most imprecise branches of magic'',"<ref name="POA6" /> and before he decided to take on [[Sybill Trelawney]] as Divination [[professor]] at Hogwarts, [[Albus Dumbledore]] was inclined to scrap the subject altogether.<ref name="OOTP37">{{OOTP|B|37}}</ref> Be that as it may, true prophecies were not lightly dismissed, even by sceptics. The truly wise knew that the words of prophecies always held importance, even if that importance was not easily or immediately apparent.<ref name="OOTP37">{{OOTP|B|37}}</ref>
  +
  +
There was an occupation in the [[Wizarding world]] known as a [[Naming Seer]]. In exchange for [[gold]], Seers would make predictions about the future of an unborn child and advise the parents to give them a suitable name.<ref name="PM-naming-seer">{{WW|naming-seers}}</ref>
  +
 
[[Silver lime]] [[wand]]s had a reputation for performing best for [[Seer]]s and those skilled in [[Legilimency]].<ref name="pottermore-wands">{{WW|wand-woods}}</ref>
   
 
==Centaur divination==
 
==Centaur divination==
  +
{{Quote|In the past decade, the indications have been that Wizard-kind is living through nothing more than a brief calm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shines brightly above us, suggesting that the fight must break out again soon. How soon, centaurs may attempt to divine by the burning of certain herbs and leaves, by the observation of fume and flame...|[[Firenze]] explaining Centaur Divination|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
[[File:C27--the-centaur-and-the-snake.jpg|thumb|190px|[[Firenze]] teaching [[Divination (class)|Divination class]] in [[1996]].]]
+
[[File:Firenze PM B5C27 DivinationClassroomHarryRonFirenze.jpg|thumb|250px|Firenze teaching Divination class in 1996|left]]
[[Centaur]]s have a way of practising divination distinct from that of [[human]]s, apparently mainly based around observing the movement of planets, moons, and stars, which they had been doing for centuries by [[1996]].<ref name="ootp27">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 27</ref> It can take up to a decade for centaurs to understand what these celestial portents meant.<ref name="ootp27" /> 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.<ref name="ootp27" />
+
[[Centaur]]s had a way of practising divination distinct from that of [[wizardkind]],<ref name="OOTP27"/> apparently mainly based around observing the movement of planets, moons, and stars,<ref name="PS15">{{PS|B|15}}</ref> which they had been doing for centuries by [[1996]].<ref name="OOTP27">{{OOTP|B|27}}</ref> It could take up to a decade for centaurs to understand what these celestial portents meant, and even then, the results were rarely precise.<ref name="OOTP27" /> They may have attempted to narrow their prediction of when an event would take place by [[Fire|burning]] certain herbs, such as [[sage]] and [[mallowsweet]], and looking for various shapes and symbols in the fumes.<ref name="OOTP27" /> The [[Forbidden Forest centaur colony]] heavily practised this kind of Divination which helped them reach their predictions about what would happen.<ref name="PS15"/>
   
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."<ref name="ootp27" />
+
Centaurs seemed 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 obsessed over mundane, day-to-day predictions because they were "''blinkered and fettered by the limitations of [their] kind''."<ref name="OOTP27" />
   
 
==Known methods==
 
==Known methods==
  +
{| class="wikitable" border="1" width="95%"
*[[Astrology]] — observing the movements of planets and stars<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', Chapter 13</ref><ref name="ootp27" />
 
  +
|-
*[[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>
 
  +
! scope="col" |Method(s)
*[[Crystal-gazing]] — looking into a [[crystal ball]]<ref name="poa15">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 15</ref>
 
  +
! scope="col" |Notes
*[[Dream interpretation]] — analysing the meaning of dreams<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 12</ref>
 
  +
|-
*[[Fire-omens]] — unknown, possibly related to observing flames<ref name="poa6" />
 
  +
|[[Astrology]]
*[[Heptomology]] — unknown, possibly related to the number [[seven]]<ref name="ootp25">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Chapter 25</ref>
 
  +
|Observing the movements of planets and stars.<ref name="GOF13">{{GOF|B|13}}</ref><ref name="OOTP27"/>
*[[Palmistry]] — reading the lines on a person's palm<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Chapter 12</ref>
 
  +
|-
*[[Ornithomancy]] — unknown, possibly related to birds<ref name="ootp25" />
 
  +
|[[Bibliomancy]]
*[[Ovomancy]] — cracking open eggs 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>
 
  +
|Involved opening a book on a random page, in order to interpret its contents in a contextual way, or to adapt its meaning to the present time.<ref name="HM640d">{{HM|6|40|d}}</ref>
*[[Tessomancy]] — reading tea leaves<ref name="poa6" /><ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)]]''</ref>
 
  +
|-
*[[Xylomancy]] — involving twigs<ref name="pottermore2">[[Pottermore]] - [http://www.pottermore.com/en/trunk/books/item/xylomancy/3 Xylomancy trunk description]</ref>
 
  +
|[[Bird entrails]]
  +
|Unknown.<ref name="POA4">{{POA|B|4}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Capnomancy]]
  +
|Reading smoke patterns.<ref name="HM727d">{{HM|7|27|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Cartomancy]]
  +
|Reading [[Tarot cards]].<ref name="POA6" /><ref name="HBP10">{{HBP|B|10}}</ref><ref name="HBP25">{{HBP|B|25}}</ref><ref name="HM67">{{HM|6|7|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Catoptromancy]]
  +
|Looking into mirrors.<ref name="PSdeluxe">Illustration of [[Diagon Alley]] by [[Jim Kay]] from the Deluxe Illustrated Slipcase Edition of {{PS}} ([http://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/harry-potter-diagon-alley.pdf see here]).</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Chinese Fortune Sticks]]<ref name="WWHP" />
  +
|Involved wooden sticks that told the user's daily fortune.<ref name="WWHP" />
  +
|-
  +
|[[Crystal-gazing]]
  +
|Looking into a [[crystal ball]].<ref name="poa15">{{POA|B|15}}</ref><ref name="HM611">{{HM|6|11|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Dream interpretation]]
  +
|Analysing the meaning of dreams.<ref name="OOTP12">{{OOTP|B|12}}</ref><ref name="HM634">{{HM|6|34|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Fire-omens]]<ref name="POA6" />
 
|Unknown, possibly related to observing [[Fire|flames]].
  +
|-
  +
|[[Heptomology]]<ref name="OOTP25">{{OOTP|B|25}}</ref>
  +
|Unknown, possibly related to the number [[seven]].
  +
|-
  +
|[[Ichthyomancy]]
  +
|Involving fish.<ref name="PSdeluxe" />
  +
|-
  +
|[[Lithomancy]]
  +
|Involving stones.<ref name="HM747d">{{HM|7|47|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Myomancy]]
  +
|Involving [[rat]]s and [[mouse|mice]].<ref name="COS-ie">{{COS|IE}}</ref><ref name="HM628">{{HM|6|28|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Numerology]]
  +
|Predicting the future using numbers.<ref name="HM615">{{HM|6|15|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
 
|[[Ornithomancy]]<ref name="OOTP25" />
  +
|Reading omens from observing the behaviour of [[bird]]s.<ref name="HM711d">{{HM|7|11|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Ovomancy]]
  +
|Cracking open [[egg]]s and observing which way the yolks fell.<ref name="pottermore">{{PM}} - introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available [https://web.archive.org/web/20110818075027/http://www.snitchseeker.com/harry-potter-news/j-k-rowlings-pottermore-releases-backstories-and-history-of-four-hogwarts-houses-84167/ here])</ref><ref name="HM644">{{HM|6|44|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Palmistry]]
  +
|Reading the lines on a person's palm.<ref name="POA6" /><ref name="POA12">{{POA|B|12}}</ref><ref name="HM64">{{HM|6|4|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Phyllomancy]]
  +
|Involving the use of leaves.<ref name="HM736d">{{HM|7|36|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Rune stone]]s
  +
|Somehow using rune stones to divine the future.<ref name="OOTP25"/>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Tessomancy]]
  +
|Reading [[tea]] leaves.<ref name="POA6" /><ref name="POAF">{{POA|F}} - Chapter 9 (''Tea Leaves'')</ref><ref name="HM62">{{HM|6|2|d}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Xylomancy]]
 
|Reading twigs.<ref name="pottermore2">{{PM}} - [http://www.pottermore.com/en/trunk/books/item/xylomancy/3 Xylomancy trunk description]</ref><ref name="HM623d">{{HM|6|23|d}}</ref>
  +
|}
  +
  +
==Known texts==
  +
<gallery widths="125" orientation="portrait" spacing="medium">
  +
Xylomancy.png|''[[Xylomancy (book)|Xylomancy]]'' by [[Selina Sapworthy]]<ref name="pottermore2"/>
  +
Future-lrg.png|''[[Unfogging the Future]]'' by [[Cassandra Vablatsky]]<ref name="POA4"/>
  +
The Dream Oracle.png|''[[The Dream Oracle]]'' by [[Inigo Imago]]<ref name="OOTP12"/><ref name="OOTP20">{{OOTP|B|20}}</ref>
  +
OmensOracles&TheGoat.png|''[[Omens, Oracles & the Goat]]'' by [[Bathilda Bagshot]]<ref name="DHF1">{{DH|F1}}</ref>
  +
The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus.png|''[[The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus]]''<ref name="COGS">{{COG|S}}</ref>
  +
File:Death Omens What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming.jpeg|[[Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming]]<ref name="POA4"/>
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
==Behind the scenes==
  +
*In real life, {{wplink|divination}} is the practice of communing with supernatural forces to determine the future. Though dismissed by modern science as superstition, many cultures worldwide have practised or do practise some form of divination. As magic consists of supernatural forces, true Divination actually can be learned and achieved like the other magical arts, whether or not a wizard possesses the Inner Eye.
  +
*In {{POA|FA}}, [[Hermione Granger]] compares Divination to [[Study of Ancient Runes|Ancient Runes]], thinking the first a woolly subject and the second very fascinating; however, in the novel she did the same but with Divination and [[Arithmancy]].
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
  +
*{{PS}} {{1st Mention}} {{C|Mentioned as "fortune-telling"}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' {{Mention}}
 
  +
*{{COS}} {{Mention}} {{1st ID}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''
 
  +
*{{POA}} {{1st}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)]]''
 
  +
*{{POA|F}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' {{Mention}}
 
  +
*{{POA|G}} {{C|GBA version}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
 
  +
*{{GOF}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)]]''
 
  +
*{{OOTP}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)]]''
 
  +
*{{OOTP|F}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' {{Mention}}
 
  +
*{{OOTP|G}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)]]'' {{Mention}}
 
  +
*{{HBP}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)]]'' {{Mention}}
 
  +
*{{HBP|G}} {{Mention}}
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World]]'' {{Mention}}
 
  +
*{{DH}} {{Mention}}
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]''
 
*''[[Pottermore]]'' {{Mention}}
+
*{{DH|F1}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{DH|G1}} {{Mention}}
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter|Harry Potter LEGO Sets]]''
 
  +
*{{DH|F2}} {{Flashback}}
  +
*{{CC}}
  +
*{{CC|P}}
  +
*{{FB|S}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{FB|F}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{COG|S}}
  +
*{{COG}}
  +
*{{SOD|S}}
  +
*{{SOD}}
  +
*{{FB|R}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{PM}}
  +
*{{WW}}
  +
*{{WWHP}}
  +
*{{HPV|CH}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{HPV|CR}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{LEGO}}
  +
*{{LEGO|C}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{LEGO|Y1}}
  +
*{{LEGO|Y2}}
  +
*{{HM}}
  +
*{{WU}}
  +
*{{PAS}}
  +
*{{MA}}
  +
*{{HL}}
   
 
==Notes and references==
 
==Notes and references==
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Reflist}}
[[es:Adivinación]]
 
 
{{Divination}}
 
{{Divination}}
  +
[[Category:Divination| ]]
 
  +
==See also==
  +
*[[Countersight]]
  +
*[[Vision]]
  +
*[[Scrying mirror]]
  +
  +
[[de:Wahrsagen]]
 
[[es:Adivinación (rama)]]
  +
[[fr:Divination (branche de la magie)]]
  +
[[pl:Wróżbiarstwo]]
  +
[[pt-br:Adivinhação]]
  +
[[ru:Прорицания]]
 
[[Category:Divination]]

Latest revision as of 23:47, 21 February 2024

"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 was a branch of magic that involved attempting to foresee the future, or gather insights into past, present and future events, through various rituals and tools.[1]

Divination was different from other branches of magic in that it required the practitioner to possess a natural aptitude. One could not simply study hard and expect to get better at it, if a witch or wizard lacked any aptitude for divination, then they were doomed to fail no matter how hard they worked.

Human divination

"Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it."
Minerva McGonagall's negative view of Divination[src]
Trelawney first prophecy

A record of Trelawney's first prophecy

Divination had been practised since ancient times. The earliest known method of human fortune-telling was the product known in the West as Chinese Fortune Sticks.[2]

Witches and wizards who were born with the natural gift for prophecy were known as Seers, and had the ability to foresee the future with their Inner Eye.[1][3] Professor Sybill Trelawney is an example of someone with this gift; her predictions almost always seemed "woolly" and even fraudulent, and she was always predicting the deaths of students. However, aside from these death predictions that never came true, Professor Trelawney actually had an impressively accurate track record, seemingly by simply making stuff up in an effort to appear all-knowing, possibly her Inner Eye at work without her even realizing it.

Professor Trelawney has asserted that "The Inner Eye does not See upon command!". Furthermore, the Inner Eye apparently skips three generations in families.[3]

According to Professor Mudiwa Onai, Divination was an important yet often misunderstood branch of magic. True Seers were very rare and as often the case with unique individuals, they could often be misread or even feared.[4]

B3C6M2 Trelawney's first Divination lesson in the trio's third year

A third year Divination class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

While those born with the gift of the Inner Eye were rare, non-Seers could also learn divination methods and develop and gain various insights with them. A common way of seeing the future was with the aid of a crystal ball.[5] To this end, Divination was taught as an elective subject from the third year on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[6][7][1] However, the success of these non-seers varied,[1][8][9] the main problem being that Divination was highly imprecise in the first place.

In some cases, the signs granted by Divination can be more literal that symbolic. An example of this was when Harry Potter had the Grim (a giant spectral dog that haunted churchyards, seen as an omen of death). As it turned out, the image of a dog just meant that a dog would play a significant role in his future. The dog actually being his Godfather, Sirius Black, who was a dog Animagus.

During a Divination class in 1993, Professor Trelawney told Hermione Granger that she perceived very little aura around her, indicating that she had "very little receptivity to the resonances of the future".[1] This indicated that there was a distinct correlation between a witch or wizards' "amount" of aura and whether or not they would be competent at Divination.[1][10]

Learned wizards and witches seemed to regard the practice of divination with scepticism. Hermione Granger once described it as "woolly" and "a lot of guesswork,"[1] 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.[9] Be that as it may, true prophecies were not lightly dismissed, even by sceptics. The truly wise knew that the words of prophecies always held importance, even if that importance was not easily or immediately apparent.[9]

There was an occupation in the Wizarding world known as a Naming Seer. In exchange for gold, Seers would make predictions about the future of an unborn child and advise the parents to give them a suitable name.[11]

Silver lime wands had a reputation for performing best for Seers and those skilled in Legilimency.[12]

Centaur divination

"In the past decade, the indications have been that Wizard-kind is living through nothing more than a brief calm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shines brightly above us, suggesting that the fight must break out again soon. How soon, centaurs may attempt to divine by the burning of certain herbs and leaves, by the observation of fume and flame..."
Firenze explaining Centaur Divination[src]
Firenze PM B5C27 DivinationClassroomHarryRonFirenze

Firenze teaching Divination class in 1996

Centaurs had a way of practising divination distinct from that of wizardkind,[13] apparently mainly based around observing the movement of planets, moons, and stars,[14] which they had been doing for centuries by 1996.[13] It could take up to a decade for centaurs to understand what these celestial portents meant, and even then, the results were rarely precise.[13] They may have attempted to narrow their prediction of when an event would take place by burning certain herbs, such as sage and mallowsweet, and looking for various shapes and symbols in the fumes.[13] The Forbidden Forest centaur colony heavily practised this kind of Divination which helped them reach their predictions about what would happen.[14]

Centaurs seemed 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 obsessed over mundane, day-to-day predictions because they were "blinkered and fettered by the limitations of [their] kind."[13]

Known methods

Method(s) Notes
Astrology Observing the movements of planets and stars.[15][13]
Bibliomancy Involved opening a book on a random page, in order to interpret its contents in a contextual way, or to adapt its meaning to the present time.[16]
Bird entrails Unknown.[7]
Capnomancy Reading smoke patterns.[17]
Cartomancy Reading Tarot cards.[1][18][19][20]
Catoptromancy Looking into mirrors.[21]
Chinese Fortune Sticks[2] Involved wooden sticks that told the user's daily fortune.[2]
Crystal-gazing Looking into a crystal ball.[5][22]
Dream interpretation Analysing the meaning of dreams.[23][24]
Fire-omens[1] Unknown, possibly related to observing flames.
Heptomology[25] Unknown, possibly related to the number seven.
Ichthyomancy Involving fish.[21]
Lithomancy Involving stones.[26]
Myomancy Involving rats and mice.[27][28]
Numerology Predicting the future using numbers.[29]
Ornithomancy[25] Reading omens from observing the behaviour of birds.[30]
Ovomancy Cracking open eggs and observing which way the yolks fell.[31][32]
Palmistry Reading the lines on a person's palm.[1][33][34]
Phyllomancy Involving the use of leaves.[35]
Rune stones Somehow using rune stones to divine the future.[25]
Tessomancy Reading tea leaves.[1][36][37]
Xylomancy Reading twigs.[38][39]

Known texts

Behind the scenes

  • In real life, divination is the practice of communing with supernatural forces to determine the future. Though dismissed by modern science as superstition, many cultures worldwide have practised or do practise some form of divination. As magic consists of supernatural forces, true Divination actually can be learned and achieved like the other magical arts, whether or not a wizard possesses the Inner Eye.
  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione Granger compares Divination to Ancient Runes, thinking the first a woolly subject and the second very fascinating; however, in the novel she did the same but with Divination and Arithmancy.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 6 (Talons and Tea Leaves)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - (see this image)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 15 (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor)
  4. Hogwarts Legacy
  5. 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 15 (The Quidditch Final)
  6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 14 (Cornelius Fudge)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 (The Leaky Cauldron)
  8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 16 (Professor Trelawney's Prediction)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37 (The Lost Prophecy)
  10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) - Chapter 9 (Tea Leaves)
  11. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Naming Seers" at Wizarding World
  12. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Wand Woods" at Wizarding World
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 27 (The Centaur and the Sneak)
  14. 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 15 (The Forbidden Forest)
  15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 13 (Mad-Eye Moody)
  16. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 40 (A Witch Scorned) - Divination Lesson "Bibliomancy"
  17. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 27 (Now That's What I Call a Cursed CD) - Divination Lesson "Smoke Patterns"
  18. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 10 (The House of Gaunt)
  19. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 25 (The Seer Overheard)
  20. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 7 (Niffler Hunting) - Divination Lesson "Cartomancy"
  21. 21.0 21.1 Illustration of Diagon Alley by Jim Kay from the Deluxe Illustrated Slipcase Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (see here).
  22. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 11 (Love in a Bottle) - Divination Lesson "Crystal-gazing"
  23. 23.0 23.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12 (Professor Umbridge)
  24. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 34 (Final Preparations) - Divination Lesson "Dream Interpretation"
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25 (The Beetle at Bay)
  26. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 47 (The Circle and the Crown) - Divination Lesson "Lithomancy"
  27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Illustrated Edition
  28. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 28 (Moving On) - Divination Lesson "Myomancy"
  29. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 15 (In the Deep End) - Divination Lesson "Numerology"
  30. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 11 (Goodbye, Magical Creatures…) - Divination Lesson "Ornithomancy"
  31. Pottermore - introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available here)
  32. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 44 (The Perfect Party) - Divination Lesson "Ovomancy"
  33. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 12 (The Patronus)
  34. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 4 (Friends in Low Places) - Divination Lesson "Palmistry"
  35. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 36 (Impenetrable and Unplottable) - Divination Lesson "Phyllomancy"
  36. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) - Chapter 9 (Tea Leaves)
  37. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 2 (Curses and Prophecies) - Divination Lesson "Tessomancy"
  38. 38.0 38.1 Pottermore - Xylomancy trunk description
  39. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 23 (A Brilliant Surprise) - Divination Lesson "Xylomancy"
  40. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 20 (Hagrid's Tale)
  41. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  42. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
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 11 · Xylomancy (class)

See also