Cromniomancy is

divination Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout histor ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

s. It is usually done by interpreting their sprouting behaviour, after some kind of

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

to state the topic of the divination. This often involves inscribing the onions, dedicating them on an altar or something similar. But cromniomancy is/was also done in idiosyncratic way not involving sprouting them. It is not known why the onion was chosen for that kind of divination, not other fast-sprouting plants. A look at other divination methods shows that plants used for divination have or had some significance as important food source and/or

medicinal herb Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...

. The onion is rich in

Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...

and was important because of this, and it was widely used as medicinal herb against colds and other

infections An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmiss ...

Etymology

The word is derived from the Ancient Greek word for onion = κρόμμυον(phonetically crom-mee-on) and oracle = μαντεία (phonetically man-dee-ah). So the original Greek word was: Kρομμυομαντεία Ηowever, notice that in the original word there is no "n = ν,Ν" but two "m = μ,Μ" sounds, therefore it is unknown why the word was imported into English as CromNio- instead of CromMio-.

History

Cromniomancy was historically performed across Europe, Africa and northern Asia. The sphere within a sphere of the onion made it a much-revered symbol of spirituality and eternity, to the extent that the ancient Egyptians took their sacred oaths with their right hand on an onion. There are many forms of cromniomancy, from divining the weather by the thickness of the skin, to gaining inside information. The earliest written mention occurs in Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, referring to cromnyomantia as a custom of laying onions on an altar on Christmas Eve in order to divine when someone will be married.

Specific methods

One method is to place onions on a sacred

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

to learn about friends and family far away and out of contact. The names of the beloved are inscribed on individual onions and left undisturbed until they began to sprout. The faster the sprouting, the better health and happiness was enjoyed by the friend named on the onion. Onions also provided romantic advice for the love-lorn. A woman trying to choose between lovers would carve out their names on separate onions. The one that sprouted first would reveal the suitor most worthy of her affections. Some sources have it that this should best be done on December 1. Answers to any question could be sought by inscribing yes and no on two separate onions and planting them to see which sprouted first. A method practiced in southern Germany to predict the weather for the following year goes like this: At

Silvester Saint Sylvester's Day, also known as Silvester or the Feast of Saint Sylvester, is the day of the feast of Pope Sylvester I, a saint who served as Pope from 314 to 335. Medieval legend made him responsible for the conversion of emperor Constan ...

evening twelve big, sphere- like pieces of onion are taken and put on a wooden board in a row. They represent the months from January to December. Then a grain of salt is put into every piece of onion, and the whole thing is left overnight in a room without heating, but without frost. The amount of liquid in every onion piece tells how much rain/snow there will be in the respective month.

References

{{Divination Divination