The ''Sortes Homericae'' (Latin for "Homeric lots"), a type of divination by

bibliomancy Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. The method of employing sacred books (especially specific words and verses) for 'magical medicine', for removing negative entities, or for divination is widespread in many religions of the world. Ter ...

, involved drawing a random sentence or line from the works of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

(usually the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

'') to answer a question or to predict the future. In the Roman world it co-existed with the various forms of the ''sortes'', such as the ''

Sortes Virgilianae The Sortes Vergilianae (''Virgilian Lots'') is a form of divination by bibliomancy in which advice or predictions of the future are sought by interpreting passages from the works of the Roman poet Virgil. The use of Virgil for divination may date ...

'' and their Christian successor the ''

Sortes Sanctorum ''Sortes Sanctorum'' (incipit ''Post solem surgunt stellae'') is a late antique text that was used for divination by means of dice. The oldest version of the text may have been pagan, but the earliest surviving example—a 4th- or 5th-century Gre ...

''. Socrates reportedly used this practice to determine the day of his execution. Brutus also is reported to have used this practice, which informed him

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

would lose the

battle of Pharsalus The Battle of Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War fought on 9 August 48 BC near Pharsalus in central Greece. Julius Caesar and his allies formed up opposite the army of the Roman Republic under the command of Pompey. P ...

(48 BCE). The emperor Marcus Opellius Macrinus () is also known to have used ''sortes Homericae'', learning that he would not last long on the imperial throne. However, unlike the ''Sortes Virgilianae'', ''sortes Homericae'' did not have an established status as a concept and practice. There are only three known uses of this, separated by centuries and of doubtful authenticity, and of those, two don't involve opening the Iliad at random and randomly choosing a passage, as is established in bibliomancy, and in ''Sortes Virgilianae'' specifically. Rather, they involve the person dreaming or thinking about the passage, as occurred with Socrates and Brutus respectively.

References

Sources

*''

Gargantua and Pantagruel ''The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel'' (french: La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel) is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais, telling the adventures of two giants, Gargantua ( , ) and his son Pantagruel ...

'', Book 3, fro
"The Complete Works of Francois Rabelais", p285
Bibliomancy Homer {{Lit-stub