Sasha Wolf

Member # 7125
Seers Guild

IE Myths for Seers

Question 1
I have completed IE Mythology in the CTP, which counts for completion of this requirement.
Question 2
From the lore (or histories), pick an example that shows a Seer at work. (The Seer may be
mythological or historical.) Describe how this Seer functioned within their culture. (Deities
invoked, rituals performed, required items, timing, etc. Note: Some, all, or none of these may
be present, or there may be other aspects that are not mentioned here.) Explain how, if at all,
this influences your practice. (Minimum 300 words.)
My hearth culture is Gaulish-Brythonic. No written myths of this culture survive, but the
Classical histories do give us some insight. Both men and women could be Seers. Several Greek
writers mention the Gallisenae, a group of priestesses who lived on the isle of Sena (le de Seine)
and could, amongst other things, foretell the future (Pomponius Mela 73). The Gaulish Seer
about whom we have most information, however, is Divitiacus, who was a friend of Ciceros,
also met Caesar, and was described by both men in their writings (Caesar, De Bello Gallico, and
Cicero, On Divination, both collected in Unknown).
Divitiacus was the brother of Dumnorix, leader of the Aedui tribe, and is himself
described by Caesar as one of the leading Aeduans and able to speak for the tribe (De Bello
Gallico 1.16, 31, in Unknown). It therefore seems that he had a high status in Gaulish culture,
although from this text alone it would be difficult to say whether this was due to his abilities as a
Seer or, rather, to his family connections. However, Diodorus says that great attention and
respect was paid to Gaulish seers and that their guidance was sought both in peace and in
wartime, so it appears that being a seer probably did at least contribute to his social status
(Historical Library 5.32.2-5, in Unknown).
Cicero states that Divitiacus performed his divinations sometimes by means of augury
and sometimes by means of conjecture (On Divination 1.41.90, in Unknown). What kind of
augury Diviaticus practised is not specified, but Diodorus Siculus says elsewhere that Gaulish
augury was based on the flight of birds and on observation of the entrails of sacrificed animals
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22 November, 2016

Sasha Wolf
Member # 7125
Seers Guild

(Historical Library 5.32.2-5, in Unknown). Both Diodorus and Strabo claim that human
sacrifices were also made and that divination was made from their death struggles (Diodorus,
Historical Library 5.32.2-5; Strabo, Geography 4.4.5, both in Unknown).
Cicero also describes Divitiacus as having knowledge of physiology, although it is not
clear whether he thinks this is linked to the topic of his skill at divination (On Divination 1.41.90,
in Unknown). While today we would normally think of these as separate subjects, they could be
connected in the case of augury from entrails, which relies on an understanding of the usual
appearance of an animals organs.
Nothing is said in any of the surviving texts about the details of how these divinations
were conducted, e.g. as to the roles which deities may have played in the practice, whether
augury from birds involved any ritual, how the sacrificial rituals were performed in the case of
augury from entrails, what items were used beyond those necessary to accomplish the sacrifices
on a practical level, or whether the timing of the divination was important.
As regards my own practice, I certainly have no interest in reviving blood sacrifices of
any kind, even if they were not forbidden by ADF. Augury from the flight of birds, however, is
something that does appeal to me as a birdwatcher, and I would be interested in researching more
on methods of doing this.

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22 November, 2016

Sasha Wolf
Member # 7125
Seers Guild

Works Cited
Pomponius Mela. De Chorographia Libri Tres. Berlin: Effert & Lindtner, 1867. Web.
Unknown. A Corpus of Written References to Druids. Ancient-Celts.com, 2007. Web. 23 May
2016.

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