What is "gastromancy"

Gastromancy \Gas`tro*man"cy\, n. [Gastro- + -mancy: cf. F. gastromancy.] (Antiq.)

1. A kind of divination, by means of words seemingly uttered from the stomach.

2. A species of divination, by means of glasses or other round, transparent vessels, in the center of which figures are supposed to appear by magic art.

n. 1 divination by interpreting the sounds and signs of the belly. It is now sometimes associated as being a form of ventriloquism, where vocal sounds are produced from the belly. 2 divination by noting magical visions in large-bellied glasses. It is sometimes described as a technique where a child is placed in front of a glass filled with water, the images in the glass were then interpreted. Similar to crystallomancy.

Gastromancy is from Greek gastēr (meaning "belly") and manteia (meaning "prophecy"). It can refer to:

• Crystal ball gazing: i.e., gazing into round ("belly-shaped") objects.
• Divination by use of guttural sounds (i.e., from the belly) to represent the voice of the dead. See Ventriloquism#Origins