Diversity of practices and unified divination in Inner Asia
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2025 |
| Druh | Další prezentace na konferencích |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | This paper focuses on frequently used divination techniques and practices in Inner Asia. Already mediaeval texts from Turfan attest numerous elements of Near Eastern origin transmitted to Iranian Central Asia and beyond. Another route of transmission of for example Sanskrit dice divination have led from India through the Tarim Basin to China. Animals used in the divinatory contexts are of various species, but namely birds, amphibians and reptiles were most widespread in foretelling, sorcery and in folk rituals. Frequent pattern of divination was connected to bones and turtle shelfs with gradual involvement of pictograms and inscriptions. Although interconnection between shamans and royal houses was firstly flexible, in gradual process of Inner Asian cultural unification, the shamanistic scholars inventing pictographic script had growing influence or even monopoly. Also more simple non-invasive observation and interpretation of unprovoked omens became standard even on the highest imperial level due to agriculture, to water/rain connected disasters and imperial mandate of heaven. The royal administrations were organizing regular observations and notes about the nature and weather. Special omens were imagined and constructed like in the diary of Korean literati Na Man’gap (1592–1642), who collected disastrous omens preceding the second Manchu invasion in 1636. This set includes animals, namely “frogs going to the war” and “toads marching in procession”. The paper documents examples of mentioned diversity, development of particular divination patterns, and use of amphibians and reptiles for their standardized role in communication with heaven. |
| Související projekty: |