Fortuna - by Nigel Pennick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Traces the history of good fortune traditions from sacred divination to modern gambling

- Reveals how dice were originally considered sacred objects of divination and details the techniques and meanings of a dice oracle

- Looks at medieval grimoires for fortune-telling and other divination traditions, including those using cowrie shells, bones, coins, cards, sticks, and stones

- Examines how dice became a means of gaming and gambling and how gambling gave rise to specialized lucky charms

Some believe that our future is predetermined, while others assert that we have free will and our future can take many different courses depending on our actions. In ancient times, it was believed that the will of the gods determined people's lives, and divination or sacrifices to the gods could change or improve one's future. Of the deities devoted to luck and the future, the Roman goddess Fortuna is most famous, having two shrines in Italy where divination was conducted under her guardianship.

Tracing the history of the culture of good fortune from sacred divination to profane gambling, Nigel Pennick explores the many ways people through the centuries have sought to divine the future, ensure protection, and draw the full benefits from days of good omen. He shows how dice were originally considered sacred objects of divination and reveals the divinatory geomancy techniques and meanings of a dice oracle. Exploring how dice became a means of gaming and gambling, Pennick details the forms of trickery and crooked dice used in games of craps by cheating gamblers and the Dream Books that served as oracles for those who played the policy game. In addition to dice, he looks at how cowrie shells, bones, coins, cards, sticks, and stones were used to form meaningful patterns for interpretation and how these cultural divination practices were often accompanied by texts or oral traditions that explained the meanings of the patterns.

Revealing how divination and gambling are two sides of the same coin, Pennick shows how, whether you are a gambler relying on Lady Luck or a diviner querying the gods, we're all looking to Fortuna in the quest for a better, richer life.

Review Quotes

"Can fate and fortune be foretold or even changed? In this extraordinary new book, Nigel Pennick considers what fortune really is and how, over the years, people have sought to control it. He examines how it has fascinated artists, scientists, and philosophers and explores the many fascinating forms of divination and prediction employed over time. Wonderfully written, Fortuna: The Sacred and Profane Faces of Luck is a must for anyone who wonders what the future may hold."-- "Graham Phillips, author of The Mystery of Doggerland"

"From the ancient Roman oracle of Praeneste to the geomantic potato divination of Essex, from Dame Fortuna to Lady Luck, Nigel Pennick explores the guiding principle of both gambling and divination. He spreads a table of delights where number, probability, and randomness each turn Fortuna's Wheel."-- "Caitlín and John Matthews, authors of The Lost Book of the Grail"

"In Fortuna, established wisdomkeeper Nigel Pennick delves into the many faces of predicting fortune, writing yet another authentic and engrossing book. I find it impossible to read without pausing every page to say to anyone in the room, 'Did you know . . . ?' Another definitive and fascinating work; highly recommended."-- "June Kent, publisher of Indie Shaman magazine"

"Pennick begins with a near-poetic overview of the human condition as stuck in a merciless complexity of variables on a celestial omnibus with a one-way driver: time. With his characteristic clarity of observation and attention to detail, he serves as a brilliant tour guide through the infinite continuum of attempts to quell the anxiety of the murky uncertainty of the journey. Persistent among these seek the intercession of goddess Fortuna/Lady Luck, their minions and practitioners, purporting to speak through the language of the universe--numbers. This is an entertaining and thoughtful book-- and even offers several DIY prognostication techniques used over time to (possibly) help readers' navigate life decisions."-- "Linda Kelsey-Jones, president of the San Marcos Area Arts Council and director/curator of The Walker"

"With a scholar's rigorous research and a sage's wisdom, Pennick has crafted this multifaceted picture of Lady Luck, ranging from the history of oracles, divination, and games of chance to the many marvelous ways people have courted fortune's favor through the ages--including badger's teeth sewn into a pocket and special incense that burns away to reveal lucky numbers--and much, much more. Fortuna is a work of fascinating and thought-provoking beauty."-- "Cait Johnson, author of Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging"

"With his customary insight, Nigel Pennick investigates the underlying principles and rationale of divination, the means by which the diviner may appeal to the gods (or the subconscious) for guidance, in order to change the course of their luck. Nigel examines methods from bones to dice, to oracle books and geomancy, including an old method of using the eyes on potatoes to foretell the future!"-- "Anna Franklin, author of The Hearth Witch's Compendium"

"With his customary scholarly zeal, Nigel Pennick's nevertheless accessible examination of our love/hate relationship with fortune, or luck, throughout history takes us deeply into the interlocked worlds of religion and superstition--with a fair sprinkling of human foolishness. With diverse quotations from the likes of the Oracle of Delphi and George Orwell's 1984 and locations from ancient Egypt to the gambling dens of the Deep South, this uniquely thorough history of luck is comprehensive, riveting, and intriguing."-- "Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, authors of When God Had a Wife"

About the Author

Nigel Pennick is an authority on ancient belief systems, traditions, runes, and geomancy and has traveled and lectured extensively in Europe and the United States. He is the author and illustrator of more than 60 books, including The Pagan Book of Days, Elemental Magic, Wyrd Times, and The Ancestral Power of Amulets, Talismans, and Mascots. He lives near Cambridge, England.