BELOMANCY; BELOMANTIA, a kind of divination by means of arrows, practised in the east, but chiefly among the Arabians. The word is of Greek origin; compounded of βέλος, arrow, and μαντική, divination.

Belomancy has been performed in different manners. One was to mark a parcel of arrows, and put 11 or more of them into a bag; these were afterwards drawn out; and according as they were marked or not, they judged of future events.

Another way was to have three arrows, upon one of which was wrote, "God orders it me;" upon another, "God forbids it me;" and upon the third nothing at all. These were put into a quiver, out of which they drew one of the three at random; if it happened to be that with the first inscription, the thing they consulted about was to be done: if it chanced to be that with the second inscription, it was let alone: but if it proved that without inscription, they drew over again.

Belomancy is an ancient practice, and probably that which Ezekiel mentions, chap. xxi. 21. At least St Jerome understands it so, and observes that the practice was frequent among the Assyrians and Babylonians. Something like it is also mentioned in Hofea, chap. iv. only that staves are there mentioned instead of arrows, which is rather rhabdomancy than belomancy. Grotius, as well as Jerome, confounds the two together, and shows that it prevailed much among the Magi, Chaldeans, and Scythians; whence it passed to the Sclavonians, and thence to the Germans, whom Tacitus observes to make use of it.