Belomancy

Belomancy is an ancient art of divination through arrows. It was also known as bolomancy and was usually used by Babylonians, Greeks, Arabs and Scythians.

Arrows had feathers attached to them and were inscribed with certain occult symbols. When an answer for a difficult question was sought, these arrows were selected at random from a quiver and shot. The arrows contained various options which would serve as answers. The arrow which fell farthest would serve as the answer; it was considered God’s will.

There were other cases in which Arab and Greeks used belomancy in travel to distant areas. When they were faced with a dilemma about which direction to choose, an arrow was shot and the direction in which it fell was selected.

This practice dates back to the time of the nomadic Arabs; the Chaldea of southern Babylonia.

In an alternative method of belomancy, arrows with symbols were mixed and kept in a quiver. One of them was picked in random and it was supposed to be taken as an omen. This method of divination is mentioned in Ezekiel 21:21 and Psedudoxia Epidemica by Sir Thomas Browne.