omphalomancy

[Brazilian dude]

OMPHALOMANCY
Omphalomancy is a form of divination by the navel of a new born first child.

It is used to ascertain future conceptions by the mother.

These indications were obtained from the number of markings on the navel of the child.

Brazilian dude

[KatyBr]

sounds good to me.... about as logical as using leeches to suck out the bad vapors from the body to restore balance.

Kt

[M. Henri Day]

...

These indications were obtained from the number of markings on the navel of the child.

Any idea on how these markings were counted ? What were the standard conditions ? Leaving aside questions of validity (what Katy above has referred to as «logic»), what about reliability ? What were the chances that two independent observers would come to the same conclusion about the number of markings on the navel of any given child ?...

Henri

[Brazilian dude]

I just suggested a word, that's all. I don't know squat about it.

Brazilian dude

[KatyBr]

(hahahahah, Henri)
now, BD, you brought it up, you need to tell us, inquiring minds NEED to know these things.

Kt

[Brazilian dude]

I've never been and never will be a mother, so I'll reiterate it: I don't know squat about no omphalomancy.

Brazilian dude

[M. Henri Day]

I've never been and never will be a mother, so I'll reiterate it: I don't know squat about no omphalomancy.

Nor diddley squat, neither !...

Henri

[tcward]

I've never been and never will be a mother, so I'll reiterate it: I don't know squat about no omphalomancy.

As if being a mother is a prerequisite to dabbling in omphalomancy...

Omphalomancy comes from the word omphaloskepsis meaning to reflect over ones' belly button. It was an ancient form of divination practiced on newborn girls to determined the number of children they would have in their future. The amount was determined by the number of knots in her umbilical cord.

And from World Wide Words:

OMPHALOSKEPSIS

Contemplating one’s navel as an aid to meditation.

This word seems to be relatively new, at least the Merriam-Webster “Word of the Day” column claims it to have been invented only in the 1920s. It turns up in only a few dictionaries and seems to be a word that survives more for the chance to show off one’s erudition than as a real aid to communication. If so, this article is a further perpetuation of its unreal status. It is formed from two Greek words, omphalos, “navel, boss, hub”, and skepsis, “the act of looking; enquiry”. The former turns up in words such as omphalotomy, “cutting of the umbilical cord”, in the related omphalopsychic for one of a group of mystics who practised gazing at the navel as a means of inducing hypnotic reverie, and omphalomancy, an ancient form of divination in which the number of children a woman would bear was determined from counting the knots in her umbilical cord at birth.

-Tim

[M. Henri Day]

I am relieved - the practice of omphalomancy according to the rules mentioned by Tim would most likely have a much higher grade of reliability than one carried out according to those referred to by BD ! I doubt, however, whether validity would be significantly improved....

Henri