Katharina Buczek
One egg fortune-telling method was known as “Venus glass,” in which people would slowly pour a raw egg white into a glass filled with warm water. Then, as the proteins changed shape, people would watch and try to interpret the egg’s meaning– similar to tea leaf-reading.
For instance, if the egg whites looked like cattle or a plow, then one woman might see her future husband as a farmer. Likewise, boats often meant fishermen, and castles meant soldiers.
The ancient Druids in Ireland also practiced oomancy during Samhain– the pagan holiday predecessor from which most modern Halloween traditions drew inspiration. Germans pagans participated, too.
It is now believed that many turned to eggs due to the dairy product’s obvious connection to rebirth and the circle of life. In addition to the more symbolic reasoning, though, people also had to make do with whatever resources were readily available to them.
“You see magic with apples, eggs, cabbage, nuts because that’s what people had around the house. They didn’t have tarot cards or crystals,” Muise noted.
So nowadays, oomancy is more so seen and practiced as a fun party game rather than a means to tell the future– especially with the high prevalence of so-called magic tools on the market.
Nonetheless, if you are looking to dabble in magic methods’ past, you can still try out the “Venus glass” to see what your future may hold.
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