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The Sacred and Profane Faces of Luck - by Nigel Pennick
The Sacred and Profane Faces of Luck - by Nigel Pennick
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.
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.
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