Arithmancy
Divination by means of numbers (sometimes wrongly called
Arithmomancy). The ancient Greeks examined the number and
value of the letters in the names of two combatants and predicted
that he whose name contained the most letters, or letters of
the greatest value, would be the victor. Using this science, diviners
foretold that Hector would be overcome by Achilles. The
Chaldeans, who also practiced it, divided their alphabet into
three parts, each composed of seven letters, which they attributed
to the seven planets, in order to make predictions from
them. The Platonists and the Pythagoreans were also strongly
addicted to this method of divination, which is similar to certain
aspects of the Jewish Kabala.
Sources
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Occult Sciences. 1891. Reprint, Secaucus,
N.J. University Books, 1974.
