Hydromancy

Water has been considered a magical element since antiquity. It has always been seen as ideal for benedictions or healings.
 
Thermal water pools, lakes, rivers, ponds and fountains have always had special fame due to their positive influence and power.

For instance, in the greater part of ancient Europe it was believed that springs and other water bodies were guarded by a nymph or goddess, usually Bride (Saint Brigid, for Christians).
Therefore water is very often present in divination methods.
 Hydromancy is the art of divination and discovery of mysterious facts by interpreting the currents, color and flow of water. The reflection of light on water favors the apparition of shapes, which are very subjective visions.
 
The use of hydromancy was quite extensive from the earliest civilizations; for example the Hebrew culture used it for their divination needs.
Most ancient culture temple priestesses were gifted in the use of water’s magical power of divination. After a ritual bath, they were taken to a tranquil water body, where they were able to visualize events occurring at great distances by looking into the mirror-like surface of the water.
 Another ancient practice was throwing three stones into still water, and counting the waves that were produced. If the number was odd, that would be taken as a positive answer.
 Observation was later done of water in a container. This was the preceding practice to looking into a crystal ball.
So throwing shards or stones into ceramic containers is by far not the only way to practice hydromancy for, as we’ve illustrated, there are many others. Germanic cultures were especially fond of many variations of hydromancy.

The ocean water was observed from the seashore, for instance, and the movement of waves was interpreted by looking at their size and relative agitation, and paying attention to shapes formed by foam.  The color of sea water was especially regarded.
 Invocations over bodies of water were done to produce the apparition of the name of a person or object of interest written backwards.

Germanic seers also inspected water spouts that formed over river gulfs and interpreted signs of the future.

A crueler example of water as a divination means is the known method by which a man would throw his wife’s newborn into the river Rhine if he doubted it was his. If the child floated, that was taken to mean it was his, with no further argument. If the child lay in the bottom, then it was considered a bastard.
A sorcerer would fill a glass with water and suspend a ring on top of the water surface with a thread. The number of times the ring struck the glass was taken as an answer.
Water in a crystal container was observed after adding a drop of oil and looking at the shapes it formed as it extended on top of the water surface. These shapes were interpreted to get answers.

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