海外文化:英美民俗 占卜
【英文原文】
摘要：試圖通過魔法或超自然手段獲取未知信息稱爲占卜。迷信認爲，占卜人能夠通過占卜得知過去發生事件的真相、異地正在發生的事件以及未來發生的事件。
Divination is the practice of trying to learn about the unknown by magical or supernatural means. A diviner is supposed to have the ability to learn about the past, present, or future. Some diviners believe they can learn the causes of past events. For example, if a person has died mysteriously, the diviner is supposed to be able to tell when, where, and how the person died. Other diviners, called dowsers, claim they can find the location of underground water. Still others believe they can foretell events, such as when a person will die or whom a person will marry.
There are many kinds of divination. Some diviners try to learn about the unknown by communicating with the spirits of the dead. Astrology is an attempt to describe future happenings by studying the positions of the sun, the moon and stars. Some diviners interpret dreams to foretell events. Palmistry claims to know one’s future by examining the lines on the palm of one’s hand. Some fortunetellers are supposed to be able to see, in their crystal balls, pictures of events that happened in the past, are happening at present or are going to happen in the future.
Courts in the West once used divination to determine the guilt or innocence of criminals. Divination in a trial was called an ordeal. For example, in many witch trials of the 17th century in Europe and colonial America, a suspected witch was tied up and thrown into water. If she sank, she was considered innocent. If she floated, she was considered a witch – and was executed.
【中文譯文】
試圖通過魔法或超自然手段獲取未知信息稱爲占卜。迷信認爲，占卜人能夠通過占卜得知過去發生事件的真相、異地正在發生的事件以及未來發生的事件。例如，如有個人死得很神祕，占卜人就能說出那人死亡的時間、地點和方式。有一類占卜人叫找水人，他們自稱能找到地下水的確切位置。還有一類占卜人爲人算命，告訴人能活多久或將與何人結婚。
占卜的方式多種多樣。有的人通過與亡靈交流占卜。占星術通過觀察日月星辰的位置預測未來。有的人靠圓夢占卜。看手相的通過觀看手掌的形狀和紋路爲人卜卦。也有的人算命使用水晶球，聲稱從水晶球裏能看到過去、現在或未來事件的畫面。
西方的法庭曾用占卜來確定被告是否有罪。這種裁判法稱神裁法。例如，在17世紀的歐洲和北美殖民地，有女巫嫌疑的人往往被捆綁起來，投入水中，如果下沉，就證明清白，如果浮在水面，就被斷定爲女巫而處以死刑。
