Herodotus - The Histories.pdf

The Histories–Book Four V 55
by whom foes have been slain; while they who
have slain no enemy are not allowed to taste of
the bowl, but sit aloof in disgrace. No greater
shame than this can happen to them. Such as have
slain a very large number of foes, have two cups
instead of one, and drink from both.
Scythia has an abundance of soothsayers, who
foretell the future by means of a number of willow
wands. A large bundle of these wands is
brought and laid on the ground. The soothsayer
unties the bundle, and places each wand by itself,
at the same time uttering his prophecy: then,
while he is still speaking, he gathers the rods
together again, and makes them up once more
into a bundle. This mode of divination is of home
growth in Scythia. The Enarees, or woman-like
men, have another method, which they say Venus
taught them. It is done with the inner bark of the
linden-tree. They take a piece of this bark, and,
splitting it into three strips, keep twining the
strips about their fingers, and untwining them,
while they prophesy.