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Prognostication in the Medieval World: A Handbook
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SYSNO ASEP 0542284 Document Type M - Monograph Chapter R&D Document Type Monograph Chapter Title Weather Forecasting: Traditions and Practices in the Medieval Western Christian World Author(s) Kocánová, Barbora (FLU-F) RID, ORCID, SAI Source Title Prognostication in the Medieval World: A Handbook, 1. - Berlin : De Gruyter, 2021 / Heiduk M. ; Herbers K. ; Lehner H.-Ch. - ISBN 978-3-11-050120-9 Pages s. 651-664 Number of pages 14 s. Number of pages 710 Publication form Print - P Language eng - English Country DE - Germany Keywords Weather Forecasting ; Prognostication ; History of Meteorology ; Astrometeorology Subject RIV AB - History OECD category History (history of science and technology to be 6.3, history of specific sciences to be under the respective headings) R&D Projects GA19-03834S GA ČR - Czech Science Foundation (CSF) Institutional support FLU-F - RVO:67985955 DOI 10.1515/9783110499773-037 Annotation The paper presents various ways that, according to medieval authors from the Western Christian world, could be used to predict the weather. Thanks to its vital importance for humankind, weather forecasting has always enjoyed a privileged position within future telling, although it has never reached the desired level of dependability. We can presume that the oral tradition mainly concerned generally-accepted weather signs deduced from natural observations (from clouds, fog, animal behavior, the appearance of plants, etc.). The majority of the written evidence from the medieval western Christian tradition relates to forecasts based on astrological principles and calculations, which are today labelled astrometeorology. However, judging from the number of extant texts, the most popular type of weather forecasting literature was “bare” lists of rules, a prominent position in the manuscripts was granted to texts regarding the long-term prediction of weather conditions and related phenomena based on the month in which thunder occurred and the day on which the January kalends fall. Various other medieval texts were composed as lists, including literary parapegmata recording the risings and settings of certain constellations during the year and their effect on the sublunary world. Rarely we find the divinatory forecasting methods: the study of marks (depressions, lines, discolorations, etc.) on various parts of the right shoulder-blade of a sheep, today called scapulimancy, or identifying the rainiest month of the year from the reaction of salt with moisture on the first night of January, while the names of all months were recited. The study focuses on written sources and documented techniques, on historical and social contexts of weather forecasting, as well as on medieval discussions about this topic. Workplace Institute of Philosophy Contact Chlumská Simona, chlumska@flu.cas.cz ; Tichá Zuzana, asep@flu.cas.cz Tel: 221 183 360 Year of Publishing 2022 Electronic address https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110499773-037
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