Apantomancy is divination through a chance encounter. This can mean the appearance or action of some unexpected object or animal (such as a black cat crossing your path or other animal which is rare in your area).
A classic example was the founding of Mexico City on the spot where Ancient Aztec soothsayers saw an eagle flying from a cactus, carrying a live snake. This omen is represented on the Mexican coat-of-arms of today.
Other Animals
Any Four-Legged Animal
Until the mid-ninteenth century, if a four-legged animal (especially a dog) crossed the path of a fishermen while on the way to the harbor, it was very unfortunate for the fisherman and his boat. The only way to remove the bad luck was to kill the poor unfortunate creature.Cat
Cats were an extremely fortunate animal to have on board a ship and not just for its natural predeliction for hunt rats. If the cat tore at cushions or carpeting or acted uneasy in any way, it was said the cat sensed the "rising of wind." Throwing a cat overboard was not recommended as a fierce storm would ensue. Cat behavior is also an indicator of storms in the Midwestern states of America where tornadoes occur. If the cat was intent on finding a hiding spot or refused to come out, you might want to look to the sky for trouble.Cats also wash their fur and ears fervently before bad weather; it is said they sense the electricity in the air. If it licks at its tail more than usual, rain was approaching. If it washes its ears only or sits with its tail toward a fire, the weather will be bad. If a cat washed one of its feet before passing it over the left ear, a stranger would soon arrive.
If a cat ran across a stage during a play in active performance, misfortune would follow in it's wake. Kicking a cat would doom the perpetrator to bad luck, and killing or harming a cat in any way was thought to doom the person to nine years of ill fortune. Some say that the guilty party would also lose nine years off their lives or die within nine years.
Good luck would come those who had the family cat at their wedding. If after licking itself, you were the first person a cat looks at, and you're single, you may soon marry.
Cow/Bull
Apparently cows produce milk more easily when they are listening to "low brow" or jazz music, though the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture insists the music is more for the workers than the cows.If you feed a cow a bunch of her own hairs, she will forget her home, making it easier to steal her one would assume. On the other hand, if you cut off a piece of a cow's tail, she will never run away.
If cows immediately lie down when let out in the morning, there will be a storm before the night is over. It is also rumored that all cattle will lie down on Christmas Day, out of respectful remembrance of the Christ in the manger. If they rushed about however, it foretells a thunderstorm.
If a cow doesn't bawl when her calf is sold, there will be a death in the family. Cattle born or weaned during the waning of the moon will never be good breeders.
If a bull looks at a person and bellows, that person will have good luck.
Coyote
Native Americans and early pioneers warned folks to avoid eating the meat of a coyote, even when starving, for that person would then become a coward. The Navajo believed that you killed a coyote, its spirit would return to torment that person, and possibly that person's tribe as well. The slayer had to recite a chant or perform a "devil-chasing" ritual to prevent the coyote spirit from doing harm.A coyote crossing your path is a sure sign of bad luck, especially in Mexico where the coyote is thought to possess the "Evil Eye."
Dog
Dogs heard howling at night meant phantoms were about and death was foretold. If it was your own dog howling, death or disaster was on its way to someone in the household or nearby.
Frog
Seeing a frog meant your marriage would be a lifetime of passion.
Hare or Rabbit
The white hare is sacred to the goddess Eostre as a fertility symbol. In Ireland however, all farmers would kill hares found among the cattle on May Day in the belief that they were witches in disguise.Hebrews will not eat hares for fear of bad luck, while in Spain the hare is looked on with disgust because it was thought the animal would visit graveyards at night to nibble at the dead bodies. At the same time, there is belief elsewhere that a hare in the graveyard might be the shade of some dead person.
If a hare crossed your path, a disastrous journey or ill luck lies ahead of you. To counteract this, spit over your left shoulder and say "Hare before, trouble behind. Change ye, Cross, and free me." There will be a fire if a hare runs past your home. If an old hare ran across the path of a pregnant woman, the child would be born with a harelip unless the woman quickly made a tear in her undergarments. This was also true if she saw a hare or a rabbit sitting, especially if saw its tail. To counteract this, the woman would unravel a small part of one of her undergarments, preferably the slip.
Jackal
A western African tribe sprinkle nuts around a design drawn on the ground at dusk. In the morning, the pattern of paw prints left by the jackals is interpreted.Lizard
Seeing a lizard while pregnant meant a miscarriage.Ox
If an ox sticks its tail up in the air, it signals a change in weather.The ancient Babylonians splashed water three times onto a sleeping ox's head and divined the future through seventeen possible reactions. If both eyes remained open, the answer was yes; if one stayed open, the answer was maybe, and if both eyes stayed close it meant no or no answer at that time.
Pig OR Boar
The boar was once a highly respected animal, particularly in Gaullic Europe. It figures prominently in many legends and ancient art. The pig, its domesticated cousin, naturally has some superstitions attached to it.A piglet taken from the sow must be drawn away backwards or the sow will be fallow. There will be sickness in the family if a pig runs away. Killing a pig when the moon is waning not only means bad luck, but that it will not take salt and thus cannot be properly cured.
If a person dreams of being surrounded by pigs, someone will ask them for money.
To prevent a child from getting the mumps, rub it against a pig trough. To rid yourself of any bad luck, pull on a pig's tail.
If pigs squeal loudly, a storm is approaching, and also if they run around with straw in their mouths and use the straw to make bedding.
Pony
Piebald ponies bring luck, and a person can make a wish on a piebald pony so long as they don't look at it again.Rabbit
If a rabbit decided to cross your path from left to right, good luck is on its way. It was widely believed at one time that, if a baby's gums were rubbed with the brains of a rabbit, it would teeth without pain. Yuck! The skin of a rabbit's stomach tied around the baby's neck was also a teething aide.The rabbit's foot is one of the best known lucky talismans available at many gas stations and convenient stores, dyed decorative colors, and formed into a key chain. As many have a wiseguy has noted... it wasn't very lucky for the rabbit, was it? A rabbit's foot is only considered lucky if it is the left hind foot and it was killed during a full moon by a cross-eyed person. Gamblers would carry the foot in their left pocket to "assist lady luck." The rabbit's foot was also said to cure rheumatism, and rabbit skins were used to treat sprains by being wetted down then wrapped around the area. A rabbit's foot will also help an actor or actress in recalling their lines if kissed prior to performance.
The thickness of a rabbit's fur is an indicator of whether winter will be hard or mild.
Weasel
The weasel is just about synonymous with the concept of slyness and treachery. To have one cross your path was an omen similar to its conotation. The only way to avert any treacherous action against you was to drop a coin on the road at the exact spot where the animal had crossed. The bad luck would then become attached to the coin by contact with the weasel's path, and unfortunately would be transferred to whoever later found the coin and picked it up.Wolf
In Portugal it is thought to be unlucky to see a wolf, but in Norway it is a sign of good luck.