A Greek Alphabet Oracle

(c) 1995, Apollonius Sophistes

Although many modern Pagans are familiar with rune-casting and similar
systems, the divinatory use of the Greek alphabet is less well known.
Therefore I'm providing the following translation of a Greek alphabet oracle,
which is from an inscription in Limyra, a city in ancient Lycia.
Each letter of the alphabet has a corresponding oracle, and the first word of
the oracle (in Greek) begins with that letter. In the following translation,
the Greek word (in its dictionary form) is enclosed in {curly braces} and
follows the corresponding English word or phrase. There are at least three
methods of consulting the alphabet oracle.
The first is take a box of 24 stones or potsherds, each inscribed with a
letter of the alphabet, and to pick one from the box. This method is similar
to the use of rune stones (and it's interesting that most systems of rune
casting use 24 runes). Stones used in this way would be called psephoi in
Greek (calculi in Latin); inscribed or painted potsherds are ostraca in Greek.
Second, five astragali (knuckle bones) may be cast (or one astragalus five
times). Since each astragalus has four "sides," traditionally given the values
1, 3, 4 and 6, there are 24 possible total values: 5 to 30, excepting 6 and
29. Heinevetter (p. 36) argues that the highest cast would be associated with
Alpha and the lowest with Omega (so Alpha = 30, Beta = 28, Gamma = 27, ...,
Psi = 7, Omega = 5). The astragalus-values are given in the parentheses
following the letter by the number after the hyphen.
Third, five dice may be cast, with 26 possible total values, 5 through 30,
which are associated in decreasing order (Heinevetter, p. 36) with the Greek
letters, including the archaic Digamma (Wau) and Qoppa (so Alpha = 30, Beta =
29, Gamma = 28, ..., Psi = 6, Omega = 5). The Limyran table does not give
oracles for Digamma and Qoppa, however, and so the corresponding casts (25 and
13) are uninterpretable by it. (The practical solution is to recast.) The
dice-values are listed before each hyphen.
Interestingly, both 13 and 25 are uncanny numbers, associated with
transgression of cycles or transcendence over them (e.g. 12 months, 24 hours).
They are often associated with sacrificed and resurrected Gods (e.g., Dionysos
was the Thirteenth Olympian). The wholly negative interpretation of 13 is no
older than the middle ages, and 25 has always been accompanied by connotations
of perfection (since it is the square of 5). (A. Schimmel, Mys. Num. pp.
203-8, 237)
The third number, following the semicolon is the parentheses following the
letter, is the traditional numerical value of the Greek letter, which may be
used in isopsephia (Greek gematria); it is included for convenience. For
example, the isopsephos of my name, APOLLWNIOS, is 1341.
The Limyran Oracle can be compared with the original I Ching, which was just a
set of figures and corresponding oracles phrases. Over the centuries this
austere divinatory system was extended with the commentary of the Ten Wings.
In the same way I have supplemented the original Limyran oracle with
interpretive aids. First, since oracles are characteristically ambiguous, the
literal translation of the oracle (in quotes) is followed by alternative
translations of significant words; a Greek reader would be aware of these, but
they are not otherwise apparent from the translation. All the foregoing is
reasonably objective, but I have also added my own interpretations of the
oracles, which I hope will aid their application in various circumstances. Of

course, my commentary should not be considered final or definitive.

References
F. Heinevetter, Wuerfel- und Buchstabenorakel in Griechenland und Kleinasien,
Breslau: 1912, p. 35. The source of the Limyran oracle.
B. F. Cook, Greek Inscriptions ("Reading the Past" series), Berkeley: Univ.
California Press, 1987, pp. 8, 12. Source for archaic Greek alphabet and
Greek numerals.
W. R. Halliday, Greek Divination: A Study of its Methods and Principles,
Chicago: Argonaut, 1967, pp. 215-6. A brief description of Greek alphabet
oracles.
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott & H. S. Jones, Greek Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1968. The source for ancient Greek meanings.
R. Ritsema & S. Karcher (trs.), I Ching: The Classic Chinese Oracle of
Change, Rockport: Element, 1994, pp. 11-14. Source for history of the I
Ching.
The Limyran Oracle with Interpretations
Alpha (30-30; 1) "The God (Apollo) says you will do everything {Hapanta}
successfully." Do: achieve, bring about, effect, accomplish, make, manage,
negotiate, transact, practice, fare; successfully: prosperously, luckily, with
good fortune. Your entire project will turn out well and you will meet all
your goals. You will have good luck in all your activities, or prosperous
business transactions and negotiations.
Beta (29-28; 2) "With the help of Tyche (Fortune), you will have an assistant
{Boethos}, the Pythian (Apollo)." Assistant: helper, auxiliary, one who
hastens (theo) to the battle cry or other call for help (boe). You are at a
critical point, but if you are fortunate, Apollo the Far-shooter will help you
if you call on Him. Even with luck, the God will only assist; ultimate
responsibility is yours. "Pythian" refers to Apollo as the God at Delphi
(which was in Pytho), one of the most important oracular sites. Therefore the
help to be expected might be of a prophetic nature.
Gamma (28-27; 3) "Gaia (the Earth) {Ge} will give you the ripe fruit of your
labors." Ripe: complete, final; fruits: produce, returns, profits, results.
You will have a successful harvest, or you will reap all your profits from the
Earth. The Mother of All will bring your labors to a fruitful conclusion. Gaia
will give you your just deserts.
Delta (27-26; 4) "In customs inopportune strength {Dunamis} is weak."
Customs: rules, laws, allotments; inopportune: ill-timed, unreasonable,
importunate, undue, not kairos (fit, in due measure, exact, at the appropriate
or critical time, etc.); strength: power, ability, authority. Ill-timed force
will be ineffective; act with precision; timing is everything. Knowing where
and when to strike is more important than strength; misapplied ability is
disability. Blind conformity to customs is spineless; overstrict adherence to
rules is self-defeating. Unreasonable or undue force will defeat itself; a
tyrant must fall.
Epsilon (26-25; 5) "You desire {Erao} to see the offspring of righteous
marriages." Desire: love, are in love with; offspring: seed, sowing;

righteous: fitting, well-balanced. This is a statement of fact, not a command

or prediction. The obvious meaning is that the querent wants children or
grandchildren from suitable marriages. However, it can also mean he or she is
in love with seeing this, that is, obsessed by the idea. The "rightness" of
the marriage admits many interpretations; it could be a terrible marriage if
that was fitting and righteous (i.e. deserved). The oracle may also refer to
seeds, other than children, sown by the marriage (e.g. family alliances,
marrying into wealth or influence). Finally, marriage may be taken
metaphorically to refer to any alliance or union.
Zeta (24-24; 7) "Flee the very great storm {Zale}, lest you be disabled in
some way." Storm: surge, distress; disabled: hindered. Don't make a
sea-voyage in bad weather. It is futile to fight the force of the ocean;
likewise, bucking the inevitable will weaken you and hinder your progress.
Avoid raging storms of any kind; save your energy for when it can be
effective. Sometimes flight is wiser than fight.
Eta (23-23; 8) "Bright Helios (Sun) {Helios}, who watches everything, watches
you." The life-giving Sun will care for you. Helios is an enforcer of oaths
and promises, and He knows the deceit in your heart.
Theta (22-22; 9) "You have the helping Gods {Theoi} of this path." Helping:
propitious, defending; path: road, course, way. The "way" may be a concrete
road, a plan of action, a spiritual path, a way of life, etc. In any case, the
Gods who oversee this way will help and defend you, so you may go forward with
confidence; you are under divine care because you are following your destiny.
Iota (21-21; 10) "There is sweat {Hidros}; it excels more than everything."
Sweat: gum, exudation of trees; excels: is superior to, outlives, remains in
hand, is a result, is around. There will always be hard work; work is never
done. Hard work is the surest means of success. When you have lost all other
possessions, you still have your labor as an asset. The oracle recommends
elbow-grease.
Kappa (20-20; 20) "To fight with the waves {Kuma} is difficult; endure,
friend." Waves: swells, floods; difficult: hard to bear, do or deal with,
painful, grievous, dangerous; endure: delay. In time, the force of ocean waves
can grind down anything; they can be a metaphor for repetitive, unstoppable
processes. It is difficult, dangerous and painful to try to resist them; the
sensible thing to do is to wait until they abate, or if that is impossible,
then to endure the inevitable with courage.
Lambda (19-19; 30) "The one passing on the left {Laios} bodes well for
everything." Passing: going through; bodes: shows, indicates, gives a sign,
signifies, declares; well: rightly, happily, fortunately. Since the left is
traditionally the sinister side, the oracle may mean that an apparently
sinister thing or event may be a blessing in disguise. The left is also
associated with the unconscious, lunar mind, and so unconscious processes or
intuition may signal a favorable outcome. A promising sign comes from an
unpromising quarter.
Mu (18-18; 40) "It is necessary to labor {Mokhtheo}, but the change will be
admirable." Labor: be weary, distressed; change: exchange; admirable: fair,
beautiful, good, noble. Through toil and distress a change will be made for
the better. Hard work will result in a good return.
Nu (17-17; 50) "The strife-bearing {Neikephoros} gift fulfils the oracle."
Strife-: quarrel-, abuse-; gift: anything given; fulfils: confirms, perfects,
brings to an end. Something will be given (to you, by you, or from one to
another) that brings strife with it; this will discharge the force of the

oracle. The import seems to be that this gift will be the answer to the
question asked of the oracle. So, for example, if the querent asked when
something will happen, the gift is the sign that it's immanent.
Xi (16-16; 60) "There is no fruit to take from a withered {Xeros} shoot."
Fruit: produce, return, profit, result; withered: lean, harsh. There is no
good to be gained from an angry young man or woman. The frayed end of a good
line. Harshness and stinginess will achieve nothing. You can't get blood from
a turnip; you can't get water from a stone. Don't polish a turd.
Omicron (15-15; 70) "There are no {Ou} crops to be reaped that were not sown."
Crops: fruit-trees, corn-fields, crop-lands; reap: mow, cut off; sown:
engendered, begotten, scattered. What we spread about, comes back to us. What
goes around comes around. You must plan ahead in order to achieve anything.
Pi (14-14; 80) "Completing many {Polus} contests, you will seize the crown."
Contests: struggles, trials, dangers; crown: wreath, garland. If you persist
in your struggles, after many trials you will succeed. Perseverance through
adversity.
Rho (12-13; 100) "You will go on more easily {Rhaion} if you wait a short
time." Go on: live, continue; easily: willingly, recklessly, thoughtlessly;
wait: stand fast, remain, stay. If you will hold your ground for only a short
time, you will be able to proceed (more easily or with greater cooperation).
You will go faster by waiting than by going now; on the other hand, delaying
too long may provoke reckless action. By standing fast you live recklessly. By
remaining where you are, you live life thoughtlessly.
Sigma (12-12; 200) "Phoibos (Apollo) speaks plainly {Saphos}, 'Stay, friend.'"
Plainly: distinctly, certainly; stay: wait, stand fast, remain. Neither
advance nor retreat; wait or hold your ground, as appropriate; the best action
is inaction. "Phoibos" refers to Apollo as Bright and Pure, which also
characterizes His advice in this oracle.
Tau (10-11; 300) "You will have a parting from the {Ton} companions now around
you." Parting: release, deliverance; companions: those accompanying. This may
be an unwelcome parting from friends or a welcome release from enemies; in
either case they are now around you. This may also mean a growing apart or
forced separation of a person from his or her family, peers or fellow
travelers on the path.
Upsilon (9-10; 400) "The affair holds a noble undertaking {Huposkhesis}."
Affair: deed, act, issue; holds: involves, implies, gives cause for, holds
fast, hinders, guides, steers; noble: high-born, high-minded, excellent,
notable; undertaking: engagement, promise, profession. There is some issue to
be resolved, or some deed is under consideration; it involves high-mindedness,
either in commitment, deed, or professional pursuit. The oracle may tell us
that the affair is admirable due to this noble element, or that the situation
may guide us to seek the appropriate noble undertaking or profession. The
hero's quest. On the other hand, the oracle may mean that the situation
hinders this fine undertaking. Thus you should try to understand the
situation: does it demand an excellent undertaking or impede it?
Phi (8-9; 500) "Having done something carelessly {Phaulos}, you will
thereafter blame the Gods." Done: caused, accomplished, made, managed,
negotiated, transacted, practiced, fared; carelessly: thoughtlessly,
indifferently. Take responsibility for your actions (or inactions); don't
blame the Gods (or the universe, or fate, or society, or nature) for your own
failings. The Greeks said, "Hermes will help you get your wagon unstuck, but
only if you push on it."

Chi (7-8; 600) "Succeeding, friend, you will fulfil a golden {Khruseos}
oracle." Succeeding: gaining your end, hitting the mark, meeting someone;
fulfil: bring to pass, cause, accomplish. "Golden" may be a metaphor for rich,
noble, excellent, etc. This admirable oracle will be fulfilled by you
attaining your ends, or a mere chance meeting could constitute the golden
event.
Psi (6-7; 700) "You have this righteous judgement {Psephos} from the Gods."
Righteous: just, fitting, meet, fair; judgement: resolve, decree. Literally, a
psephos (Lat. calculus) is a stone used for voting, counting and similar
purposes, so this oracle refers to collective judgement rather than individual
judgement. This implies that the majority of the Gods concur in this
judgement, and that this judgement is appropriate, fair and righteous, though
there is no implication that the result is that desired by the querent.
Omega (5-5; 800) "You will have a difficult {Omos} harvest season, not a
useful one." Difficult: cruel, rough, untimely, unripe; harvest season:
fruit-time, autumn, summer bloom, bloom of youth; useful: suitable, apt.
Concretely, there will be a poor harvest, or autumn will be difficult; the
harvest will be too early, before the fruit is ripe. More abstractly, too
early grasping of the fruits of your labor (whether voluntary or necessary)
will yield a poor return; the rewards will not be suitable for their purpose.
Your youth will be rough; you will have to grow up before your time.
finis