Favomancy
from Latin faba for bean, formed by analogy with other divination names
Divination by throwing beans and reading the patterns they form on the ground
Favomancy is a cleromancy practice that uses thrown beans to predict future events. It appears in Russian and Balkan traditions, with roots possibly traced to the Middle East.
- Uses thrown beans to predict future events
- Term comes from Latin faba for bean
- Balkan method uses forty-one white beans
- Iranian variant uses fifty-three peas
- Ubykh term for practitioner means bean-thrower
What it is
Favomancy is a method of divination classified as cleromancy. Practitioners throw beans onto a surface and interpret the resulting arrangement. The practice relies on the belief that these random patterns hold specific meanings about the future or current life circumstances.
Where it comes from
The term derives from Vicia faba, the scientific name for the fava bean, and the Latin word faba. It was likely formed by analogy with similar divination names like alectromancy. While found in Russia and the Balkans, the method is absent in Western Europe. Scholars suggest a possible origin in the Middle East due to this geographic distribution.
How it is done
In Serbian and Bosnian Muslim traditions, known as bacanje graha, a fortune-teller places forty-one white beans on a flat surface. These are divided into groups following complex rules. The number of beans remaining in each group indicates a favorable or unfavorable sign for different aspects of life. A similar Iranian method uses fifty-three peas.
Tools and materials
The primary tool is the bean, specifically white beans in Balkan practices. In Iran, peas are used instead. The surface must be flat to allow clear grouping and counting of the items after they are thrown or placed.
Favomancy, drawn and placed
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
- Lineage
- cleromancy
What it is for
The practice is used to foresee outcomes and determine luck. Each group of beans represents a specific aspect of life. The count within these groups tells the querent whether that area of their life will bring good or bad fortune.
Who does it
In Russia, practitioners were called pxażayš’ by the Ubykh people, meaning bean-thrower. This term eventually became a general synonym for all soothsayers in that language. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, specialized fortune-tellers perform the ritual using strict numerical rules.
Peoples and places
The practice is documented among the Ubykh people of Russia and in the folk traditions of Bosnia and Herzegovina involving Serbians and Muslims. A variant exists in Iran. The Russian and Bosnian methods are remarkably similar, suggesting a shared cultural lineage despite the distance.
At a glance: who, where and when
What people believe
Practitioners believe the physical arrangement of the beans reveals hidden truths. The specific numbers and groupings are not random but correspond directly to real-world events. The interpretation requires knowledge of the specific rules governing how counts translate to omens.
Cautions and what is closed
Details of Ubykh favomancy are largely lost since their departure from the Caucasus in 1864. The exact methods of interpretation used by those seers are no longer known. The practice is historical rather than widely active today.
Questions people ask about Favomancy
What is favomancy?
It is a form of divination where beans are thrown and their patterns interpreted to predict the future. It falls under the category of cleromancy.
Where does the word come from?
It comes from the Latin word faba, meaning bean. It was formed by analogy with other divination names like alectromancy.
How is it performed in Bosnia?
Forty-one white beans are placed on a flat surface and divided into groups. The number in each group predicts luck for different life aspects.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Favomancy", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Names and customs differ from one community to the next, and some knowledge is closed to outsiders and left out here. This page describes belief and practice. It does not say that any of it works, it is not a how-to, and it is not medical advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-10.
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