4051. The first
thing in the morning he related the dream to the Rooster and asked the Rooster
for an interpretation. You must not find it strange that Otis would go to the
Rooster for an insight into the meaning of his dream, at least not if you have
been reading this narrative from the beginning.
4052. Consider
for a moment the word, ‘Augury.’ Augury refers to the practice of predicting
the future by interpreting the flight of birds. This function was so important
in ancient times that a special priest was appointed to carry it out.
Individuals or City States undertook no important acts, without the advice of
the Augur.
4053. Certainly
the activities of many species of plants and animals could have been used
instead of the flight of the birds. The ancients might have consulted the
crawling of worms or snakes instead. Perhaps they would have found the mooing
of cows insightful; or the bleating of the sheep might have given them precious
insights into the future.
4054. Upon
reflection however, it becomes obvious why it was the birds whose actions
were found to contained important information. The most important time for
knowing the future in the past was the anxious minutes before the onset of
a battle. Now, I ask you, would worms or snakes have any special insight into
the outcome of a battle?
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