The Onomancy of Pseudo-Johannes Hartlieb in Hans Talhoffer's Fechtbuch, Part IV

This text is part of the Divination Hub. This is Part IV of the series about onomancy.

One of the exemplar manuscripts of Hans Talhoffer's Fechtbuch (fight book) is Gotha, dated to 1443/48, which contains tables and instructions in the divinatory practice of onomancy falsely attributed to Johannes Hartlieb (c. 1410 - 1468), the German author of the Buch aller verbotenen Kunst (Book of All Forbidden Arts). Hartlieb describes onomancy (Greek ὄνομαμᾰντείᾱ; Latin onomamanteia) as a condemned divinatory practice which involves taking the letters of a person’s name, converting each letter into a numerical value, and then applying certain algorithms to achieve a numerical result; this result is then interpreted to assess a person’s fortune. Hartlieb describes a few scenarios of practical onomancy in his book as it relates to the material found in Hans Talhoffer's Fechtbuch. Hartlieb says:

“There are other books having to do with such calculation, such as the books of Pythagoras, who gives many letters and figures, and for each letter there are certain numbers; by means of these, one determines who will win, which is surely a superstition.”

--- Chapter 49: About the books of lots by Pythagoras, Buch aller verbotenen Kunst (Book of All Forbidden Arts), (translation by Richard Kieckhefer, Hazards of the Dark Arts, (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017))

Hans Talhoffer's Fechtbuch presents seven tables or figures, including the famous Table of the Victorious and the Vanquished as explored in Part I of my onomancy series. These tables are falsely attributed to famous and historical figures such as the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, the second-century astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, and the medieval Arab astrologer Haly Abenragel. These tables are used for calculations based on the Lunar cycle (modular 30) and the names of individuals. While the focus of the Gotha codex, thought to have been owned by the famous German fencer Hans Talhoffer, is on determining the winner of a fighting duel, the Gotha codex, Hartlieb, and indeed, the greater onomantic tradition, describe onomancy as a versatile prognostication tool for divining a person's fortune in jousting, racing, fencing, sickness, and marriage. These other uses are explored in my onomancy series.

What follows is a translation of the Early New High German of the Gotha manuscript about onomancy. The translation reads:

"This is the first table of the great master Pythagoras.

In this A-B-C system, one calculates any name one wishes using the number of the moon’s age. Then subtract 30 from it as many times as possible. Whatever remains, look for it in the first divided figure. If the number is found in a favorable position, it signifies according to what is indicated there.

Figure 1: The Table of Pythagoras

Also: This table is the same as Pythagoras’ tables for all things, because one has a different A-B-C (alphabetic/numerical table), and for the moon’s age one takes the day of the week: Sunday 55, Monday 57, Tuesday 70, Wednesday 1 and 33, Thursday 50, Friday 107, Saturday 68. One sets this according to the day on which they fight, or marry, or whatever they wish to ask. Then add the day to the number, and do as above: also subtract 30, and see whether it is prescribed in Pythagoras’ figure.

Figure 2: Pythagoras' Tables for All Things

This is the table of the great master Plato.

Figure 3: The Table of the Great Master Plato.

Also: Now take Plato’s figure and set the ABC (letter table) upon it, to know whatever one wishes about a person’s fortune, about merchants, journeys, tournaments, fights, or anything else one wishes to know. Take the baptismal name with its ABC number, the number of the day, and the age of the moon, and divide it by 30.

Also: Concerning the sick, take the day with the number of the day on which they lay down and also fell into the illness.

Also: Concerning the dead and friends who will die, divide some name by 7 and check it in the wheel.

Also: Concerning warriors, fighters, and also strangers who are in battle, divide their names by 9.

Also: Concerning horse races, take the number of the day on which they are to run, and the color of each horse, divide it by 9, and look for it in the wheel; note whether you find it in a bad or good place.

Figure 4: The Table of Ptolemy.

Also: Thus, you have the tables of Pythagoras, Ptolemy, and Plato. Now I will set forth Aristotle’s tables, in which you can find whether two people are legally bound, who among friends or students will die, whether someone will soon die or recover. Take the day on which they became ill and their name in the ABC written afterward in the tables; then subtract 9.

If it concerns fighting or whether someone dies in battle, do this. But if it concerns friends or students, subtract 7 and then look in the tables to see whether it lies above or below. If the day on which the sick person became ill lies in the table, the sick person dies; but if the sick person’s name lies above the day, he recovers from all doubts. Thus, you know how to interpret it.

Also: If it is otherwise about marriage or fighting, then set the day with the proper name and subtract as I have taught you. I will also place the day and its number in the figure written afterward, where the ABC is set inside. Do not forget this.

This is the table of the great teacher Aristotle.

Figure 5: The Table of the Great Teacher Aristotle.

Also: According to the position, [see] the tables of who is above [i.e., victorious].

[What follows is the Table of the Victorious and the Vanquished. When there is a tie, for example, I to I, then the following table explains who wins. In some cases, it just says "the smallest" or "the greatest". The smallest or the greatest at what? Skill? Their rank in social status? This matter is not clear.]

Also, I and I . . . II, The smallest or least

Also, I and II . . . I

Also, I and III . . . IV

Also, I and IV . . . I

Also, I and V . . . VI . . . the position [of all the rest according to the calculation]

Also, I and VI . . . I

Also I and VII . . . VIII

Also, I and VIII . . . I

Also, I and IX . . . IX

Also, II and II, The greatest

Also, II and III . . . III

Also, II and IV . . . II

Also, II and V . . . V

Also, II and VI . . . II . . . the position [of all the rest according to the calculation]

Also, II and VII . . . VII

Also, II and VIII . . . II

Also, II and IX . . . IX

Also, III and III . . . The greatest

Also, III and IV . . . IV

Also, III and V . . . III

Also, III and VI . . . VI . . . the position [of all the rest according to the calculation]

Also, III and VII . . . III

Also, III and VIII . . . VIII

Also, III and IX . . . III

Also, IV and IV . . . The greatest in body

Also, IV and V . . . V

Also, IV and VI . . . IV

Also, IV and VII . . . VII . . . the position [of all the rest, etc.]

Also, IV and VIII . . . IV

Also, IV and IX . . . IX

Also, V and V . . . The smallest in body

Also, V and VI . . . VI

Also, V and VII . . . V . . . the position [of all the rest, etc.]

Also, V and VIII . . . VIII

Also, V and IX . . . V

Also, VI and VI . . . The greatest

Also, VI and VII . . .VII

Also, VI and VIII . . . VI . . . the position [of all the rest, etc.]

Also, VI and IX . . . VIII

Also, VII and VII . . . The strongest

Also, VII and VIII . . . VIII . . . the position [of all the rest, etc.]

Also, VII and IX . . . VII

Also VIII and VIII . . . The greatest

Also, VIII and IX . . . VIII . . . the position [of all the rest, etc.]

Also, IX and IX . . . The smallest

Also: Now I will write a very neat, small, and simple table of the astronomer Haly. Take both names—those who fight, or are students, or friends—their proper baptismal names in Latin, and calculate them with the ABC and the number associated.

What concerns fighting, subtract 9; what concerns friends and students, subtract 7. This is Haly’s figure."

Figure 6: Haly's Figure.

[Note: Another Table of the Victorious and the Vanquished follows, then the text ends.]

For an explanation of the Table of the Victorious and the Vanquished, I redirect the reader to Part I of my onomancy series.

Note: The translation here is not mine but made possible by ChatGPT. The Hans Talhoffer (1463) image for this blog post is not mine but found conveniently on Pinterest. The images of the tables and figures are found in the Gotha codex for which an edition was made and found here: Talhoffers Fechtbuch(gothaer Codex) aus dem Jahre 1443...: Gerichtliche und ... : Hans Talhoffer , Gustav Hergsell : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive