Ebook: Games of the Gods: The Origin of Board Games in Magic and Divination

As living beings, we are subject to a bewildering number of forces and energies. These range from physical forces like gravitational, magnetic and electric fields to more subtle ones such as human behaviour and belief systems. Throughout history, man has turned to divination as a means of gaining useful information to deal with this seemingly chaotic array of influences. Even today there are forces operating in the universe which are of such awesome complexity that they cannot be explained by science. Yet divination can 'tap into' these forces - and is still used by man to bring him into harmony with the environment.

Divination systems are to be found throughout the world. 'Games of the Gods' is the first comprehensive survey of the different methods of divination — Nigel Pennick deals with games from many countries and cultures, yet each one is based upon a vision of the universe in which the 'will of the gods' is knowable through ritual practice. Dice, rune games, chess, mah jongg, and other board games are all discussed in this book. This is a fascinating in-depth investigation of an unexplored field.