fortune-tellers
Readers of palms
Fortune-tellers are people who claim to predict the future, typically for payment.
They may use tarot cards, palm reading, crystal balls, or other methods to divine what lies ahead.
The term often carries skeptical connotations—fortune-tellers appear at carnivals and in storefronts, distinct from prophets or oracles who claim divine authority: The fortune-teller said I'd meet someone tall and handsome.
Claimed mind readers
- clairvoyantsThose claiming supernatural perception
- seersThose claiming foresight
- mediumsThose who contact spirits
- oraclesSources of divine guidance
diviners · soothsayers · prophets · crystal ball · tarot cards · palm reading · tea leaves · spirit channeling
Fortune-teller's viewing sphere
- palm linesCreases on inner hand
- tea leavesDried plant for steeping
- runesOld Germanic script
- pendulumSuspended swinging weight
astrology charts · horoscopes · birth charts · numerology · I Ching · cowrie shells · bones · playing cards
Traveling amusement attraction
- boardwalkPlanked waterfront pathway
- fairgroundOutdoor amusement venue
- boothTemporary enclosed compartment
- neon signsElectrified gas tube advertisements
storefront · hotline · infomercial · readings · consultations · appointments · fees · clients
Spiritual healers and intermediaries
- witch doctorsMagical healers in tribes
- curanderosTraditional spiritual healers
- brujosMale practitioners of witchcraft
- sibylsFemale prophets of antiquity
druids · wise women · cunning folk · medicine men · spirit mediums · traditional healers
psychics
Claimed mind readers
- clairvoyantsThose claiming supernatural perception
- seersThose claiming foresight
- mediumsThose who contact spirits
oracles · diviners · soothsayers · prophets · crystal ball · tarot cards · palm reading · tea leaves · spirit channeling · visions
crystal ball
Fortune-teller's viewing sphere
- palm linesCreases on inner hand
- tea leavesDried plant for steeping
- runesOld Germanic script
pendulum · astrology charts · horoscopes · birth charts · numerology · I Ching · cowrie shells · bones · playing cards · coffee grounds
carnival
Traveling amusement attraction
- boardwalkPlanked waterfront pathway
- fairgroundOutdoor amusement venue
- boothTemporary enclosed compartment
neon signs · storefront · hotline · infomercial · readings · consultations · appointments · fees · clients · skeptics
shamans
Spiritual healers and intermediaries
- witch doctorsMagical healers in tribes
- curanderosTraditional spiritual healers
- brujosMale practitioners of witchcraft
sibyls · druids · wise women · cunning folk · medicine men · spirit mediums · traditional healers
fortune-tellersscientists
Systematic knowledge seekers
empiricists · skeptics · debunkers · statisticians · data analysts
fortune-tellershistorians
Scholars of the past
chroniclers · archivists · archaeologists · biographers · documentarians
fortune-tellersprophets
Proclaimers of sacred truth
seers · oracles · charlatans · frauds · con artists