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From: <>
Subject: [FOLKLORE-L] Ancient Ouija Boards: Fact or Fiction?
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 1999 14:38:41 EDT


The Ouija board as an instrument for contacting spirits is quite old. It was
in use as early as 540B.C. by the ancient Greeks and also in China before the
birth of Confucius. The Romans used Ouija type devices as early as the third
century A.D. Symbol tablets unearthed in caves near ancient Tartary suggest
that the Ouija board may be as old as man himself.
entry in a typical "occult encyclopedia."

Ancient Ouija Boards: Fact or Fiction?
Sorry to disappoint, but the Ouija dates from the early 1890's when it was
invented by E.C. Reiche, Elijah Bond, Charles Kennard and improved upon and
mass marketed by William Fuld. The Ouija board was an amalgam of the "dial
plate" talking board (see Pytho) and the planchette, originally medium's
tools of the 1860's.

This is not to say that ancient man didn't use symbol divination to try to
contact spirits. There are records of Greek pendulum oracles and divination
systems like the Fidchell employed by the ancient Celts. Chinese Taoists used
a form of spirit writing in sand called Fu Chi. But these are not talking
boards and to credit ancient man with the invention of the Ouija would be
like saying that Cro-Magnon invented the automobile when he chiseled out the
first wheel. A pendulum is not a Ouija board and neither, for that matter, is
a chess set.

If you still question the above, consider that we have been to the mat with
several historians who make it their life's work to know this stuff. All were
confident that there were records of ancient Ouijas somewhere. One hapless
individual (you know who you are, Peter) even made it a personal cause to
come up with an example. Unfortunately, after much searching, they were
forced to admit that there was no evidence to support the idea of any ancient
devices remotely resembling Ouija boards. Of course, all this could change
tomorrow if one should turn up in an archeological dig. We don't claim to be
the final word on this subject so if you should have any creditable
information to share, please do. We would love to update our history page.

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