WHAT IT IS

Onomatomancy is one of the most practical applications of ancient numerology: it compares two names to predict who will win in a contest, battle, trial, or any rivalry. The method uses the pythmenes (digit roots) of letters to calculate the numerical "power" of each name.

HISTORY & SOURCES

Hippolytus of Rome (Refutatio IV.14) describes the method in detail as used by Pythagorean practitioners. The process has four stages:

1. Write both names in capital letters.
2. Remove letters that appear in both names — they cancel each other out.
3. For the remaining (unique) letters of each name, calculate the pythmene (digit root) of each letter's value.
4. Sum the pythmenes of each name, then reduce each sum to a single-digit pythmene.

The rules of victory:
— If one pythmene is odd and the other even: the larger number wins.
— If both are odd: the smaller number wins.
— If both are even: the smaller number wins.
— If equal and odd: the defender wins.
— If equal and even: the attacker wins.

The method reflects the Pythagorean belief that odd numbers are "masculine" (active, stronger) and even numbers are "feminine" (passive, receptive). An odd number facing an even one has an inherent advantage, but when matched against a fellow odd, the smaller (more concentrated power) prevails.

ΚΑΝΟΝΕΣ ΝΙΚΗΣ

ΑΝΑΓΩΓΗ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣ → ΠΥΘΜΗΝ 1–9

1	Α, Ι, Ρ
2	Β, Κ, Σ
3	Γ, Λ, Τ
4	Δ, Μ, Υ
5	Ε, Ν, Φ
6	Ϝ, Ξ, Χ
7	Ζ, Ο, Ψ
8	Η, Π, Ω
9	Θ, Ϙ, Ϡ

HOW IT WORKS

Names: ΑΧΙΛΛΕΥΣ vs ΕΚΤΩΡ
Remove common letters (e.g. E appears in both)
Calculate pythmenes of remaining letters
Sum and reduce to single digit for each name
Apply odd/even rules to determine winner

CONCLUSION

Onomatomancy reveals the numerical "strength" of each name through pythmenes. It was used in antiquity for predicting outcomes of battles, lawsuits and rivalries.