Taking the Auspices
"Once when he was taking breakfast, a stray dog brought in a human hand from the cross-roads and dropped it under the table." Suetonius - The Life of Vespasian, 1–6
“Bird drops severed hand over elementary school: Enquiries are ongoing.”
New York Post, 23rd February 2025
At first glance, this story seems grim, but to the Romans, it may well have been considered good news in the form of an auspicious prophecy.
"Once when he was taking breakfast, a stray dog brought in a human hand from the cross-roads and dropped it under the table."
Suetonius - The Life of Vespasian, 1–6
According to the historian Suetonius, many portents foretold Vespasian's rise to power - a runaway Ox dropped at his feet, a Cyprus tree was felled and miraculously reappeared stronger and as quoted above - when he was dining, a stray dog entered and placed a human hand beneath the table. Personally, that would put me off my eggs, but this event was interpreted as a fortuitous omen foretelling Vespasian's rise to power.
Vespasian came to power in 69AD, after the most chaotic 'Year of the four Emperors' - the civil wars that broke out after the fall of Nero, and Seutonius gives him credit for restoring order and military competence - if being a little greedy and too keen to tax everything. As a Stoic, he will never be my favourite emporer, but I have a slight personal link to him. A Vespasian-era fortlet is in the field next to us on a road that cuts across our garden. He wouldn't have been here, but possibly Agricola and Tacitus were.
If the Gods Are in My Favour, I Won’t Tell Anyone …but There Will Be Signs.
So, how would Romans interpret this news story? Well, it depends.
Augury was the practice of interpreting omens from birds' behaviour to predict the gods' will. It was a central aspect of religious and political decision-making in ancient Rome - adopted from Etruscan practice.
Augurs, the priests responsible, stood in a specific spot - sometimes a designated courtyard, facing south. They segmented the sky into quadrants and subsections, and each slice was the domain of a particular God or attribute.
As well as signs such as lightning - a sign of Jupiter - they would observe birds' flight patterns, calls, and feeding habits to determine divine favour or displeasure. If the birds flew from left to right, that would be auspicious.
Twelve Vultures Good, Six Vultures Bad
The importance of Augury has been pushed back into the strange foundation myths of Rome. When deciding where to build their city, the brothers Romulus and Remus sat on different hills to take the auspices. According to the myth, Remus saw six Vultures first, and then Romulus saw twelve. The brothers argued over what took precedence in expressing the will of the Gods - seeing vultures first or seeing more vultures. In the argument, Romulus killed Remus and called his city Rome. Vultures were the strongest symbolic bird for an Auger to see, as they were rare.
Details Matter
The hand - especially the right hand, MANUS DEXTRA, represents authority, control, power, and military might.
None of the news stories I have read have identified the bird. Still, as this happened in Ireland, it was quite possibly an Eagle - AQUILA - Sacred to Jupiter and another symbol of military power, also being the legionary standard. A Right hand dropped by an Eagle would be powerful stuff.
(Unfortunately, it's far more likely to have been a Seagull, which would somewhat weaken the portent.)
Vide Supra
So - we don't have enough information. If this was an eagle, or even a vulture flying from the left of the sky, dropping a right hand, then we could take this as a favourable omen, much needed in the current climate, that a wise and competent leader will bring stability out of our current times of chaos.
On the other hand, if it is a left-hand, MANUS SINISTER, and it was dropped by a Corvid (especially a Magpie), Seagull or Woodpecker, and it came from the right of the sky - then perhaps it's a warning of the sky falling ahead.
Only time will tell…