Hand Amulets & Gestures A collection of hand amulets and gestures. This document document will be expanded expanded upon over time.
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Culture: Ptolemaic Medium: Obsidian Dates: 332-30 B.C. Period: Ptolemaic Source: Brooklyn Museum (Egyptian/Classical Era)
Illustration from the Bessey Book, on Magic, and the Super-Natural (what I so lovingly call the book of Superstitions). The caption reads: Amulets with a magical magical significance, composed of of two fingers or of a hand hand with folded fingers. The symbol is found in the 'Mudras' 'Mudras' of Chinese tradition, tradition, India, and even in the benediction gesture of Christ, Christ, now practiced by Catholic Catholic priests. The thumb, symbolizing the phallus, is inserted into the other fingers as a sign of the creative act.
Illustration from the Bessey Book, on Magic, and the Super-Natural (what I so lovingly call the book of Superstitions). The caption reads: Amulets with a magical magical significance, composed of of two fingers or of a hand hand with folded fingers. The symbol is found in the 'Mudras' 'Mudras' of Chinese tradition, tradition, India, and even in the benediction gesture of Christ, Christ, now practiced by Catholic Catholic priests. The thumb, symbolizing the phallus, is inserted into the other fingers as a sign of the creative act.
The Mudra of reasoning, giving the 'Wisdom' gesture. This website has a fairly decent decent description of all the Mudra hand positions: http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2306
Buddha giving the 'Blessing' gesture.
Sculpture of Christ, circa 1572 sculptor Pilon.
The (Mano)Cornuto, from Italy is a gesture typically with fingers facing down as a protective gesture. There are other variations such as pointing the gesture directly at someone to suggest that they mean you harm, so you are countering this with the gesture. My uncle (Montalto side) would often do this, coupled with grabbing his balls. When I was researching the origins of this gesture, historically it was pointed at people who were thought to be witches or performing some type of witchcraft. This further supports the
idea, that the idea of witches was a superstition in Italian culture. The idea of this in use today, is often found offensive by Italians. I read an article about the President of Italy (Giovanni Leon) who visited a hospital and shook hands with patients of Cholera all the while making the sign behind his back with his free hand. It was well documented by journalists and there was public outcry by the patients. He grew up in Naples, so this was pretty common as a form of protection. Depending on how the patient was viewing the gesture, it was interpreted not as a ward against sickness, but against witchcraft. I've been watching Bram Stoker's Dracula a lot lately (I just love the film) by Coppala and have been making mental notes of the differences in the original 1897 Stoker version. In the scene when Jonathan Harker gets off the carriage to meet the Count's coach, the gypsy woman hands him a crucifix, makes the sign of the cross and tells him 'Because the dead travel fast'. In the Bram Stoker's version, she also points two fingers down and toward him. He goes on to explain that he finally got a local to tell him what it meant, and the answer given was a 'ward against the evil eye'.
I've been able to trace the origins as far back as the Neolithic era, the Cornuto (Italian Horn) was attached to the outside of the living space as a form of protection. Fertility became associated with good fortune, and it was often used to ward off bad fortune (or unknown forces which meant people harm).
Illustration of the thumb-in-finger gesture mentioned above Mano Fico (or Figa). Location, Residenz Museum, Munich Germany. "Fig sign is a gesture made with the hand and fingers curled and the thumb thrust between the middle and index fingers, or, rarely, the middle and ring fingers, forming the fist so that the thumb partly pokes out. In some areas of the world, the gesture is considered a good luck charm; in others (including France, Greece, and Turkey among others) it is considered an obscene gesture. The precise origin of the gesture is unknown, but many historians speculate that it refers to female genitalia. In ancient Greece, this gesture was a fertility and good luck charm designed to ward off evil. This usage has survived in Portugal and Brazil, where carved images of hands in this gesture are used in good luck talismans."
Source: Armstrong, Nancy & Melissa Wagner. (2003) Field Guide to Gestures: How to Identify and Interpret Virtually Every Gesture Known to Man. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.
This is the Roman hand of Power. The hand as an amulet, can be traced back as far as 800 BC. The ring finger and pinky are bent down to reveal only the thumb, index finger and middle finger. It's also similar to the Benediction gesture.
The Emblematic Hand of the Mysteries, (also known as The Hand of the Philosopher, or The Hand of the Master Mason) is an invitation to learn great secrets. The hand as a whole symbolizes the invitation. It is covered with alchemical and allegorical symbols and icons that each carry their own meaning. Given from master to student, the student must learn to open the hand to reveal the symbols, then must learn the meanings of the symbols themselves. Each symbol is a key to a higher truth. Understanding the symbols was a key to reaching Divine Power. Traditional symbols on the hand usually include a crown, star, sun, lantern, and key - each of these representing a different form of knowledge. Sometimes the hand is shown with a fish and burning sea on the palm, which are the alchemical symbols for mercury and sulphur - supposedly key ingredients for the Philosopher's Stone. A fish i s also, sometimes, used a a symbold for wisdom.
Reliquary Arm, location found Belgium, housed in the NYC Metro Museum of Art. Circa 1230, relic bones, or objects thought to have been touched by Saints, were housed in this vessel, and used by Priests as a 'Healing Hand' to bless the sick.
Kissing the index and middle fingers, sweeping the hand in front of you from left to right, is a sign of adoration.
The Hamsa Hand, "Hamsa" meaning five to represent the digits. In use by Arabic and Hebrew cultures, and later adopted by the Romans as a form of protection against all things 'evil'. The two 'thumbs' and hand pointing down is reminiscent of the idea that the 'vulva' as a creative force can ward off any destruction.
The Powerful Hand (of God), is often used in Hoodoo. I've seen it on 7-day candles, and prayer cards on altars. I had to research this one further, I read that when the card is hung upside-down in Mexican culture, it's "Mano Ponderosa", when Milagro (Little charms as Ex-voto) is in use the hand is pointed downward vs. up-ward. It's also called the 'Helping Hand of God'.
I found this on that site 'Lucky Mojo' the description reads: (I kept all the hyper-links in tact, if you wish to peruse their website) "In 1996, at a junk store in Fiddletown, California, i came upon two unused labels for hoodoo curios manufactured by the Lucky Mon-Gol Company of M emphis, Tennessee. The label shown here is for Lucky Mon-Gol Curio Number XI, a combination of powdered incense containing several traditional hoodoo formulae, namely Holy Oil, Be Together Powder, and Love Me Powder. The ingredients indicate that the product was a form of scented incense powder designed to purify and then bring love to the user. The fact that thepackage design includes a lucky swastika dates it to the era before World War Two.
The images shown on the label for Curio Number XI are typical African-American good luck symbols of the 1930s: a black cat, rabbit foot, four-leaf clover, horseshoe, swastika, moon, the Helping Hand, andtwin hearts pierced by an arrow . The lucky numbers 722 also appear among the lucky symbols. Seven is a common lucky number, and coupled with 22 (twice 11, the Curio's number), it doubtless conveys a meaning related to the intended use of Curio Number XI. Since 7-11 is a lucky gambling combination and the black catis considered to bring luck to gamblers, it may be that the 7-22 on the label of Curio Number X1 represented "double luck" for gamblers. The precise
meaning could probably have been interpreted via a contemporary volume such as Aunt Sally's Policy Player's Dream Book, which gives lucky betting numbers for various dream images but can also be used backwards to supply images via number-code. "Curio" was -- and still is -- a hoodoo mail-order catalogue code-word used to designate magical and spiritual anointing oils, roots, sachet powders, herbs, conjure bags, and amulets. The term is intended as a disclaimer to forestall prosecution for mail fraud. The Lucky Mon-Gol Company was not the only hoodoosupply company of the 1930s that numbered its "curios" rather than naming them; the Hussey Distribution Company of Atlanta, Georgia, also followed this practice, with its line of "Fine Curio Products," which included "Curio #3 Highest Quality Alleged Inflammatory Confusion Brand Incense" and "Husco Curio No. 61 AllegedMoney Drawing Brand Incense." Modern factory-based hoodoo suppliers such as E. Davis, Indio, and the Lama Temple are less likely to incorporate the word "curio" in product names, but they still remove the taint of implied fraud by inserting the words "Alleged" and "Brand" somewhere in the title to make it seem as if the name were just a coincidence and had no relation to the item's reason for existence. My own Lucky Mojo Curio Co. proudly flaunts the old-fashioned name "curio," which is in line with my policy of providing old-fashioned quality."
The "Lucky Hand" root, is also used in Hoodoo, for good luck and protection. We haven't lost this 'magic' of the hand gesture. Consider:
The Salute, as a sign of respect. One theory is that the salute originated with the Ancient Romans, who would shield their eyes from the sun, when they looked up at their superior giving instructions for battle or maneuvering. The Roman Salute (Saluto Romano)
Mussolini giving the Roman Salute
Hitler adapts the salute to signify power
Circa 1556, Salus - meaning 'Health'. It was used by early Christians to protect themselves from witches and demons. To early Christians, the 5 points represented the 5 senses granted by God.
Paganspace contributor Seachain Aroon (Day) writes: In Romania, the thumb between the other fingers means "nothing", nada, zilch. As in "what's in this for me" and the answer with that gesture means "absolutely nothing". The "Salus" , signified the five wounds of the Christ (if you look also how it is positioned you can see it easily). Yes, it was the first protection sign of the Christians. The gesture of the Transylvanian woman in Stoker's Dracula is not characteristic to that area. It's not characteristic at all to Romania. One thing that I found fascinating - in the christian "hand of power" which is actually the "blessing hand" gesture in Eastern Orthodox, the grouping o the fingers corresponds to the ulnar, and respectively, median nerve, with the ring finger sharing both. The "wisdom sign" of the hindu has the same grouping. Considering the coordinates of the lines of energy in the hand, I think this has a very important significance.
Children in Laos Cambodia, giving the photographer hand gestures.
Abhayamudra (Mudra) A gesture of soothing or protection: the right arm is bent
at the elbow, the hand raised to shoulder level, palm outwards and fingers together.
The 'Middle Finger' and 'Peace Sign' have become universal hand-gestures and often used to communicate sentiment (varying degree). I've seen decals of the Middle Finger on trucks lately, with a caption that reads "This is all the protection I need".
Hand gestures used in Hispanic culture.
My fave scene in The Color Purple, Miss Ceilie sticks it to Mister. His life turns to shit, and he later makes amends by paying to have Celie's children and her Sista brought to her from Africa. See: Youtube clip
Iranian protests.
During WWII Winston Churchill popularized it as 'V' for victory.
I read that in parts of the UK, it's considered an offensive gesture, one of defiance. When the palm is facing outward, in places like South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia it's a sign of offense.
When the fingers are facing down, palm inward, it's considered the 'two-finger salute' or the 'bowman's salute'. This is derived from the longbowmen in the English army in the year 1415, in use as an offensive gesture like "I'm gonna get you sucka!" during the Battle of Agincourt (Hundred Years War). The story goes that the French would show off their bowman's fingers to the English as a sign of death, the English won the battle, and in turn used the fingers pointed downward, to show them their fingers were not only in tact, but that they rejected the sentiment and used it back at them like a double fuck you. To this day, some English find the gesture offensive in either direction.
Barry Ferguson makes the gesture, after his suspension, against his 'International Duty' - suspension without pay a fter his drinking 'incident' after the defeat by the Netherlands.
Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott throws the gesture at reporters heckling him in town (UK). It wasn't used as a 'Peace' symbol until the late 1950's.
"Live long, and prosper" the sign of the Vulcan, often used in pop culture as a 'blessing'.
Bellamy Salute, 1942 - pledging allegiance to the US Flag.
Moutza, in Greece this is an insulting gesture. There is another variation with two hands. Spoken words: "να" (na), "παρ'τα" (par'ta) or "όρσε" (órse), meaning "here", "take these" and "there you go", respectively. Closed Moutza, with finger tips slightly curled but pointed towards the intended is more polite "Na!" Which simple means 'There!' In Pakistan, showing someone the palm is a curse gesture. "Lanat!" is spoken meaning 'curse'. In parts of the Persian gulf, showing both hands after clapping, is considered an insult. "Malat Alaik!" is spoken, this gesture is in use by women. It's considered a 'feminine' insulting gesture, so not in use much by men. The way we use it, is generally "Talk to the Hand!"
Pollice verso or verso pollice is a Latin phrase, meaning "with a turned thumb", used to judge gladiators. A defeated gladiator was judged to be put to death.
Fun fact, it is assumed that the thumb is pointed downward but it's unclear whether the Romans pointed it horizontally, up or down. In the Middle East, this gesture is similar to the middle finger gesture [Fuck You].
Zogist Salute, Zog I of Albania. Later adopted by the Royal Army of Albania. The hand must be over the heart.
Source: Albanian History
The Shocker. Followed with the verbal citation ‘two in the pink, one in the stink.’ While considered vulgar, it should be included here. It made the news when a high school year book included several students making this gesture. See: http://www.rotten.com/library/language/the-finger/ shocker/
Añjali Mudrā, sign of respect and used to demonstrate adherence to Yoga here in the states. In places like India, it is used as a sign of respect and greetings.
Japanese 'Batsu Gesture', meaning sign of 'x' to gesture that something is
wrong or unacceptable.
It's fascinating to watch, even if you don't know exactly what each gesture means - you can pretty much interpret the dance loosely.
Montjuic castle, there a statue of a naked woman which honors the memory of Gaspar de Portolà the first California governor.
Hand of Glory
Penis, Figa and Horseshoe are all symbols of good luck, and warding off evil.
52,000 year old 'Maori Iceman' with tattoos believed to be some sort of protection amulets. Source: Smithsonian
Ha ha, a protection from consequences! "Charles Panati, in Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, has a nice article on crossing one's fingers as a sign of luck or making a wish. He traces it back to pre-Christian times, when the cross was a symbol of unity and benign spirits dwelt at the intersection point. A wish made on a cross was a way of "anchoring" the wish at the intersection of the cross until the wish was fulfilled. Panati says this superstition was popular among many early European cultures. It originally took two people. A comrade or well-wisher placing his index finger over the index finger of the person making the wish, the two fingers forming a cross. The one person makes the wish, the other empathizes and supports. Over centuries, the custom was simplified, so that a person could wish on his own, by crossing his index and middle fingers to form an X. But traces remain--two people hooking index fingers as a sign of greeting or agreement is still common in some circles today.
Panati comments, "Customs once formal, religious, and ritualistic have a way of evolving with time to become informal, secular, and commonplace." Thus, friends crossing fingers evolved (Panati says "degenerated") to crossing one's own fingers, and ultimately to the stock phrase, "Keep your fingers crossed," with no actual finger-crossing at al l. " Source: Straight Dope "It's reasonable to assume that early Christians made the sign of the cross with their fingers, or perhaps this sign of the fish to identify themselves to one another Crossing the first two fingers is a good luck sign recognised around the world. It is, however, not so common in Buddhist and Muslim cultures, suggesting that the symbol's origin is Christian and was imported to Asian countries along with other Western i deas, food, fashion, technology, karaoke (no, wait a minute...).
We have no reliable evidence to support this, but one theory goes that during the various times when Christianity was illegal, the crossing of fingers was a secret sign for Christians to recognise each other. Yet whilst the Sign of the Cross has evolved into a good luck symbol and retained its Christian meaning, Fingers Crossed has lost any Christian connection. This change of emphasis may have begun during the so-called 'Hundred Years War' between France and England (1337-1457). An archer would cross his first and second fingers, pray or wish for luck, and then draw back his longbow string with those same fingers. Another theory suggests that the sign pre-dates Christianity, when it was believed that benign spirits dwelt at the intersecting point of the cross, as in the Solar Cross. In Europe, the sign was made by two people; the first to make the wish and the second to support it. Linking their fingers firmly would squeeze and energize the spirits into beneficial action. In China, crossing the index and middle fingers is the sign for the number ten, which happens to coincide with the Chinese and Japanese written character for ten, which is . (The origin of this character is usually, yet erroneously, explained as two lines crossing to symbolise the four main directions, which in turn expressed the concept of completeness and by association all the fingers, i.e. ten. However, this seems a confused version of its actual origin. It derives from a depiction of a sewing needle with thread passing through the eye, and was used as a substitute for the more complex character , meaning 'hands together', i.e. ten fingers.) The Roman numeral for ten (decem) is X, so it's no surprise that when deaf people communicate in sign language, crossed fingers spell the alphabet letter X. But what is interesting is that the crossed fingers spell the sign for X only in Swedish sign (Svenska Handalfabetet). In other alphabets, the sign spells the letter R in English, Я (ya) in Russian (Cyrillic), (ra) in Japanese (hiragana), and the first half of (ss) in Korean (Hangul)." Source: seiyaku.com
"And here's something else you can do with crossed fingers: The Aristotle Illusion Cross your fingers, then touch a small spherical object such as a dried pea, and it feels like
Dec. 2003
"Every few years, another locally published, small-press book comes out a bout Neapolitan hand gestures. These gestures are a bit of local culture that charms the rest of the world; after all, everyone knows that "Italians talk with their hands." (That, of course, is wrong; southern Italians talk with their hands. Northern Italians, by comparison, lumber about as if they're auditioning for Invasion of the Crippled Skiers). Indeed, there are entire dictionaries hidden and not so hidden in every Neapolitan hand wave, knuckle turn, lip smack, and finger waggle.
One such volume, for example, is Comme te l'aggia dicere? (Neapolitan dialect for "How can I explain this to you?"). The secondary title is in Italian: Ovvero l'arte gestuale a Napoli (Or the Art of the Gesture in Naples). It is by Bruno Paura and Marina Sorge (1999. ed. Intra Moenia, Naples). It has 138 pages, with emotion and message listed alphabetically—"scorn," "approval," "you must be crazy!" etc.—all accompanied by photographs or drawings. Comme te l'aggia dicere? has replaced older volumes, now out of print, and will itself be replaced in a few years when someone else comes out with a new one. Even foreign language guide-books to Naples now generally contain a few pages of pictures and explanations of gestures. (Even if your reading extends, alas, only to t-shirts, you can get those, too: silk-screened front and back with Neapolitan hand gestures plus explanatory captions.) All this is helpful. Suppose, for example, you loosen your enraged grip on the steering wheel just enough to raise the index and little finger to that driver of the car that has just cut you off. Yes, you may think you are simply expressing your solidarity with the "Longhorn" football team from the University of Texas, but that benighted soul in the other car (who is totally ignorant of college sports in the US) will understand your gesture as a suggestion that his wife, the lovely woman next to him in the front seat and the mother of his children, is betraying him, and he will be honor-bound to run you off the road and have his own good-old college try at taking your life. If the authors of these books have bibliographies, they never plug the competition, that is, other recent books similar to their own. They all, however, do cite the granddaddy of all such books about Neapolitan gestures, a volume you will not find in your run-of-themill bookshop: La mimica degli antichi investigate nel gestire napoletano, by Andrea de Jorio (“The Mimicry of Ancient Peoples Investigated through Neapolitan Gestures”). It was published in 1832 and drifted into obscurity for many years. In his book The Italians (1964), Luigi Barzini mentions it and laments the fact that so little has been written about the language of gestures. Since 1964, of course, formal studies of sign languages and general body language have become part and parcel of the disciplines of linguistics, communications, and anthropology. Entire curricula are devoted to the semiotics of gestures, so it is natural that de Jorio's book should have made a comeback, which, indeed, it has. The book has been republished in Italian three times in recent years,1964, 1979, and 2002. All of the reprints are photographic copes of the original edition plus explanatory notes.
The volume also appeared recently (2000) in a scholarly and annotated English translation by Adam Kendon as Gesture in Naples and Gesture in Classical Antiquity (Indiana University Press). There are at least two fine reviews of the English translation that I know of, both of which praise the original as well as the erudite translation, which includes an 80-page
essay/introduction. The first review is "The Neapolitan Finger" by Joan Acocella; it appeared in the The New York Review of Books in the year 2000 and then in 2002 in Sign Language Studies, a journal published by Gallaudet University. The other review is by Giovanna Ceserani of Princeton University; it appeared the Bryn Mawr Classical Review in 2003.
De Jorio (1769-1851) was born on the tiny island of Procida, a brief sail from the mainland, ancient Cumae and that treasure trove of Greco-Roman mythology known as the Flegrean Fields. It was also a time when the archaeological sites at Pompeii and Herculaneum were opening up. De Jorio became a canon at the Naples cathedral but was born to be a classical scholar and archaeologist. He wound up as curator of the Royal Bourbon Museum, now the National Archaeological museum. His purpose in writing about gestures, he said, was to show the continuity between the classical world and the modern one. Look at the hand gestures on these old vases, he said. They are the same ones we use today. Unlike today, such body language was not particularly interesting to scholars of the early 19th century. It might even have been amusing to the Grand Tourists of the day and even have fit into the broad stereotyping of Neapolitans that travellers from Goethe to Mark Twain indulged in (after perhaps one whole carriage trip down the Riviera di Chiaia): the confusion, noise, clatter, color, and the bizarre juxtaposition of pompous one-horse dukes and abject beggars. Maybe the frantically gesticulating locals fit their preconceptions— frantic hand-gibberish or something like that (which the gestures, of course, are not). De Jorio was no doubt proud to present his compendium as part of classical studies, direct from Naples, one of the hubs of Magna Grecia, the site of important archaeology in the study of ancient Rome, and one of the centers of classical scholarship in Europe. Yes, German scholars of the same period had swarmed through the southern Italian peninsula, but if you thought northern Italians couldn't move, wait till you see German professors not move. What would they know about hand gestures?" http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/newpage.html Here's a PDF of the book: http://books.google.com/books?id=GJYIAAAAQAAJ&oe=UTF-8 http://books.google.com/books?id=lw8tzmu9-GYC&printsec=frontcov... http://books.google.com/books?id=vNETAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcov...
Check these out! http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2008_09_07_archive.html
(Hail the Legions) But this one has it's origins in the middle ages.... you see back in the day.. they would cut the middle fingers off of captured archers so they couldn't shoot arrows.. so in a battle they would use that gesture... Identify themselves as still operational
to their enemy..
paganspace contributer: Windcaller
Satanism goat, hand gesture.
Protection amulet necklace.
SIN JONES design. www.the-poison-apple.com
Helping Hands, Amulets
Jainism
Healing Hand
Power
Hand of Compassion
SIN JONES & Darkmatter
adlocutio: the adlocutio is one of the most widely represented formulas of Roman art. The
convention is regularly shown in individual figures li ke the famous Augustus of Primaporta or can be put into a narrative context as seen in the Aurelian panel. Characteristic of the formula is the outstretched hand of speech as well as the contrapposto pose with the weight clearly shifted to one leg.
Imperial posturing.
During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius. Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero and perhaps even a god, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait. Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot. The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the Julian family were descended from the goddess Venus, made by both Augustus and by his adoptive father Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status, which was acceptable in the Greek East but not yet in Rome itself. Augustus is shown in this role of "Imperator", the commander of the army, as thoracatus — or commander-in-chief of the Roman army (literally, thorax-wearer) — meaning the statue should form part of a commemorative monument to his latest victories; he is in military clothing, carrying a consular baton and raising his right hand in a rhetorical "adlocutio" pose, addressing the troops. The bas-reliefs on his a rmored "cuirass" have a complex allegorical and political agenda, alluding to diverse Roman deities, including Mars, god of
war, as well as the personifications of the latest territories conquered by him: Hispania, Gaul, Germania, Parthia (that had humiliated Crassus, and here appears in the act of returning the standards captured from his legions); at the top, the chariot of the Sun illuminates Augustus's deeds. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC via his last will and testament, and between then and 27 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar. In 27 BC the Senate awarded him the honorific Augustus ("the revered one"), and thus consequently he was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. Because of the various names he bore, it is common to call him Octavius when referring to events between 63 and 44 BC, Octavian (or Octavianus) when referring to events between 44 and 27 BC, and Augustus when referring to events after 27 BC. In Greek sources, Augustus is known as Ὀκτάβιος (Octavius), Κα ῖ σαρ (Caesar), Αὔγουστος (Augustus), or Σεβαστός (Sebastos), depending on context.
I picked this up, by Petruvian Man. The gesture of 'Kissing the hand', inspired by the work of Leonardo Davinci The gesture is thought to originate in the Victorian era. There is no historical reference to the gesture prior to 18th century. It signifies respect, and submission. It died off by 20th century. Historically, touching the hand - had different connotations in various cultures. For instance, to 'shake' hands can be traced back to 5th century BC. Some believe the gesture, signified 'peace' by demonstrating the hand held no weapon. This was not a submission, but more of a gesture of diplomacy. By the 16th century, it was used to show respect, to greet, and farewell, gratitude and agreement. Shaking with the 'right' has been traditional, because of the 'Sinister' side of the 'left' hand.
This can be traced back to Eastern philosophies, and Middle Eastern cultures. The 'left' hand was typically used to take, rather than to give and to be used to 'wipe' when going to the bathroom. The left hand for that reason, was considered 'unclean' and to use it to shake would be offensive. There are several clubs, or mystery traditions which have secret handshakes to communicate ideas.
The Emperor credited to the Pax Romana, the Roman Peace. In January of 27 BC, the Senate gave Octavian the new titles of Augustus and Princeps. Augustus, from the Latin word Augere (meaning to increase), can be translated as "the illustrious one". It was a title of religious rather than political authority. According to Roman religious beliefs, the title symbolized a stamp of authority over humanity—and in fact nature—that went beyond any constitutional definition of his status. Augustus was granted the right to hang the corona civica, the "civic crown" made from oak, above his door and have laurels drape his doorposts. This crown was usually held above the head of a Roman general during a triumph, with the individual holding the crown charged to continually repeat "memento mori", or, "Remember, you are mortal", to the triumphant general. Additionally, laurel wreaths were important i n several state ceremonies, and crowns of laurel were rewarded to champions of athletic, racing, and dramatic contests. Thus, both the laurel and the oak were integral symbols of Roman religion and statecraft; placing them on Augustus' doorposts was tantamount to declaring his home the capital. However, Augustus renounced flaunting insignia of power such as holding a scepter,
wearing a diadem, or wearing the golden crown and purple toga of his predecessor Julius Caesar. If he refused to symbolize his power by donning and bearing these items on his person, the Senate nonetheless awarded him with a golden shield displayed in the meeting hall of the Curia, bearing the inscription virtus, pietas, clementia, iustitia—"valor, piety, clemency, and justice." The cult of Divus Augustus continued until the state religion of the Empire was changed to Christianity in 391 by Theodosius I.
Part TWO - Left-handed The Right of Way
[Persian Aryan Salute, Parthian Princess, Left-hand. Salute of the Arsacid and Sassanid Eras] In 300 BC doctors believed that the ring finger, on the left hand was directly connected to the heart. It's no coincidence, that this is the chosen finger for both the engagement and wedding ring. Ancient Rome, is responsible for many of the ideas we hold today about left-handedness (influenced by the Greeks). They created a stigma, by inventing the right-handed hand-shake, reading the Alphabet Right to Left, and the right-handed salute (often called the 'fascist salute'). Julius Cesar, was left-handed but he orchestrated the righthanded hand-shake. Scholars speculate it was to leave his weapon-ready hand free, or to keep your opponent's weaponhand on lock down preventing him from drawing his sword. Walking on the left-hand side of strangers was custom, as the right-hand was generally the weapon hand. Left-handed people were few and far- between. This custom was adapted when motor vehicles were invented, which is why we pass on the left vs. right (in spite of safety issues for passing on the right). Social order was predicated by placing nobles on the right-side of the King, and capitalists on the left-side of the King. Italian proverb: "The left-hand, is the hand of the heart!" Contemporary Witchcraft ideal: Give with the right hand, take with the left. Tantra: Right-handed represents the spiritual side, while the left hand represents the carnal side of man. Muslims/Arabic Nations:
Will take great offense if you offer them your left- hand, as it's customary to use the lefthand for using the toilet. Traditionally, the right hand is used to touch any body part above the navel, and the left for below the navel. Bedouins (Sunni Muslims) segregate women to the left, and men to the right - giving the impression that women are inferior to men in their culture. *Judaism also considers the left-hand to be unclean, associated with Mediterranean customs for cleaning the body. The Catholic Church declared that left-handedness meant that you served the Devil. Left, has been long associated with evil, and sinister behavior. In Latin, 'left' comes from sinister. Taking the ring finger and using the ring to ward off 'evil' that may haunt the marriage. Many pre-Christian African tribes associated left handedness with bad things, rooted in superstitions. Studies post that this might stem from a from of xenophobia, and the movements of the human body. Pre historic body language was essential to survival, which has since been lost. So, superstitions about throwing a spear with your left hand, or killing prey are rooted in human experience. Many African tribes do not allow women to prepare food with their left hand, in fear of poison and sorcery. People of New Guinea, will not touch their left thumb to their beer glass, in fear of the 'touch' poisoning their beverage. Maori Women (Polynesian) will weave cloth with their right hand, using the left curses the cloth. The penalty for using the left hand to weave is death. In Ancient Egypt, the god SET is referred to as the 'Left Eye of the Sun' while Horus is referred to as the 'Right Eye of the Sun'. Inserting a good vs. evil axiom into their mythologies. In Buddhism, the left path is considered the wrong side of life, and the right side is the right side - when taking the 8 fold path to enlightenment. One can not reach Nirvana on the left path. Eskimos believe that people who use their left hand, are committing sorcery. If you try to buy fish or furs from an Eskimo, and try to pay with your left hand - he may not accept your payment and spit at you. Morrocans, consider left-handed people extensions of the devil himself. During the witch trials, a mole or mark on the left-hand side of the body was considered the devil's mark. It was not uncommon for people to burn marks found on their bodies in fear of being accused of witchcraft. To include, infants. See also: Sinister Augury The Evil Eye Hand Gestures & Amulets Open discussion: http://www.paganspace.net/forum/topics/lefthanded-the-right-of-way
