 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Thesign of the horns is a handgesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending theindex andlittle fingers while holding themiddle andring fingers down with the thumb.
%2c_the_patron_saint_of_Sikkim_(cropped).jpg)
InHatha Yoga, a similar hand gesture – with the tips of middle and ring finger touching the thumb – is known asApāna Mudrā, a gesture believed to rejuvenate the body.[1] InIndian classical dance forms, it symbolizes thelion.[1] InBuddhism, theKarana Mudrā is seen as anapotropaic gesture toexpel demons, remove negative energy, and ward offevil. It is commonly found on depictions ofGautama Buddha.[1][2] It is also found on theSong dynasty statue ofLaozi, the founder ofTaoism, onMount Qingyuan, China.[3]
Anapotropaic usage of the sign can be seen inItaly and in otherMediterranean cultures where, when confronted with unfortunate events, or simply when these events are mentioned, the sign of the horns may be given to ward off further bad luck. It is also used traditionally to counter or ward off the "evil eye" (Italian:malocchio). In Italy specifically, the gesture is known as thecorna ('horns'). With fingers pointing down, it is a common Mediterranean apotropaic gesture, by which people seek protection in unlucky situations (a Mediterranean equivalent ofknocking on wood). ThePresident of the Italian Republic,Giovanni Leone, startled the media when, while inNaples during anoutbreak ofcholera, he shook the hands of patients with one hand while with the other behind his back he superstitiously made thecorna, presumably to ward off the disease or in reaction to being confronted by such misfortune. Very often it is accompanied by a characteristic superstitious invocation: "Tèee!", a slang form derived from "Tiè!", "Tieni!", ("Hold it !"), second person of the imperative of the verb "Tenere" ("To Hold").
In Italy and other parts of theMediterranean region, the gesture must usually be performed with the fingers tilting downward or in a leveled position not pointed at someone and without movement to signify the warding off of bad luck; in the same region and elsewhere, the gesture may take a different, offensive, and insulting meaning if it is performed with fingers upward or if directed aggressively towards someone especially in a swiveling motion (see section below).
The sign of the horns is used during religious rituals inWicca, to invoke or represent theHorned God.[4]
InLaVeyan Satanism, the sign of the horns is used as a traditional salutation, either for informal or ritual purposes.[5]
In manyMediterranean and Latin countries, such as Colombia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Mexico,[6][7][8][9] when directed towards someone, pointed upward, and/or swiveled back and forth, the sign offensively impliescuckoldry in regard to the targeted individual; the common words forcuckolded in Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese are, respectively,κερατάς (keratas),cornuto,cornudo andcorno, literally meaning "horned [one]". In this particular case, in Italy, the gesture is often accompanied by the invocation: "Cornuto!" ("Cuckold!"). As previously stated above, in Italy and certain other Mediterranean countries, the sign, often when pointing downwards, but occasionally also upwards, can serve also as atalismanic gesture toward off bad luck.[10] However, the positioning of the hand sign and the context in which it is used generally renders obvious to Italian and other Mediterranean people the meaning of the sign in a particular situation. During aEuropean Union meeting in February 2002, Italian prime ministerSilvio Berlusconi was photographed performing in a jocular manner the offensive "cornuto" version of gesture behind the back ofJosep Piqué, the Spanish foreign minister.[11]
There is a 1927 jazz recording by theNew Orleans Owls, "Throwin' the Horns", on78 rpm,Columbia 1261-D. It has a humorous vocal by two of the band members.[12]
Ike Turner told in an interview that he used the sign in his piano playing onHowlin' Wolf's blues song "How Many More Years" in 1951.[13]
Marlon Brando makes the sign whilst singing "Luck Be a Lady" in the 1955 filmGuys and Dolls, seeming to indicate it was a sign for snake eyes in the craps game he is playing for the gamblers' souls.[14]
The 1969 back album cover forWitchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls on Mercury Records by Chicago-based psychedelic-occult rock bandCoven, led by singerJinx Dawson, pictured Coven band members giving the "sign of the horns". According to a Facebook post by Dawson, she used the sign as early as late 1967 when Coven started, to which she posted a photo showing her giving the sign on stage.[15]
Beginning in the early 1970s, the horns were known as the "P-Funk sign" to fans ofParliament-Funkadelic. It was used byGeorge Clinton andBootsy Collins as the password to the Mothership,[16] a central element in Parliament's science-fictionmythology, and fans used it in return to show their enthusiasm for the band. Collins is depicted showing the P-Funk sign on the cover of his 1977 albumAhh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!.
Ronnie James Dio was known for popularizing the sign of the horns inheavy metal.[16][17] He claimed his Catholic Italian grandmother used it to ward off theevil eye (which is known in Italy asmalocchio). Dio began using the sign soon after joining the metal bandBlack Sabbath in 1979. The previous singer in the band,Ozzy Osbourne, was rather well known for using the"peace" sign at concerts, raising the index and middle finger in the form of a V. Dio, in an attempt to connect with the fans, wanted to similarly use a hand gesture. However, not wanting to copy Osbourne, he chose to use the sign his grandmother always made.[18] The horns became famous in metal concerts very soon after Black Sabbath's first tour with Dio. The sign would later be appropriated by heavy metal fans.
Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath can be seen "raising the horns" in a photograph taken in 1969.[19] The photograph is included in the CD booklet of theSymptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978 2002 compilation album. This would indicate that there had been some association between the "horns" and heavy metal before Dio's popularization of it. Althoughthe Beatles are not directly associated with heavy metal,John Lennon can be seen doing the "horn-sign" in a photograph already two years prior to Butler. The photoshoot was done for the promotion for their upcoming cartoon movieYellow Submarine in late 1967. The official movie poster of 1968 showing the Beatles in cartoon form depicts Lennon performing the same gesture.
When asked if he was the one who introduced the hand gesture to metal subculture, Dio said in a 2001 interview:
I doubt very much if I would be the first one who ever did that. That's like saying I invented the wheel, I'm sure someone did that at some other point. I think you'd have to say that I made it fashionable. I used it so much and all the time and it had become my trademark until theBritney Spears audience decided to do it as well. So it kind of lost its meaning with that. But it was ... I was in Sabbath at the time. It was a symbol that I thought was reflective of what that band was supposed to be all about. It'snot the devil's sign like we're here with the devil. It's an Italian thing I got from my Grandmother called the "Malocchio". It's to ward off the Evil Eye or to give the Evil Eye, depending on which way you do it. It's just a symbol but it had magical incantations and attitudes to it and I felt it worked very well with Sabbath. So I became very noted for it and then everybody else started to pick up on it and away it went. But I would never say I take credit for being the first to do it. I say because I did it so much that it became the symbol of rock and roll of some kind.
Gene Simmons of the rock groupKISS attempted to claim the "devil horns" hand gesture for his own. According to CBS News, Simmons filed an application on June 16, 2017, with theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office for a trademark on the hand gesture he regularly shows during concerts and public appearances—thumb, index, and pinky fingers extended, with the middle and ring fingers folded down (like theILY sign meaning "I love you" in theAmerican Sign Language). According to Simmons, this hand gesture was first commercially used—by him—on November 14, 1974. He claimed the hand gesture should be trademarked for "entertainment, namely live performances by a musical artist [and] personal appearances by a musical artist."[20] Simmons abandoned this application on June 21, 2017.[21]
The Japanesekawaii metal bandBabymetal uses thekitsune sign, their own variation of the sign of the horns, symbolizing their personal deity, the Fox God. The middle, ring finger, and thumb join at the tips to form the snout, the extended index and pinky fingers are the ears.[22][23] This gesture is similar in appearance to the salute of theTuranistGrey Wolves movement.
.jpg)
In text-based electronic communication, the sign of the horns is represented with the\../,\m/ or|m| emoticon and sometimes with/../. TheUnicode character U+1F918 🤘 SIGN OF THE HORNS was introduced in Unicode 8.0 as anemoji, on June 17, 2015.[24]
The "sign of the horns" hand gesture is used incriminal gang subcultures to indicate membership or affiliation withMara Salvatrucha. The significance is both the resemblance of an inverted "devil horns" to the Latin letter 'M', and in the broader demonic connotation, of fierceness and nonconformity.
Fans ofHouston sports teams use the hand signal as a sign of support for the city's sports teams. Rising to prominence through Houston'ship-hop culture, this signal has become the de facto hand signal for the city. Referred to as "H's up" by theHouston Texans, this signal has been described as "featur[ing] the back of the hand facing out, hand held in front of the chest, and both middle and ring fingers curled under the thumb, with the index and pinky fingers straight like a bull's horns."[25] This signal has also been promoted by theHouston Astros,Houston Rockets,Houston Cougars, andHouston Dynamo FC.
Hook 'em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of theUniversity of Texas at Austin (UT). Students and alumni of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase "Hook 'em" or "Hook 'em Horns" and also use the phrase as a parting good-bye or as the closing line in a letter or story. Thegesture is meant to approximate the shape of the head and horns of the UT mascot, theTexas LonghornBevo. Rival schools such as theOklahoma Sooners orTexas A&M Aggies will turn the horns upside down meaning "Horns Down" as an insult.
Fans of theUniversity of South Florida Bulls use the same hand sign at their athletic events, except that the hand is turned around and facing the other way. With the middle and ring finger extending towards the person presenting the "Go Bulls" sign.
Fans ofNorth Dakota State University Bison athletics also use a similar hand gesture, known as "Go Bison!" The pinky and index fingers are usually slightly bent, however, to mimic the shape of abison's horns.
Fans ofNorth Carolina State University Wolfpack athletics use a similar gesture with the middle and ring fingers moving up and down over the thumb to mimic a wolf's jaw.
Fans ofUniversity of California, Irvine Anteaters use a similar sign with the middle and ring fingers out to resemble the head of an anteater.
Fans ofUniversity of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack athletics use a similar sign with the middle and ring fingers out to resemble the wolf's snout.
A variation of this hand gesture is also used in theprofessional wrestling industry, which fans dub the "Too Sweet". It was possibly innovated byScott Hall and the other members ofThe Kliq based on the TurkishGrey Wolves organization hand gesture according toSean Waltman, and has since been attributed to other wrestling groups such asthe nWo andBullet Club, as well as individual wrestlers such asFinn Bálor.
Fans ofUniversity of Utah athletics, particularly football and gymnastics, use a gesture where the index and pinky finger are straight and parallel to each other, forming a block "U."[26]
Fans ofNorthwestern State University Demon athletics also use a similar hand gesture, known as "Fork 'em!" The pinky and index fingers are extended but a little more parallel to each other resembling the horns on a demon.
Arizona State UniversitySun Devil fans make a pitchfork sign by extending the index and middle fingers, as well as the pinky. The thumb holds down the ring finger to complete the gesture.
Fans of theWichita State University Shockers frequently hold up their middle finger in addition to the pointer and pinky fingers as a reference to thecomic sexual act.
Fans of theGrand Canyon University Antelopes use this hand gesture with a slight variation by touching the tips of the ring and middle finger with the thumb to form the shape of an antelope and its horns. Often followed by the phrase "Lopes up".
Fans of theUniversidad de Chile soccer team use this gesture to represent their support for the team by forming a U-shaped hand gesture, often followed by the phrase "Grande la U".
Fans ofUniversity at Buffalo Buffalo Bulls athletics use the same hand sign at their athletic events. This gesture is meant to resemble a bull's horns.
In Russian children's folklore the sign of the horns (calledkoza, "goat") is associated with the nursery rhyme"Идёт коза рогатая" ("Here comes a horned goat"). When telling the rhyme to a toddler, the narrator tickles the child with the "horns" at the end of the rhyme.[27][28]
A friend arranges a meeting with Clinton. I hand him a photograph of Dio making the hand signal, and tell him this is the man (or one of them) credited with bringing it to rock. Clinton stares at the picture for a long, silent minute, breathing heavily. Another minute passes. He's never heard of Ronnie James Dio. It's the P-Funk sign, man.
