"Back then I was still with Black Sabbath and the devil horns ... believe me, it had nothing to do with the devil or anything like that. It was something I inherited from my grandmother." - Ronnie James Dio
What's the Devil Horn Hand Sign?
The sign of the Horned Hand is a typical Italian gesture where the index and pinky fingers are raised (while the other three fingers are kept low) to symbolize a pair of horns that would drive away bad luck and the malevolent eye of fate. This gesture, typically associated with folk tradition, especially that of southern Italy, has its roots in antiquity, some say as far back as the Paleolithic period.
So this gesture has an enormous apotropaic value that for millennia, taught from grandmother to granddaughter (and we say grandmother not for nothing) has defended, defends and will defend millions of Italians from bad luck and the malevolent eye of the envious.
But if we leave Italy, this gesture takes on other, often different and in some cases, at least seemingly conflicting connotations).
But we will talk about that later ... in the meantime, look in this image what the devil horns hand sign looks like and basically what it is used for!
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Religious and Superstitious Meaning
In all Mediterranean cultures there is an apotropaic talisman meant to be a panacea against all ills, and for Italy it is certainly the horn, in cornicello or cornetto (call it what you will).
Superstition is by its very nature basic so the horned hand is nothing more than a horn doubled therefore twice as powerful and effective. By the way here I have talked in depth about the horn meaning.
But what is the Maloccchio?
According to popular belief the “evil eye” is the malevolent eye that laden with envy or malignity can bring misfortune, ill health or minor mishaps to those affected.
How different cultures deal with the Evil Eye
The belief that envy of others or negative energies can affect our daily lives is practically ingrained in every corner of the globe. Below I will give a brief (incomplete but meaningful) summary of how different peoples gear up to create their own personal envy-busters.
- In Mediterranean and Catholic countries the cornicello, horned hand, figa hand, and Nazar eye can be found.
- Eastern countries again the Nazar eye and the “hand of Fatima” (Hamsa).
- In Buddhism, blessed amulets and cords are used: they are often tied around the neck or wrist after a blessing by the monk.
- In Hinduism a red or black dot on the forehead is also meant to protect the third eye and block negative energies.
- In the Wiccan world reflective mirrors or amulets: to send malevolent energy back to the sender.
This works exactly like the old joke that says: "I'm rubber, you're glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
However, it is clear that albeit with different rituals, all these cultures recognize the power of the gaze, intent, and the invisible energy around us.
Trivia: You may not have known that ...
The inventor of the sign of the rock horns is definitely Ronnie James Dio singer of “Black Sabbath” who took over from Ozzy Osbourne (who used to make the peace gesture at the entrance of his concerts) although lately Gene Simmons of Kiss seems to have tried to get the authorship without succeeding. The presence in heavy metal of the third finger (the thumb) could also be discussed. Ronald James Padavona (aka Dio) used to say that in addition to having inherited his artistic pseudonym from his Italian-born grandmother (and here I wanted you) he had also inherited the horns gesture which he used as a symbol of love, protection and which soon became his iconic gesture.
The Devil Horns Hand Sign in Pop Culture
What's the meaning of this symbol in music? This is the story of how the horned "devil horns hand" became a symbol of the heavy metal-loving community.
As we said there are variations with thumb or without: the traditional form created by Ronnie Dio has been modified over time by adding the thumb. Note that in American Sign Language this form can be translated into the phrase “I Love You.” Here the sign has become even more symbolic losing a little bit of its superstitious intent but gaining a great deal as a gesture of affection, union, belonging, and ultimately positive energy.
In practice it has positive and aggregating meaning: it is a greeting between fans, a visual cry of freedom, a “I'm with you.”
Hand with horns facing upward vs downward
I will preface this by saying that, in my opinion, intention is the real discriminator but it is assumed that when the horns are facing upward the symbol takes on a benevolent meaning while conversely it is assumed that it may have a malevolent, transgressive or even provocative value. In reality, especially in Italian culture, which is rich in “distinctions,” context can totally change the valence of a gesture. Here's to that to those who ask me ...
Question 1: What does it mean in Italy to make the gesture of the horns to another person?
When an Italian in his car makes the two “horns” gesture (naturally with a bit of dramatic flair), I prefer to think they’re simply suggesting that someone, close to the other driver, embraces a… dynamic and inclusive approach to relationships.
The same is true when inside a soccer stadium the same gesture is made directed at the referee: I can assure you, the public is not wishing him/her much luck but rather is strongly advising him/her to call home because everyone is aware of a domestic situation that he/she, who is a referee, is strangely missing.
Question 2 : what is the hand sign against devil ?
There is no hand gesture that is recognized as the only one.
Some make the two-horn gesture, others prefer to cleverly and fleetingly hide their hand inside their pocket. Perhaps they touch an amulet that they secretly keep hidden but that has always been their shield against evil energies. Perhaps they touch something else (that I will leave you to imagine): this too is a gesture, certainly not very elegant, that some recognize as magical and apotropaic.
Question 3 : So what does the devil's hand sign finally mean?
This symbolic gesture changes it meaning according the cultural context where it's shown: it can be a symbol of "I love you" between the rockers, it can be a supernatural ward against "evil eye", it can be at least an offensive gesture for another driver LOL
The Horned Hand in TV and Film
For Americans let's talk about TV series and let's talk about my favorite: Supernatural. The whole show is permeated with esoteric symbols including the hand with horns gesture in its esoteric meaning but also in its “roiling” meaning.
In the Simpsons show, Homer often refers to rock by raising his hand upward, making the horned hand gesture and shouting “Rock and Roll”
Iconic for Italian culture is the film "Il Sorpasso" by Dino Risi, which made the horns gesture an emblem of that movie!
Devil Horn Hand Sign in Jewelry
Like all iconic symbols, the horned hand has over time had its translation into concrete objects that can be worn. Here is where jewelry has created portable symbols to ward off the “evil eye” by creating horned hands as pendants to be worn around the neck. The pendant that sits near the heart is definitely the most commonly used type of jewelry for this amulet, but there is no shortage of charms that can also be hung on a charm bracelet.
Materials for the "Manocorno"
The materials used to ward off trouble are the usual ones from the Italian tradition and that we had seen in the post that wanted to tell about traditional Italian good luck charms.
Here gold attracts wealth and material goods, while coral influences health and love. We want the complete package: we ask for a coral manocorno but with a gold frame and we will have a Top insurance on life.
At Eredi Jovon we have been creating this jewelry for almost 100 years, and as for the coral version, the hand is engraved and shaped in our workshop by hand by Valentino (one of our long-time collaborators).
We are proud and aware that every little horned hand we create will bring a little bit of us and true Italian craftsmanship to the world and, believe me, this is really needed if we want to keep jobs in our country.
Of course along with the horned hand we also offer the symbolic and ubiquitous cornet, the cool hand, the skull ("memento mori").
The Devil Hand Sign Today
Today this symbol has become more of an object than a gesture and as such has lost some of its meaning.If we are here explaining its history, it is because many have forgotten its meaning and perhaps wear it without knowing what it is.
It is unfortunately the fate of the world to forget its roots and to think that we can move forward by totally ignoring the past. As my father Bruno used to say, "a tree cannot grow (and thus evolve toward the future) if it does not have solid roots in the past.
However, it remains a symbol of belonging to a group: to the community of those of Italian descent and, as we said, to the community of rock lovers. On, by now, very rare occasions the horns gesture is still used against someone because even in Italy the more international "raised middle finger" (flipping the bird) is now adopted (and even here it would be worth writing a post on its origins).
So the symbol remains the same but the cultural context has totally changed.
The advice that I, Alessio, Mamma Gabriella and even Ugo feel to give you is however whether you believe it or not that of putting your manocornuta around your neck: it certainly can't hurt, believe it or not!
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