Fig hand
A fig hand (also envious fig, "showing someone the big thumb", finger fig or "showing someone the fig", mano in fica, mano fico, French. Faire la figue, Italian. Far la fica) is a gesture with the hand, where the thumb is clamped between the index and middle fingers .
history
Figs (Latin: Ficus ) and grapes were considered attributes of the god of wine and fertility, Dionysus / Bacchus , in ancient times . In the Italian language, the word “Fica” not only denotes the fig as a fruit, but also the vulva and is a vulgar word for it.
In ancient Rome , the fig hand was a common symbol of fertility and luck and served as an amulet to ward off evil spells . It was also used as a symbol by the Teutons. Around 1494 Albrecht Dürer also depicted a fig hand on a study sheet with hands. Fig hand talismans are still considered lucky charms in Portugal and Brazil . It served not only to reject an imposition (hence the name Neidfeige, which is etymologically derived from the Middle High German nid = hatred ), but also to ward off all possible evils such as bewitching, screaming and the evil eye . Numerous amulets in the form of a hand forming the envious fig have an apotropaic function, which were widespread in southern Germany and ( carved from Gagat ) are sold to pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela (so-called Santiago-Fica).
Usage today
The present day meaning of this gesture is very vulgar in Western and Central Europe as well as in China. The gesture now symbolizes sexual intercourse . This gesture can also mean a vulgar “no” in a figurative sense, a rejection. It then corresponds verbally to something like: "Fuck you on the knee" or, to put it more nicely, "Forget it". A related gesture that expresses a vulgar "no" with almost the same meaning is the finger .
Among Slavs (especially in Russia; Russian: фига / figa; German: Feige) and Turks (Turkish: “Nah!”; German: “Take that!”) The gesture has a similar meaning and simply means: “No, that you don't get ”,“ You don't get anything ”or“ You get nothing ”. This gesture is used in conflicts and disputes, with the fig hand usually held close to the opponent's nose.
Use of the same gesture with a different meaning
- The fig hand is also used in the children's game "I have your nose!", Here the thumb represents the 'stolen' nose.
- In ASL - Fingeralphabet the fig sign for the stands letter "T".
See also
Web links
- Website with information on the fig hand
- The great art lexicon by PW Hartmann
- Witch madness. Fears of the modern age. An exhibition in the German Historical Museum
Individual evidence
- ↑ Latène Age bronze hand and foot pendants from Moravia ( Memento of September 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), from: Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 38, 2008 (Issue 1)