Used to protect against evil eye, a malicious stare believed to be able to cause illness, death or just general unluckiness, hamsas often contain an eye symbol. Silver hamsa amulet of Berber tradition ( khmissa) Highly stylized versions may be difficult to recognize as hands, and can consist of five circles representing the fingers, situated around a central circle representing the palm. Similarly, it can be portrayed with the fingers pointing up in warding, or down to bestow blessings. The hand can be depicted with the fingers spread apart to ward off evil, or as closed together to bring good luck. It is also painted in red (sometimes using the blood of a sacrificed animal) on the walls of houses for protection, or painted or hung on the doorways of rooms, such as those of an expectant mother or new baby. One of the most common components of gold and silver jewellery in the region, historically and traditionally, it was most commonly carved in jet or formed from silver, a metal believed to represent purity and hold magical properties. The Hand ( Khamsa), particularly the open right hand, is a sign of protection that also represents blessings, power and strength, and is seen as potent in deflecting the evil eye. ![]() Īmulet with two hands of Fatimah, bearing the inscriptions "God is the guardian", "God brings consolation in all trials" According to Sabar, the hamsa has also been used later by Jews in Europe "as a distinctive sign of the priesthood, especially when they wished to show that a person was of priestly descent.". Historians such as Shalom Sabar believe that after the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492, exiled Jews likely used the hamsa as protection in the foreign lands they were forced to relocate to, however this assumption has been difficult to prove. Its use by Ashkenazi Jewish communities from this period is well-known, and evidence has also emerged of the hamsa being used by Jews from medieval Spain, often associated with " sympathetic magic". The hamsa is later seen in Jewish art as God's hand reaching down from heaven during the times of late antiquity, the Byzantine period, and even medieval Europe. However, the notion of a protective hand has been present in Judaism dating back to Biblical times, where it is referenced in Deuteronomy 5:15, stated in the Ten Commandments as the "strong hand" of God who led the Jews out of Egypt. The use of the hamsa in Jewish culture has been intermittent, utilized often by Jews during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, then less and less over time into the mid-twentieth century. The symbol of the hand appears in Kabbalistic manuscripts and amulets, doubling as the Hebrew letter " Shin", the first letter of " Shaddai", one of the names referring to God. It is speculated that Sephardic Jews were among the first to use this amulet due to their beliefs about the evil eye. It is believed to have extraordinary characteristics that can protect people from evil and other dangers. The Hand of Fatima also represents femininity and is referred to as the woman's holy hand. It says that the sun and moon are the eyes of Horus. It refers to the Eye of Horus, which means humans cannot escape from the eye of conscience. ![]() Īnother meaning of this symbol relates to the sky god, Horus. It was also thought that marriage was a sense of protection for both the man and the woman. The woman's upbringing was centered on becoming a mother as an exclusive role, and it indicated childbearing as necessary. In that time, women were under immense pressure and expectation to become mothers. Other symbols of divine protection based around the hand include the Hand-of-Venus (or Aphrodite), the Hand-of-Mary, that was used to protect women from the evil eye and/or boost fertility and lactation, promote healthy pregnancies and strengthen the weak. ![]() An 8th-century BCE Israelite tomb containing a hamsa-like hand inscription was discovered at Khirbet el-Qom. The image of the open right hand is also seen in Carthage (modern-day Tunisia) and ancient North Africa and in Phoenician colonies in the Iberian Peninsula ( Spain and Portugal). A Punic stela from Carthage dedicated to Tinnit and Baal Hammon with a carved open right hand, as well as sign of Tinnit, sign of Baal Hammon above, Caduceus and naval symbolsĮarly use of the hamsa could be traced to ancient Mesopotamian artifacts in the amulets of the goddess Inanna or Ishtar.
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