Corna
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The corna (Italian for horns, also mano cornuta, horned hand fare le corna, to make the horns, or simply the devil horns) is a hand gesture with a vulgar meaning in Mediterranean countries and a variety of meanings and uses in other cultures. Its origins can be traced to Ancient Greece. It is realized by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb.
It is identical to the Karana mudra of Eastern religions. While the "Hook 'em Horns" sign used by fans of University of Texas athletics is visually similar, it is used in different context.
The corna is not to be confused as the sign for "I love you" in American Sign Language, which is made by also extending the thumb, or the shaka sign used in Hawaii, which is made by extending just the thumb and little finger.
While some confuse the corna as a demonic sign relating to satanic music, it was actually first used by Ronnie James Dio, a heavy metal singer associated with such acts as Elf, Dio, and Black Sabbath and Rainbow. Dio picked it up from his devoutly Catholic grandmother, with whom he was very close. His grandmother said it was to grab the evil eye, and keep it at arm's length. One can see the gesture used many times by Dio, as well as in concerts. It lives on in the legacy of many bands, particularly thrash. Bands associated with the corna include Slayer, Metallica, Dio, Black Sabbath, In Flames, Nirvana, Blind Melon, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, The Beastie Boys, Avril Lavigne, Mudvayne, Tool, Buckcherry, Korn, Blue Man Group, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Hootie and the Blowfish, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Buckethead, Kylie Minogue, Prussian Blue, Danzig, Whitesnake, White Lion, Green Day, The Doors, Panic! At the Disco, Blink 182, and The Partridge Family.
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[edit] Terminology
The spelling "mano cornuto" is erroneous, the grammatical gender of the word mano (meaning "hand") is actually feminine (la mano), and the expression should therefore be "mano cornuta", to be pronounced /'mano kor'nuta/. However, the form "mano cornuto" is commonly found in English.
[edit] As a sign of infidelity
In contemporary Italy, the "horns" are placed behind someone's head, or explicitly pointed at a person (in Italian, fare le corna, to make the horns). The conveyed meaning is that this person, usually a man, is a cornuto, a cuckold, bearing the cuckold's horns. The gesture is used with the same meaning in many countries: in Spanish-speaking countries (known as los cuernos), Portugal and Brazil (cornos), Albania (briret), Slovakia and Czech Republic (known as paroháč), and Greece (κέρατα).
To place corna on someone's head when taking a picture is a common joke (similar to using the V sign as "bunny ears" among Americans), and young Italian tourists in foreign countries might be noticed looking nervously over their shoulders in group pictures. Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi was seen displaying the corna in some mundane happenings, the most famous being a meeting where he put them over the Spanish ex-foreign minister Piqué.[1]
The origin of this use of the idea of horns has been said to derive from the legend of the Minotaur, who was born from queen Pasiphaë's infidelity with a white bull, betraying her husband King Minos of Crete; the most prominent proof of the betrayal, the horned offspring, was taken as its symbol[citation needed].
[edit] Superstition
When confronted with unfortunate events, or just when these are mentioned or suggested, a person wanting to avoid that fate could resort to the corna to ward off bad luck. It is a more vulgar equivalent of knocking on wood. Interestingly, superstitious ones can alternatively "touch iron" (tocca ferro) or touch their noses, which are not considered as vulgar alternatives, or (for males) grab their testicles (the left one with the right hand in Argentina, a country very influenced by the Italian culture), which is considered very vulgar, but is perhaps the most commonplace of the three. All of these gestures are meant to somehow conjure some supernatural power to protect the performer of the gesture.
Such gestures are typically used when a black cat crosses one's path, when seeing a hearse (whether or not it is loaded), or when encountering any situation, object or person believed to bring about bad luck. It was once thought to prevent or distract the effects of the Evil Eye, that is of intentional or directed curses. Historically the gesture was pointed at people suspected of being witches.
President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone shocked the country when, visiting Naples during an outbreak of cholera, shook the hands of the patients with one hand, and with the other, behind the back, made the corna. This act was well documented, as all journalists and photographers were right behind him, a fact that had escaped President Leone's mind in that moment. The gesture was interpreted especially as offensive for the patients.
Pointing the index and little finger at someone is a common Italian curse as well as an accusation of cuckoldry.
[edit] European and North American popular culture
[edit] Literature
In Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, Jonathan Harker mentions the hand gesture in his journal (chapter 1):
| “ | 5 May. [...] When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me. With some difficulty I got a fellow-passenger to tell me what they meant; he would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye. | ” |
[edit] Satanism
Anton LaVey popularized it as a Satanic salute in the 1960s. His image was often in the press, and the sign appears on many of his photos, such as on the back of the Satanic Bible.
[edit] Rock and Heavy Metal
It also has a variety of meanings in U.S. heavy metal and rock music subcultures, where it is known by a variety of terms: devil sign, devil horns, goat horns, metal horns, metal sign, sticks up, throwing the goat, Sign of the goat, throwing the horns, evil fingers, the horns, forks, metal fist, rock fist, fist of rock, or the "Rock on!" sign.
Ronnie James Dio is known for popularizing the corna sign in heavy metal. His Italian grandmother used it to ward off the evil eye (malocchio or moloch as Dio calls it). Dio began using the sign soon after joining (1979) the metal band Black Sabbath. The previous singer in the band, Ozzy Osbourne, was rather well known at 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.
This account is predated by the Chicago-based psychedelic-pop band Coven, led by singer Jinx Dawson, whose 1969 album for "Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls" included a poster showing band members making the sign. Incidentally, the band also wrote a song called "Black Sabbath," and one of the band members was named Oz Osborne, not to be confused with Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath fame. The horns became famous in metal concerts very soon after Black Sabbath's first tour with Dio.
Flipping the horns is a serious gesture, and the more serious metal heads insist it may only be used in the appropriate situation, or for an appropriate band. Overall, many within the metal head community feel the gesture is being cheapened and commercialized. Also, many metal heads claim that since flipping the horns originated in heavy metal, using it for rock or any other genre of music is inappropriate.
On the cover of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine album (December 1968), John Lennon's right hand is making the sign above Paul McCartney's head. For many fans, this was one of the many "Paul is dead" clues.
Frank Zappa can be seen making the gesture in the 1977 film "Baby Snakes".
From an interview with Ronnie James Dio on Metal-Rules.com:
Metal-Rules.com – "I want to ask you about something people have asked you about before but will no doubt continue to talk about, and that is the sign created by raising your index and little finger. Some call it the "devils hand" or the "evil eye." I would like to know if you were the first one to introduce this to the metal world and what this symbol represents to you?"
R.J. Dio – "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 the Britney 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 symbol that I thought was reflective of what that band was supposed to be all about. It's NOT 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." [1]
Whatever its origin in the heavy metal scene, metal fans embraced the gesture as a vague symbol of mysticism, evil, or simply "metal-ness", and it soon became nearly as commonplace at concerts as headbanging. The gesture has since spread beyond metal to all forms of rock music and it is now nearly ubiquitous. In rock situations the gesture is interpreted as a benign gesture for "Rock on." It is also used simply to communicate to the on-stage band (mostly heavy metal bands) that you are enjoying the show and their music.
Rock fans often use the hand gesture in electronic conversations, for group identification. It's usual to express it with the letters "l", "m" and "l" put together (other variations include using "\", "m" and "/" to make \m/). The formed lml symbol supposedly reminds one of the arrangement of the fingers in the actual gesture. Many variants may be used, all of which represent the index finger and little finger with long vertical characters, with the middle finger and ring finger represented with smaller characters, and sometimes with the addition of a character representing the thumb or even a complete ASCII face.
[edit] Other uses
- The gesture is often used by supporters of sports teams, without evoking vulgar or Satanic associations. The University of Texas, is one such team, where it is known as Hook 'em Horns, an approximation of the shape of the horns of a Texas longhorn steer.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Longhorn opponents frequently make a similar hand gesture at sporting events with the "horns" pointing downward. Additionally, Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana (whose mascot is Vic the Demon), utilizes the Fork 'em Demons, as well as the University of South Florida (with the mascot being a bull) and the New Mexico Lobos.
- In baseball, the gesture, especially when the forearm is rotated, indicates "two outs." In the common signal for "two" (the index and middle finger raised), the fingers may be too close together for distant outfielders to distinguish the two fingers from one. Elston Howard is commonly credited with originating this use.[citation needed]
- In volleyball the sign can be used (the fingers often points downwards) by the setter to communicate with the attacker, frequently to signal a double quick-attack play with the middle and right-side attackers.
- This is also the primary sign for the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 street gang found throughout Central America and the U.S. Many of the first generation of MS-13 members had been heavy-metal enthusiasts and fans of Black Sabbath.[10]
- In 1996 WCW (World Championship Wrestling) begin using the symbol for their nWo heel stable with Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. However taken the middle and ring finger and connecting them to the thumb to give the symbol the look of a "wolf" for their nWo "Wolfpac" symbol.
- The Blue Man Group, in their Megastar 2.0 Tour performances, posit a comedic false origin of this gesture as a tribute to rock legend Flopsy the Banjo Clown, a character whose hair is arranged with two large vertical protuberances causing his head to resemble the gesture.
- This is also a part of an unofficial sign for bullshit in American Sign Language. See: Profanity in ASL
- In WWE, it is the signature taunt of Edge.
[edit] Use outside North America
- In Israel, (in addition to the usual metal usage) the gesture is known as "Shabi" for its similarity to a snail from a children's TV show, Parpar Nehmad.
- In Turkey the sign is popular as a nationalist symbol for the Turkish people. It signifies wolf's ears, because of many legends that state wolves were guardians of ancient Turkish tribes near Western China. The tips of the thumb and middle fingers are pressed together to symbolize the wolf's face.
- In Hinduism and Buddhism, this gesture is known as the Karana Mudra. Its use in dispelling evil or negative influences is a noticeable juxtaposition to the contemporary uses of this sign.
[edit] Variations
Existing most often within the metal subculture is a variation in which both hands are used. All digits, with the exception of the little fingers, are closed and the hands are then brought together; thumb on thumb. This form has been referred to as "too much metal for one hand" or "too much rock for one hand".[citation needed] This technique is often employed by Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Butch Walker and other musicians.
Another form used by the metal subculture (such as the Brazilian band Angra) is similar to the version depicted above, except that all digits except the index finger are closed and the hands are brought together with thumbs pointing in opposite directions. One form features the forearms crossed, the pinkies interlocked, and both thumbs and index fingers extended (sometimes referred to as the "Super Ozzy"). These forms require somewhat more coordinated arm placement and do not allow a free hand for a cold beverage, so most metal concert attendees usually select the more common single-handed incarnation of the horns.
There is a two-person gesture known as the "rock lock", where a second person makes a hand with the second and third finger extended (rather than the first and fourth), and grabs the first person's metal gesture from the front in an interlocking fashion. The meaning is essentially an affirmation or reply to the original gesture made by the first person, something like a heavy metal high five.
Comedian Dane Cook has formulated two variations, One, "Rock n' Roll quotes," involves forming the devil horns and moving the index and little fingers in the manner of air quotes. The other, the "superfinger," is inverted devil horns, with the thumb, middle finger, and ring finger extended and other fingers retracted, displayed with the back of the hand to the audience as if giving them the finger.
Guitarist Olliver Kirby is known to play with his strumming hand as a Corna, using his thumb to strum. Angus Young holds both his hands to the sides of his head with index fingers extended to create "Devil Horns". Aleister Crowley made the 'horns of Pan' sign by placing both hands on either side of his head, palms in, thumbs out.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Berlusconi making la corna gesture
- ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Funeral - The Eyes of Texas". Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
- ^ Proud Traditions: Hook 'em Horns Mack Brown-Texas Football.
- ^ Hook 'em Horns Texas Traditions.
- ^ Burka, Paul. Football Hand Signals. Texas Monthly. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
- ^ Clark, Noelene. 50 years of 'Hook 'em Horns' The Daily Texan. October 21, 2005.
- ^ "No. 1 - Hook 'em Horns!" (1973-09-10). Sports Illustrated.
- ^ What Starts Here Changes the World: TV Spots Inside UT.
- ^ The Definitive Book of Body Language, p. 123, Allan Pease, ISBN 0-7528-6118-2
- ^ "Salvadoran gang said to span the nation". Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
[edit] External links
- President George W. Bush gestures the 'Hook 'em, horns," the salute of the University of Texas Longhorns.(...)
- Ronnie James Dio Re-Claims the Devil Horns
- Rock and Roll Confidential on their logo
- Odyssey of the Devil Horns: Who is responsible for bringing metal’s famous hand signal to the tribe? Los Angeles CityBeat, Sept. 9, 2004
- "Metal Council Convenes To Discuss 'Metal Hand Sign' Abuse" (satire) from The Onion, 9 November 2005: "If your head is neither banging nor thrashing, you should not be throwing the sign."
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