Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards (Messages from the Dead Book 1) by Tui Snider

Author:Tui Snider [Snider, Tui]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Castle Azle Press
Published: 2017-08-19T00:00:00+00:00

HANDS

HANDS, IN GENERAL: Just as we make gestures when we speak to emphasize a point or clarify emotions, when hands are shown in cemetery art, they often have a message to convey. Here are some possibilities to consider when decoding the symbology of hands in historic graveyards:

HAND OF GOD: When you see a hand reaching out of the clouds, you are looking at the hand of God, reaching down from Heaven.

HANDS BLESSING: A hand held upright with the first two fingers together, and the other two held down by the thumb, is the Manus Dei, Latin for “hand of God.”

The Manus Dei is often used in a cemetery to mark the grave of a member of the clergy.

Depending on the deceased’s religion, you may also see a Greek form of the Manus Dei, in which the first two fingers, along with the pinky, are held up while the ring finger is held down by the thumb. In this case, the three upright fingers stand for the Holy Trinity.

When the deceased is not a member of the church, the Manus Dei is simply a way to bestow a blessing upon the living relatives who remain on earth.

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