Continued from Hand Symbolism Part 1
Hebrew – bestowal of a blessing, consecration to office, or divine gifts; "the hands of the high-priest [are] laid upon the scapegoat, as if transferring the guilt of the people to the animal" (Jobes, pg. 717); symbol of obedience, submission to God; right hand out-stretched symbolizes assistance; placed on left shoulder denotes anxiety, hope, martyrdom, sacrifice; charm against ill luck and the source of the superstition of throwing a pinch of salt over the left shoulder; when three fingers are extended, symbol of the three hypostases, the three-fold benediction
Heraldry – symbol of the pledge of faith; equated with hind of dawn and hound of heaven
Hindu – both Hindus and Buddhists use a system of hand gestures, called mudras, comprised of more than 500 gestures used in dance and rituals; the mudras are the manual expression of divine power; the hands of Siva are the uplifted hand meaning peace and protection, the lowered hand depicts deliverance, the hand beating the drum is the creative act, the hand with the flame symbolizes the destruction of the world by fire
Islamic – Use as an amulet; "according to Berber thought, the hand signifies protection, authority, power, and strength" (Cirlot); the hand is depicted with the star, the dove, a bird, the fan, the zigzag, and the circle; the open hand represents benediction, adoration, hospitality; the hand of providence and generosity; as the Hand of Fatima "the thumb is the Prophet and the fingers are his four companions, the first the lady Fatima, second Ali her husband, third and fourth Hasan and Hussein, their sons. The fourth finger is also spiritual and moral excellencies and the five together are the five fundamental dogmas and the five pillars of religion" (Cooper, pg. 79)
Mandaen – the gnostic religious group, which originated in Jordan, believe they descended from John the Baptist; they join hands in ceremonies to symbolize truth and faithfulness
Manichean – a religious group, whose doctrine is based on the separation of matter and spirit and of good and evil; originating in 3rd century Persia, they combine elements of Zroastrinism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Gnosticism; shaking the right hand denotes the saving power of the deity
Native American – "In Yupik Eskimo stories and masks, the thumbless hand with holes in the palms is a motif representing impaired grasp. On masks it also represents the spirits (tunghak) willingness to release an abundance of animals for hunting. Hands are responsible for connecting the human world and the world the inuas of the animals dwell" (Gill & Sullivan, pg. 116) no quotes. Inuas: Eskimo; an independent human like entity, sometimes described as a spirit, which is possessed by all living things–not only plants and animals, but also mountains, bodies of water, and air
Roman – Mano Pantea, the Hand of the All–Goddess; carved examples depict the hand with thumb and the first two fingers raised in a blessing gesture; often engraved or encrusted with magical symbols and signs of the zodiac; the raised fingers stood for the Goddess and God respectfully; "The magic mother finger–which points, and cast spells–and the phallic father finger were also part of the Egyptian Amulet of the Two Fingers, which invoked the protection of parental spirits; the thumb stood for the child (Horus); Moslems adopted the Mano Pantea as "Hand of Fatima" (Walker, pg. 315); The manus symbolized the authority of the pater familias and of the Emperor
Sumero-Semitic – the hand is an attribute of the Great Mother as a bounteous giver and protector
Toltec – the long hand of Huemac represents the rays of the sun
See Biblioraphy for references