Mano
Cornuto Symbolism The Mano Cornuto (horned hand) is an Italian
amulet of ancient origin. Whether made as a gesture or worn as an amulet,
the mano cornuto is used for magical protection against the evil eye. The
evil eye is believed to harm nursing mothers and their babies, bearing fruit
trees, milking animals, and the sperm of men -- the forces of generation.
The Neapolitan custom of making mano cornuto charms from silver (formerly
sacred to the moon goddess Luna) and blood coral (formerly sacred to the
sea goddess Venus) hints at the cultural survival of a link between the
horned animal head gesture and ancient worship of a neolithic-era mother-
or fertility-goddess whose consort was a male deity sometimes called the
Horned God. Some archaeologists have theorized that the ancient belief in
the sacredness of the horned animal head -- specifially the bull's head
or bucranium -- derives from its coincidental resemblance to the female
human genitals, consisting of a vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
Whether or not this is the case, the mano cornuto is still a popular gesture
made by Italian men to protect their genitalia from the evil eye.
