"Sign of the horns", "Devil's Horns", "Horned Hand" and many others. All those terms to define a simple hand gesture, now so popular in world, especially with those who listen to Metal music. Said to be used the first time by Ronnie James Dio, the metal legend, who has learned it from his grandmother, the sign has spread to become a gesture of a brotherhood, as it was said in "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey".
But how did a simple hand gesture became to exist with this much power in a world where voice communication is dominant? We must journey to the origins of the gesture, where and how it was created. A superstitious pagan sign, said to prevent the "evil eye", like all other pagan symbols and elements, was carried into Christianity. Raised by a Catholic family, Dio has seen its usage probably a lot before changing the concept of the sign. He said he learned it from his grandmother, and that he did not invent anything, instead, he gave the sign a new meaning, a meaning that is known worldwide today, hence one of the reasons why Dio is considered the "voice of metal".
As the first post indicates, this blog is all about metal music, and maybe I'll throw some exceptions that are still linked with the genre.
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