Hamsa

This article is about the amulet. For the Arabic letter, see Hamza. For other uses, see Hamsa (disambiguation) and Khamsa (disambiguation). "Eye of Fatima" and "Hand of Fatima" redirect here. For the Camper Van Beethoven songs, see Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. For the rock formation, see Hand of Fatima (rock formation).

The hamsa (Hebrew: חַמְסָה ḥamsā, also Arabic خمسة ḵamsa, lit. 'five', referring to images of 'the five fingers of the hand'),[1][2][3] also known as the hand of Fatima,[4] is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout North Africa and in the Middle East and commonly used in jewellery and wall hangings.[5][6] Depicting the open hand, an image recognized and used as a sign of protection in many times throughout history, the hamsa is believed to provide defense against the evil eye.

  1. ^ Zenner, 1988, p. 284.
  2. ^ World Institute for Advanced Phenomenological Research and Learning (Belmont, Estados Unidos), 1991, p. 219.
  3. ^ Drazin, 2009, p. 268.
  4. ^ González-Wippler, Migene (1991). The Complete Book of Amulets & Talismans. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-87542-287-9.
  5. ^ Bernasek et al., 2008, p. 12.
  6. ^ Sonbol, 2005, pp. 355–359.
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