Seeing the Obscene
The Protective Power of Display in the Fig-Hand Amulet
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8933922 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leticia Cortina Aracil (0000-0002-4999-5972, Twitter (United States), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 135 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 20-47 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Folklore (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0015-587X • E-ISSN: 1469-8315 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0015587x.2023.2279362 |
| OpenAlex | W4392809171 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
The amulet known as higa, which reproduces a hand gesture known by the same name, belongs to an ancient family of Mediterranean amulets intended to prevent or counteract the evil eye through an obscene display. From the Renaissance to almost the present day, its use in the Iberian Peninsula became remarkable both as an amulet and as a piece of jewellery. It is argued in this article that this appears to be a consequence of how there was a progressive resignification of the protective obscenity of the amulet since the Middle Ages, which led to its association with the sphere of Marian devotion. This research analyses the history of the higa amulet, the nature of its protective function, and the peculiarities of its use in the Iberian area, and shows the coherence of its use with the Catholic worldview in the periods of its greatest popularity
Art · Physics · Power (physics · Categorization, perception, and language · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Historical and Literary Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |