Hands in Myths and Life: The Silent Storytellers.
Hands in Myths and Life: The Silent Storytellers.
The Dual Nature of Human Touch.
Hello there,<3
In this new section, I write in my own storytelling style, hoping for a spontaneous and relaxed tone. You gave me a lot of positive feedback on writing more about archetypes (recurring symbols that travel through time) and myths that live forever, so I took the time to pen this very first short post about our Hands—our wonderful, beautiful hands.
Finding our myths: re-membering ourselves.
I hope you feel warmth while reading this and enjoy a cozy night in the arms of your loved ones
Cats are always included.
Holding the essence of who we are, our Hands are silent witnesses to our journey, connecting the past and the present.
“Often the hands can solve a riddle with which the intellect has struggled in vain.” — C.G.Jung
Our hands, no matter how old or young, tell the stories of our lives. It is enough to know that my hands keep me going and connected to everything and everyone I have ever loved or lost, as they do for plenty of us.
I look at my hands and see the hands of a 13-year-old girl; it's not a mystery I need to solve. They haven't changed since my mother died; it's as if they never wanted to grow up. My partner always laughs when I wave my petite hands, and he is amazed at how strong they are despite their fragile appearance.
Every touch and movement expresses the strength and tenderness that we all have within us.
Hands have provided comfort, healed wounds, painted, cooked meals, and written words of love; they have built the world one small act at a time.
The word “manifest” is derived from the Latin word “manus,” which means “hand.”
Hands are more than just tools; they connect our creative minds and shape the future. I think of my mother a lot, especially when I look at my hands, the hands that once guided me, built life, and anchored past worlds into mine.
They have memories of their own, as well as my hands and your hands. They’ve learned to wipe away tears of loss that are too heavy to be carried, they've learned to hide our faces when we smile and blush.
The oldest stories in humankind were created by hands, similar to the hands that are writing this down.
Hands are an active element of our thoughts; they are a symbol and archetype that travels across time and can be found in legends, myths, symbolism, stories like the touch of Midas, Asclepius, Indra, and Idunn deepens our way of looking at hands.
King Midas wandered the earth with his hands as a constant reminder of his greed. A dream that quickly turned into a nightmare; everything he touched changed into gold. His powerful but cursed hands taught him that true wealth is found in our connections with others rather than our possessions. He couldn’t touch his loved ones without hurting them.
In medieval Europe, a legend highlighted the duality of power in our hands, echoing the complexities of our desires and fears. There were whispers of the Hand of Glory, a hand that had been cut off that could immobilize people and open doors. A chilling reminder of how hands can control and instill fear.
The Hindu god Indra held the Vajra in his hands. A weapon used to destroy ignorance and bring enlightenment; hands that show how power, when used wisely, can illuminate rather than obliterate.
Sarah’s character in the film “Labyrinth” encountered the Helping Hands, a metaphor for the choices we make and the paths we take, embodying the subconscious and acting out our deepest fears or desires, influencing our journey.
The Norse goddess Idunn held the apples of eternal youth in her hands, representing renewal and rejuvenation for gods, a feminine symbol for hands that nurture life and vitality.
In these myths, hands are portrayed as symbols of primordial duality, capable of healing or harming, protecting or controlling, creating or destroying.
Diving deeper into our subconscious, we discover that hands represent our ability to act and influence the world.
Carl Jung viewed hands as symbols of the transformation of raw material into something new, representing the continuous process of personal evolution.
They are aspects of the self, our data collector, our interpreter of the interactions with the world, and our door through which we engage both the inner and outer worlds.
Through our hands we carry with us the legacy of our ancestors as well as the potential of our future. They serve as a constant reminder that our actions, no matter how small, have an impact on the world around us.
Hands.
From cosmic down, they sculpt bright stars.
Tales of strength and sorrow, by hands begun
Crafting life from earth and clay,
In ancient rites wrote their magic that is now ours
Yet in their grasp, destruction can arise,
Hands that control, that harm and criticize.
In their hold, the power to both build and break,
Wielding force with every choice we make.
As fiery dances in the dark, wild,
pure, feminine hold nurturing breasts to ensure
feeding hearts and souls, leaving none behind.
Masculine strong arms guard
Shield protection in the night
Crafting connections with every touch unique.
From primal roots to nowembracing
Hands tell the story of our human race.
©katerinanedelcu
Resources:
Frank R. Wilson- The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture
Until next time! <3. If you enjoyed this post, please let me know, as all artists want to know that their work is being heard, seen, and read.
As an instrumentalist, my greatest fear-and one I choose to not dwell on-is the loss of my hands. With that would go my career. But I never really thought how hands have structured society, not only by crafting and creating but connecting individuals. And how important touch is to babies. Thanks for sharing, your way of writing is just stunning.
What a beautiful way of describing the importance of our hands. Our mum's hands cooking, crocheting and gently touching our forehead before going to sleep are masssive imprinted in my found memories. Great article 👏 ❤️