hand of awe

linocut.
8x10.
available for purchase here.

Here I wanted to create my own version of the very popular hamsa image that is common to some Muslim and Hebrew cultures. However, I definitely wanted to incorporate another symbol in my library of visual interests. Coming from the center eye, eight staves radiate, working to create a symbol very similar to Ægishjálmur, an Icelandic stave that means the "helm of awe or terror." I certainly didn't want the fingers to feel left out, so I used a design that would include representations of the lunar and growth cycles.

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