Ever since rock music entered our lives, there is one sign that has made a spectacular entrance into our planet’s culture: the famous “Sign of the Devil”. You know, clenched fist, index finger and pinky raised. Add to that an angry and menacing face and you’ve got the absolute “heavy metal attitude”. But this sign… where exactly does it come from?
Quite simply, most fans will say: singer Ronnie James Dio invented it. It was he who replaced the famous Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer of the group Black Sabbath in 1980. While he was the one who popularized it, in his own words it was a sign that his first mother.
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If we go back a little bit, we can see it on the cover of the Beatles’ album Yellow Submarine in January 1969. It’s John Lennon holding his hand high above Paul McCartney’s head. Also in 1969, the American music group Coven released an album dedicated to the occult and Satan. On the cover, two members make it very clear.
In 1977, Kiss’ bassist points his finger to hell on the cover of the Love Gun album. In addition, Gene Simmons will attempt to acquire the intellectual property of the sacred symbol, which is disputed by the coven members.
A distant origin
The horned sign dates back to ancient Greece and the story is quite surprising. It all begins when King Minos makes a pact with Poseidon. The god lifts a large white bull out of the water to sacrifice it. But Minos finds the animal so extraordinary that he decides to spare it, which angers the sea god. When Poseidon sees that Minos’ consort, Pasiphaé, was angered by her husband’s infidelity, he resolves to gain an unconditional love for the animal in revenge.
It is Dédale, an architect and artist, who designs a wooden cow that he covers with an animal skin. There is enough space for Pasiphaé to slip inside. The bull sees nothing but fire… in short… you see the rest. From this unlikely marriage is born Asterion, also known as the Minotaur. Daedalus will then build the famous labyrinth to hide the illegitimate child.
People find it very amusing that their king was deceived by a horned beast. To mock his Minos, the crowd begins to raise their index and pinky fingers to remind him of this disgrace. In fact, the index finger and pinky are the horns of the bull!
The gesture then made its way into popular culture, particularly in Mediterranean countries. For some, it’s still an insult. For others it is a sign meant to ward off misfortune. A bit like knocking on wood.
So from now on, whenever you go to a show and give your favorite band the famous devil sign, tell yourself deep down that you are yelling at them that their partner is cheating. .