Figa Protective Symbol Carved Cow Bone Pendant

$ 22.00

  • Figa Protective Symbol Carved Cow Bone Pendant
  • Size Approx. 1 5/8" x 5/8"
  • The most commonly recognized current use of the Figa Symbol is as a protective gesture against the Evil Eye. Popular Folklore tells that the gesture is thought through the representation of sexual union to deflect the Evil Eye. Demons and Wicked Forces are repelled by the notion of sex for Procreation and Reproduction, and flee from the sign. The name is derived from the Italian word for the female Vulva, Fica, meaning fig; which also used as English slang for the female sex organ.
  • A regionally popular talisman, it is primarily found in Italy and Greece, and in America among descendents of European immigrants. Older "Mano Fico" amulets were carved of Mediterranean Red Coral with Silver fittings, both believed to be highly protective materials related to Goddesses of Earth, Sea and Sky. The Evil Eye is believed to harm the Life Force and Creative Energies of unsuspecting, often innocent individuals. Especially believed at risk are nursing mothers and their babies, fruit bearing trees, animals that produce life sustaining milk, and the male reproductive fluid sperm; the forces of Procreation and Generation. The Figa when seen as a Symbol of the Vulva might trace back to Ancient Goddess Worship, and was believed to offer Magical Protection from the Goddess to insure safety and protection of the Generative Properties of Life, especially for women.
  • In ancient Rome, the fig sign, or mano fico, was made by the Pater Familias to ward off the evil spirits of the dead as a part of the Lemuria Ritual. The Ritual was used to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. In this respect, the Figa resembles other hand gestures and hand images that ward off Evil, including the Hamsa Hand of Fatima, the Eye-in-Hand, and the Mano Cornuta (horned hand).
  • The hand gesture may have had roots in ancient Hindu Culture also, as a depiction of the Sacred Lingam and Yoni.
  • Note from Brian: Several years ago, I had seen the Figa Symbol in Nepal, most likely via Classic Hindu Iconography. Our Figa shown in our listing here is hand carved by an Artisan Workshop in Nepal for Beads of Paradise NYC.