Palm reading
Palm reading or chiromancy is when a fortune teller tells you your future by looking at lines on your palm. Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, hand readers.[1]
History
Ancient Origins: Likely originated in ancient India (part of the broader tradition of Samudrika Shastra), palmistry later spread through Persia, China, Tibet, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece, where figures like Aristotle referenced it[2]
Jewish and Arabic Traditions: Medieval Merkabah mystics and medieval Arabic‑Jewish scholars linked chiromancy to astrology and mystical tradition, often using scriptural interpretations to legitimize its practice.[3]
Renaissance and Modern Revival: Palmistry flourished in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Printed manuals and diagrams from the 1500s standardized its practice. In the 19th‑early 20th centuries, figures like Cheiro (William John Warner) and Adolphe Desbarrolles formalized chiromancy into a more public, “systematic” art[4]
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Palm Reading Media
A fortune-teller conducting a palm reading, with lines and mounts marked out on the person's left palm
Gold stamped front cover of The Psychonomy of the Hand
The Fortune Teller, by Caravaggio (1594–95; canvas; Louvre), depicting a palm reading
The Fortune Teller, by Enrique Simonet (1899; canvas; Museo de Málaga), depicting a palm reading
The infant Jesus having his fortune told whilst sitting on the lap of the Madonna by Josefa de Óbidos (1667)
Some of the lines of the hand in palmistry:- Life line
- Head line
- Heart line
- Girdle of Venus
- Sun line
- Mercury line
- Fate line
The mounts in palmistry: Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo, Mercury, Mars positive, Mars negative, plain of Mars, Luna mount, Neptune mount, Venus mount
A Japanese palm-reader waits along the street for a customer, 2015
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References
- ↑ "Palm Reading Guide | Learn How to Read Palm Lines with Pictures". 2025-07-27. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ "Palmistry | Hand Lines, Fate Lines & Chiromancy | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ "Chiromancy (Palmistry)". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ Now, Circulating (2016-10-31). "Palmistry: The Future in the Palm of Your Hand". Circulating Now from the NLM Historical Collections. Retrieved 2025-07-28.