An Introduction to Palmisrty: Home Page

Palmistry or Chiromancy (from Greek ‘cheir’ (χειρ), meaning “hand” and ‘manteia’ (μαντεία), meaning “divination”); is the practice of evaluating a person's character or future life by "reading" the palm of that person's hand. The physical features of the hand, such as the lines (natural crease in the skin), mounts (areas of thick or thin flesh), the fingers, fingernails, skin texture and color, shape of the palm, and flexibility of the hand are all taken into consideration. Some palm readers also examine characteristics of fingerprints and palmar skin patterns (dermatoglyphics). Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, hand analysts, or chirologists.

Palmistry has been practice throughout history. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. major ‘schools’ include Chinese palmistry, Indian (Vedic) palmistry (known in Sanskrit as Jyotish), the traditions of the Roma (gypsy) and European ‘classical’ palmistry which traces its roots to ancients Greece. The details of palmistry can vary between various traditions and interpretations of some lines and palmar features are still being debated. The information given on this website is based on modern ‘Classical’ palmistry.

Classical European Palmistry dates back to ancient Greece and uses Greek mythology as a framework. Each area of the hand is associated with a god or goddess. The traditional characteristics associated with each deity, also correspond to the area of life ruled by the feature of the hand. For example, the ring finger is associated with the Greek god Apollo. Apollo was the beautiful god of the sun. He ruled over the areas of truth and prophecy; medicine and healing; music, poetry and the arts. So the characteristics of the Apollo finger relate to the subject's relationship with art, music, aesthetics, health and honesty.

The following chart gives an overview of the Greek gods used in palmistry and the areas of life and human personality they oversee.

Greek/ Roman Name Area of Rule	Image
Apollo (Apollo) Apollo was the beautiful god of the sun. He ruled over light, truth and prophecy, medicine, music and the arts.
Jupiter (Zeus) Jupiter was the king of the Gods. He ruled over gods and men, the heavens and sky. He controlled the weather and his weapon was the thunderbolt.
Mars (Ares) Mars was the dark god of war. He ruled over warfare, aggression and competition.
Mercury (Hermes) Mercury was the messenger of the gods. He ruled over communication, trade and commerce, thieves, travelers and cross roads.
Saturn (Kronos) Saturn was the Titan father of the gods. He ruled over agriculture, time, justice and laws.
Venus (Aphrodite) Venus was the goddess of love, beauty and sexuality.

Next lesson: A Brief History of Palmistry

An Introduction to Palmistry