From Head to Toe

The body is a temple. We’ve all heard the expression. And everybody knows a temple is place for worship, a place to access the Divine. Even Apostle Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

It should come as no surprise that our body parts hold ancient symbolic meanings. So before fixating on a character’s body part you might want to explore the symbolism associated with it— in case you want to give your story some symbolic ZING!

Heads up! It’s time for blog-quick look at body symbolism.

Head

most important part because reason, wisdom, intellect, and spirituality reside within
equated with authority and power ( heads of state, heads of corporations)
bowed is a sign of respect
tilts, nods, or shakes are powerful communicators
many-headed gods depicted different aspects or personalities —Shiva, Hecate, Brahma, and Janus have multiple heads

Hair

divine power and virility
inner and physical toughness—when Delilah snipped Samson’s tresses she reduced his physical strength
cutting the hair was a sign of sacrifice or surrender. In modern times—if done by women–the act symbolizes rebellion or liberation from feminine gender roles/expectations
Mary Magdalene’s long flowing hair was a sign of immoral sexual behavior

Ears

equated with a seashell or a spiral
associated with birth—Karma was born from his mother’s ear.
long ears are linked to wisdom in Buddhism
the Satyr’s large pointed ears reflect his sexual and sensual nature

Eyes

all seeing. Eye of Providence. Right Eye of Horus. Left of Eye of Horus
perception and spiritual enlightenment
giving someone the Evil Eye brings misfortune to the recipient
windows to the soul
for an entire blog on eyes click here

Nose

knowing
intrusiveness or meddlesome behavior/personality
valued by early man as a way of finding food
a phallic symbol
a nose that grows in length indicate lies—courtesy of Pinocchio
a turned up nose displays contempt

Mouth

deemed the creative force, but it’s our mouths which can get us in trouble
the Mouth of Hell devours the wicked
articulates our heart’s desires
just slap a big X-rated sign on the lips

Tongue

symbolic of speech
visible manifestation of the spoken word
teeth are symbolic of animistic strength and aggression
long teeth are a sign of ambition
Agrippina, Nero’s ambitious mother, had double canines
the tongue is either a destroyer or a creator
sticking one’s tongue out harkens back to times when that gesture warded off evil spirits

Shoulders

strength— think Atlas holding up the world
power
carrying responsibilities

Skeleton

harbinger of death
Bones symbolize strength, stability, determination
Chakras, the body’s energy forces, are aligned with the spine

Organs

intestines are symbolic of long life and eternity
intestines were used for divination in early times
the spleen is where melancholy and laughter come from ( part of the ol’ 4 Humors of the Body theory)
the liver symbolized passion during ancient Rome times

Limbs

balance and movement
good luck
arms are symbolic of strength, power, protection, and justice

Hands

command
protect
bless/bestow
pledge
symbolize power and strength
teach
heal
there’s the omnipotent Hand of God
Hamsa hand is a protective talisman used by Muslims and Jews to protect against the Evil Eye
As expressive communicators, we are familiar with the meanings of: palms out, finger pointing to heaven, handshakes, hand wringing, and hand washing (Pontius Pilate and Lady Macbeth)
hidden hands denote respect in Asian cultures, but mistrust in western

Gender-specific body parts ( this is a PG-rated blog ). Early man was obsessed with those particular parts—wait, we still are!

male: strength, power, and virility
female: regeneration, fertility, procreation, and the miracle of birth

Feet

mobility
rooted or in touch with self and nature
bare feet touching the ground is man’s link to the Divine Earth
the monk’s bare feet signify their vow of poverty
in Asian cultures, feet are considered unclean so its wrong to display soles to another
solid foundation
washing another’s feet is a symbol of hospitality and humility
the Buddha’s footprint found at Buddhist temples indicates the Buddha’s presence

As you can see, lots of body parts were left out! This is just the tip of the Body Iceberg! A quick Google search will reveal many more symbolic aspects.

Note: I teach literary analysis and remind my students to look closely at the symbolism in a novel. Why did the author include that fruit? Or name the character Neil? Why is the protagonist sitting under a pear tree? Why is her dress blue? Why did the character lose a limb? Before jumping to any symbolic conclusions however, we look at the symbol in context of setting, history, and culture.

Head

most important part because reason, wisdom, intellect, and spirituality reside within

equated with authority and power ( heads of state, heads of corporations)

bowed is a sign of respect

tilts, nods, or shakes are powerful communicators

many-headed gods depicted different aspects or personalities —Shiva, Hecate, Brahma, and Janus have multiple heads

Hair

divine power and virility

inner and physical toughness—when Delilah snipped Samson’s tresses she reduced his physical strength

cutting the hair was a sign of sacrifice or surrender. In modern times—if done by women–the act symbolizes rebellion or liberation from feminine gender roles/expectations

Mary Magdalene’s long flowing hair was a sign of immoral sexual behavior

Ears

equated with a seashell or a spiral

associated with birth—Karma was born from his mother’s ear.

long ears are linked to wisdom in Buddhism

the Satyr’s large pointed ears reflect his sexual and sensual nature

Eyes

all seeing. Eye of Providence. Right Eye of Horus. Left of Eye of Horus

perception and spiritual enlightenment

giving someone the Evil Eye brings misfortune to the recipient

windows to the soul

for an entire blog on eyes click here

Nose

knowing

intrusiveness or meddlesome behavior/personality

valued by early man as a way of finding food

a phallic symbol

a nose that grows in length indicate lies—courtesy of Pinocchio

a turned up nose displays contempt

Mouth

deemed the creative force, but it’s our mouths which can get us in trouble

the Mouth of Hell devours the wicked

articulates our heart’s desires

just slap a big X-rated sign on the lips

Tongue

symbolic of speech

visible manifestation of the spoken word

teeth are symbolic of animistic strength and aggression

long teeth are a sign of ambition

Agrippina, Nero’s ambitious mother, had double canines

the tongue is either a destroyer or a creator

sticking one’s tongue out harkens back to times when that gesture warded off evil spirits

Shoulders

strength— think Atlas holding up the world

power

carrying responsibilities

Skeleton

harbinger of death

Bones symbolize strength, stability, determination

Chakras, the body’s energy forces, are aligned with the spine

Organs

intestines are symbolic of long life and eternity

intestines were used for divination in early times

the spleen is where melancholy and laughter come from ( part of the ol’ 4 Humors of the Body theory)

the liver symbolized passion during ancient Rome times

Limbs

balance and movement

good luck

arms are symbolic of strength, power, protection, and justice

Hands

command

protect

bless/bestow

pledge

symbolize power and strength

teach

there’s the omnipotent Hand of God

Hamsa hand is a protective talisman used by Muslims and Jews to protect against the Evil Eye

As expressive communicators, we are familiar with the meanings of: palms out, finger pointing to heaven, handshakes, hand wringing, and hand washing (Pontius Pilate and Lady Macbeth)

hidden hands denote respect in Asian cultures, but mistrust in western

Gender-specific body parts ( this is a PG-rated blog ). Early man was obsessed with those particular parts—wait, we still are!

male: strength, power, and virility

female: regeneration, fertility, procreation, and the miracle of birth

Feet

mobility

rooted or in touch with self and nature

bare feet touching the ground is man’s link to the Divine Earth

the monk’s bare feet signify their vow of poverty

in Asian cultures, feet are considered unclean so its wrong to display soles to another