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Line 1: {{trope}} [[File:Ranma warding gestures.jpg\|frame\|link=Ranma ½]] The automatic display of arcane (and presumably protective) finger and hand positions in the wake of a surprising, stunning or physically traumatic experience. Most often this is the ''mano cornuta'' ~~gesture -- index~~gesture—index finger and pinky raised, middle two fingers bent down to meet the thumb. While this gesture has roots in ancient Greece and is used in many societies worldwide, Americans may best know it as "throwing the horns", from its common use at heavy metal concerts (having been popularized in that context by [[Ronnie James Dio]]) or as the "hook 'em horns" from University of Texas, with the thumb and pinkie finger extended, to look like longhorns. Not common, but it ''is'' found here and there spread across a few cultural media. {{examples}} == Anime and Manga == * Many of the characters in ''[[Ranma ½]]'' by [[Rumiko Takahashi]] display [[Warding Gestures]] after being hit with a large blunt object, or after suffering a [[Face Fault]].▼ ▲* Many of the characters in ''[[Ranma ½]]'' by [[Rumiko Takahashi]] display [[Warding Gestures]] after being hit with a large blunt object, or after suffering a [[Face Fault]]. * Another work by Rumiko Takahashi, titular character ''[[Inuyasha]]'' does this when Kagome says "Osuwari" (or "SIT, BOY!" in the dub), which sends him face-first into the ground. * Yet another work by Rumiko Takahashi, ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]'', makes use of this on occasion. Though, since ''Maison Ikkoku'' places far less emphasis on slapstick comedy than Takahashi's other work, this trope is invoked far less often by comparison. * Several characters do this in ''[[Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl]]'', in similar circumstances. * In ''[[Rune Soldier Louie]]'', the priestess Melissa occasionally makes [[Warding Gestures]] in response to shock or surprise. * Foxy from ''[[One Piece]]'' does this to shoot his Moron Moro-I mean, Noro Noro Beam. * Slight variant: Yuuta in ''[[Zombie Loan]]'' does this with his hands fairly often... and has them talk to each other, but then again, [[Cloudcuckoolander\|Yuuta's a bit nuts]]. Line 26: * [[Vorkosigan Saga\|Miles Vorkosigan]] has put up with people making hand gestures at him "to ward off mutation" for his entire life. * Many of the peasants that Jonathan Harker, and later Mina and Van Helsing, encounter in ''[[Dracula (novel)\|Dracula]]'' do this using the typical "throwing the horns" gesture. * This is used by worshippers of Ulric in the [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] world as the sign of the wolf. At least in the [[Gotrek and Felix]] novels. * In ''[[Tortall]]'', people who fear mages often do the 'sign against evil' when they see magic being done, or hear it mentioned. It's stated [[All There in the Manual\|in the back of one book]] that it's a five pointed star, and the books specify it's made with one's hand. Luckily for them, [[Bullying a Dragon\|no mages seem to take offense to this.]] * In [[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]], their Ancient Greek warding-off-evil gesture is a three-fingered claw over the heart, then pushing the hand outward. Line 38: == Music == * Used ''universally'' in the heavy metal subculture, and increasingly in other rock & roll settings, as a general sign of appreciation. The original reasoning for Dio's usage of the gesture is that when he joined [[Black Sabbath]], he wanted to use a hand sign on stage as Ozzy was known for using the peace sign, but he didn't want to use the same symbol as Ozzy, so he opted for the symbol that his Italian grandmother had used to ward off the Evil Eye. It also spawned the smiley "\m/" before there was "🤘". ** Given the tradition of [[Heavy Meta]], it should not be surprising that there's at least one song dedicated to this gesture. "Sea Of Horns" by Absolute Power (and then they [https://www.facebook.com/AbsolutePowerUK/photos/a.10150767480491692/10150958778956692/ posted a photo of the fans doing just this], and got a giant hand in this gesture raising from the sea on their cover, and in [[The Merch]], [https://www.facebook.com/AbsolutePowerUK/photos/a.10150308832366692/10151871339926692/ too]). {{quote\|''Raise your hands…'' ''Salute…''}} == Tabletop Games == * The "Aquila" hand gesture in ''[[Warhammer ~~40000~~40,000]]'', in this case performed by linking your thumbs together fingers straight, across your chest palms towards your chest. It's that butterfly people make with their hands when playing with shadows (and looks like the iconic double-headed eagle of the franchise). == Theatre == * Serafina makes the ''mano cornuta'' gesture for warding purposes several times in [[Tennessee Williams]]' play ''[[The Rose Tattoo]]''. She also talks about horns as a symbol of cuckoldry; just to overdo the symbolism, there is also a goat in the cast. == Video Games == * Faust in the ''[[Guilty Gear]]'' series makes [[Warding Gestures]] after getting hit particularly hard. * The Undead building construction icon in ''[[Warcraft]] III'' shows a skeleton hand throwing the horns. Line 56 ⟶ 58: [[Category:Body Language]] [[Category:Hand Tropes]] [[Category:~~Warding Gestures~~{{PAGENAME}}]]