The ''Schwurhand'' (, " swear-hand"; ) is a heraldic

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

depicting the

hand gesture A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...

that is used in Germanic

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and neighboring countries, when swearing an

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...

in court, in office or in swearing-in. The right hand is raised, with the

index finger The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, digitus II, and many other terms) is the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the thumb and the mid ...

and

middle finger The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is also calle ...

extended upwards; the last two digits are curled downwards against the palm. The thumb is shown slightly curled or raised.

Traditional use

The use of the gesture dates back many centuries. Recruits of the

Pontifical Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

at the

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

use the sign when swearing their oath of allegiance to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, in a ceremony performed on 6 May every year since the Sack of Rome in 1527. The use of the three digits is said to symbolise the Holy Trinity.

In Switzerland

Depictions of the

Rütli Oath The Rütli Oath (German: ''Rütlischwur'', ) is the legendary oath taken at the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy (traditionally dated to 1307) by the representatives of the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, It is nam ...

or ''Rütlischwur'', the legendary founding oath of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the 13th century, show the participants using this gesture.Swiss Club of Victoria - The Rütli Oath
/ref> The people elected at the Swiss Federal Assembly and at the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...

traditionally use the ''Schwurhand'' for their oath of office (and say 'I swear').

Heraldic use

Gommiswald-blazono.png, Gommiswald, Switzerland Gempen-blason.png,

Gempen Gempen (Swiss German: ''Gämpe'') is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. History Gempen is first mentioned in 1277 as ''Gempenon''. Geography Gempen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 52.3% ...

, Switzerland Anjala.vaakuna.svg,

Anjala Anjala was a town in Southern Finland, which merged in 1975 with Sippola to form Anjalankoski, later further merged into Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region ...

, Finland Grästorp vapen.svg,

Grästorp Grästorp is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Grästorp Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 2,969 inhabitants in 2010. It is the only locality in Grästorp Municipality. Sports The following sports clubs are l ...

, Sweden Wappen Hommertshausen (Dautphetal).svg, Hommertshausen, Germany Oberammergau-coat-of-arms.svg,

Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...

, Germany Coat of Arms of Heiligenkreuz Abbey.svg, Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Austria

Military use

Suomalaisia naissotilaita vannomassa sotilasvalaa.jpg, Finnish conscripts and women serving voluntary military service swearing their

military oath Military oath, also known as the oath of enlistment or swearing-in is an oath delivered by a conscript upon the enlistment into the military service of the state military. Various states has different phrasing of the oath, with the common compon ...

in 2005 Rekruci-przysiega.jpg, Polish recruits are sworn in Vereidigung2008.jpg, A

Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

recruit being sworn in Bundesarchiv Bild 102-16108, Vereidigung von Reichswehr-Soldaten auf Hitler.jpg, German

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

soldiers swear the

Hitler oath The Hitler Oath (German: or Führer Oath)—also referred in English as the Soldier's Oath—refers to the oaths of allegiance sworn by the officers and soldiers of the German Armed Forces and civil servants of Nazi Germany between the years 193 ...

in 1934

References

{{Portal bar, Europe, Society Hand gestures Swiss culture Oaths of allegiance Heraldic charges Salutes Gestures of respect

Traditional use

In Switzerland

Heraldic use

Military use

See also

References