Cemetery Headstone Symbols: Finger Pointing Up
generally found in older cemeteries. Photo © Chris Raymond
While visiting a cemetery, you might have wondered about a design you saw carved on an old tombstone and what it means. This article explains what a finger pointing up to the sky represents, a headstone symbol commonly found in older cemeteries, church graveyards and memorial parks.
Symbol: A Finger Pointing Up to the Sky
Countless tombstones and gravemarkers found in cemeteries feature carvings of the human hand, but this particular symbol shows a hand with its index finger pointed up or skyward, whether shown from the front (the palm side, as seen in the photo above) or from the back of the hand.
Keep in mind that the human hand is a common headstone symbol, so do not confuse this symbol with a hand “coming down,” as if descending from the sky, or one hand shaking another hand.
Meaning: A Finger Pointing Up to the Sky
Historically, the human hand ranks with the eyes/face as one of the most important and expressive elements of the human form. Generally, hands and/or fingers are associated with creativity, power, war, etc., and many death-related superstitions naturally involve the hand(s).
When seen on a cemetery headstone or gravemarker, a hand with the index finger pointed up or skyward typically represents either the hand of God or a human hand, either of which might indicate:
• The path followed by the deceased after his or her death, i.e., up to heaven
• A “judgment” that the individual earned life everlasting during his or her lifetime
• A sign indicating that he or she no longer dwells among the living but has risen to heaven or now resides somewhere else
• Confirmation of life after death, i.e., the deceased’s mortal remains rest below but his or her soul is now elsewhere
As with anything artistic, it is important to remember that the meaning of most tombstone symbols rests in the eye of the beholder. Thus, the meaning or interpretation of this particular cemetery symbol, or why it appears upon a particular gravemarker, might prove difficult to determine.
