The ''Schwurhand'' (, " swear-hand"; ) is a heraldic charge depicting the hand gesture 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 Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and neighbouring 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 ...

in court, in office, or in swearing-in. The right hand is raised, with the index finger and middle finger extended upwards; the last two digits are curled downwards against the palm. The

thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

is shown slightly curled or raised.

Traditional use

The use of the gesture dates back many centuries. Recruits of the Pontifical Swiss Guard 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 Sack of Rome, then part of the Papal States, followed the capture of the city on 6 May 1527 by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor during the War of the League of Cognac. Despite not being ordered to storm the city, wit ...

. The use of the three digits is said to symbolise the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

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 The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (German language, Modern German: ; historically , after the Swiss Reformation, Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ...

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 The Federal Assembly (german: Bundesversammlung, french: Assemblée fédérale, it, Assemblea federale, rm, Assamblea federala), also known as the Swiss parliament (''Parlament'', ''Parlement'', ''Parlamento''), is Switzerland's federal leg ...

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 governme ...

traditionally use the ''Schwurhand'' for their

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

(and say 'I swear').

Heraldic use

Gommiswald-blazono.png,

Gommiswald Gommiswald is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Rieden and Ernetschwil merged into the municipality of Gommiswald.

, Switzerland (until 2012) 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, Finland Grästorp vapen.svg, Grästorp, Sweden Wappen Hommertshausen (Dautphetal).svg, Hommertshausen, Germany Oberammergau-coat-of-arms.svg, Oberammergau, Germany Coat of Arms of Heiligenkreuz Abbey.svg,

Heiligenkreuz Abbey Heiligenkreuz Abbey (german: Stift Heiligenkreuz; en, Abbey of the Holy Cross) is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria. It is the olde ...

, Austria

Military use

Suomalainen sotilasvala.jpg, Finnish conscripts and women serving voluntary military service swearing the

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 military recruits being 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 reshaped ...

'' soldiers swearing the Hitler oath in 1934

References

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

Traditional use

In Switzerland

Heraldic use

Military use

See also

References