Blue Hamsa for good luck

Blue Hamsa on canvas. The Hamsa is a hand shaped good luck charm used for protection throughout the Middle East and Africa. The name comes from a Semitic root and literally means «five» in Arabic. The Hamsa is also known as ‘the hand of Fatima’ or ‘the hand of Miriam’. The Hamsa is usually shaped in the form of a symmetrical hand, with thumbs on both sides, and at times will have an eye shape on the palm, for protection against ‘the evil eye’. Though it is widely used by both Jewish and Muslim people, archeological findings pre-date both religions and attribute the hand symbol to a Phoenician lunar goddess.