LL-L: "Folklore" LOWLANDS-L, 11.OCT.2000 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 11.OCT.2000 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Folklore

According to "Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" "The old names for
the fingers are:
'Towcher' (ME, the finger that touches), foreman or pointer. Called the
scite-finger (shooting finger) by the Anglo-Saxons ...
'Long man' or 'long finger'
'Lech-man' or 'ring finger'. The former means the 'medical finger' and the
latter is Roman 'digitus annularis', called by the Anglo-Saxons the
'gold-finger' ... used as the ring finger (also 'annular finger') in the
belief that a nerve ran through it to the heart. Hence Greeks and Romans
called it the 'medical finger' and used it for stirring mixtures under the
notion that it would give instant warning to the heart if in contact with
anything noxious. It is still a popular superstition that it is bad to rub
salve or scratch the skin with any other finger.
'Little man' or 'little finger', called by the Anglo-Saxons the 'ear-finger'
[because useful for dealing with a ticklish ear]. Also 'auricular finger'."

John Feather

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Folklore

John,

Thanks for the information above.

You wrote:

> 'Long man' or 'long finger'
> 'Lech-man' or 'ring finger'. The former means the 'medical finger' and > the
> latter is Roman 'digitus annularis', called by the Anglo-Saxons the
> 'gold-finger' ... used as the ring finger (also 'annular finger') in the
> belief that a nerve ran through it to the heart.

I'm not sure I'm following this correctly.  Now, which one means "medical
finger"?  _Lech-man_.  Right?  So _lech_ refers to medicine then?  And the
ring finger was considered the "medical finger" if I understand correctly. I
wonder why.  Any idea?  Was it because of that nerve that supposedly runs
through the heart?  Of course, nowadays the "medical finger" tends to be the
index finger, to which some of us can attest -- but I'll spare you the
details.  ;)

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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