…does not mean it is not true!
In Brian‘s earlier article about why railways are the width they are, there has been much commenting about the veracity of the theory that it can be traced back to Imperial Roman times. But in those comment, it was claimed the English V-sign is also of largely mythical origin. I disagree.
The meaning of the V-sign is quite well known and I have not seen any better explanations.
The US gesture of extending the middle finger is clearly just a phallic reference (i.e. “f**k you”), but the English V-sign, which has some similar connotations (i.e. it is not a sign of endearment), has historical roots dating back to the 1400’s. If the middle finger is a gesture of anger, the V-sign is a gesture of defiance and above all, a threat. “It is with these two fingers that I use my longbow!”… Up yours, with an arrow!
Of course as with anything of this nature, it is more or less a matter of folk lore yet I have not seen any evidence to contradict the contention that the V-sign was indeed a gesture of defiance by common English soldiers towards the French, though my understanding is that it was not just associated with the Battle of Agincourt but was in general use during the Hundred Years War.
Both versions of the gesture made perfect semiotic sense and
were calculated to resonate with the ‘common man’ circa 1940
Since World War Two the V-sign, knuckles inwards, has come to mean V-for-Victory far beyond the shores of Britain. Knuckles outwards, it retains its more ‘earthy’ meaning. Yet Churchill would have been well aware of both the gesture’s significance and history. He intended to coopt both to use against Nazi Germany: Defiance and, to put it bluntly, Up yours.
The V-sign considerably pre-dates the European Union…
but do not think it is can only be aimed at foreign enemies
Perry, looking admirably Churchillian with the John Bull-style shirt on! Take that, Chris Petain!
…and since the original V-sign was given to French soldiers by English longbowmen, both to taunt them and show they still had their draw fingers (the Frogs used to chop them off if they captured any English bowmen), the V-sign is especially wonderful when shown to a Frenchman…
Yet they used to chop off the two MIDDLE fingers, I seem to be missing something here. (brain cells perhaps 😉
Paul
It makes perfect sense to chop off the two middle fingers, if you have any two adjacent fingers, you can draw a bow.
This is a great story, and has the ring of truth about it.
What would clinch it for me would be some linguistic evidence that Englishmen around 1400 were not using the word ‘victory’ [sounds quite a Latinate word to me] or not spelling it with a ‘V’.
Anyone know that one either way?