Hearing the expression of the seven spans on the forehead, everyone knows that we are talking about a very intelligent person. And, of course, the question of what this axiom is based on, which claims that intelligence depends on the size of the upper part of the head, no longer occurs to anyone.
By the way, it’s high time to decide on this: seven spans in the forehead - is it a proverb, saying or phraseological phrase? But first you need to find out its origin and significance.
Phrenology or hyperbole?
Some linguistic scholars do not exclude the possibility that the stable phrase "seven spans in the forehead" originates from phrenology. This pseudoscience was created by the Austrian physician F. Halle; it is based on the connection of the mental characteristics of a person with the structure of the skull. In the early decades of the 19th century, phrenology was quite popular in Russia as well, so, according to other philologists, adherents of the Gall theory used their ready-made folk dictum, the origin of which goes back centuries, to confirm their views.
The most plausible will be such an understanding of the seven spans in the forehead, the meaning of which is considered as the most ordinary hyperbole (exaggeration). Of the three significant words of this expression, the second is incomprehensible. Meanwhile, this is exactly what one of the measures of length in Russia was called. There were two of them: a smaller and a larger span. One was determined by the distance between the extended thumb and forefinger, and the other between the thumb and middle. It turns out that the average length of this measure was approximately 18 centimeters, and a person with seven spans in his forehead should have an incredible head size (more than 1.2 meters in height).
The connection with oral folk art is undeniable
If we consider the expression "seven spans in the forehead" as the result of folk art (to which we include all Russian proverbs and sayings), based on a hyperbole, then it becomes completely clear why the numeral "seven" is used here. After all, it is in it that the generalized-symbolic meaning of the whole utterance is enclosed. It is worth recalling some primordially Russian phraseological units, for example, seven on benches, seven winds, seven deadly sins, the seventh heaven, seven seals and castles, leaps and bounds.
As you can see, in almost all of them, in addition to the same numerical designation, there is also an exaggeration technique. Agree: it is easier to imagine a forehead more than a meter high than a man’s step, equal to seven miles (more than 11 kilometers). By the way, the word "span" itself comes from the common Slavic verb, meaning "stretch." So, it is quite possible that a person has such an amount of mind that with physical materialization (stretching) will make his head huge, enormous.
Seven Spans in the Forehead: A Modern Reading
The constant change in the Russian language added value to this expression, that is, it appeared variations.
- The presence of a high forehead in an individual initially implies an outstanding intellect. In this case, the presence of a large brain is also assumed (as you know, memory, the scale of thought and genius depend on its volume and weight). The antonym (opposite) of such an understanding is an adjective with a negative rating - “narrow-minded”.
- This person lives exclusively with his mind, that is, always with a sober head.
- Each gyrus of the brain has at least seven revolutions.
- the expression "Seven spans in the forehead" has become close in semantics to the word "wise."
- A brave man, not afraid to try everything new, not yet verified.
- A sharp, extraordinary mind (the ability to think outside the box).
A hundred or two more years will pass, and this expression may have even more recent meanings, expanding the concept, filling it with various shades. But the first, the main one, born of folk instinct, will remain unchanged.
Proverb, proverb or phraseology - “seven spans in the forehead”?
Before deciding on the choice of a name for this turn of speech, it is worth considering each of the proposed ones. So the proverb. It is in this folk genre that the deep meaning that expresses wisdom and life experience is reflected. As a rule, every proverb has a generalizing instructive meaning, so it is almost impossible to interpret it differently - all conclusions have already been made by the popular mind.
The proverb only calls for a frequently occurring phenomenon, but there are no conclusions and moralizing. The main thing here is the form of expression, not the content. The proverb can be called the first half of the proverb, it does not directly indicate the phenomenon, but only hints, but very clearly and unequivocally.
Perhaps the expression “seven spans on the forehead” is most logical to attribute to this genre, since it determines only the size of the forehead and nothing more, but everyone knows that this is a positive characteristic: the presence of a great mind.
As for phraseological units, their boundaries are blurred between combinations, accretions, expressions and catch phrases. But they also have a common sign - indivisibility and a tendency to metaphorical, figurative. If we consider our expression from these positions, then it can quite be attributed to phraseological units.
The version is new, unusual: the spans on the forehead are written
Now there is an interesting private version about seven spans in the forehead. The value of phraseology becomes a direct indicator of human development. In this case, the span, although it remains a measure of length, does not indicate the height of the forehead, but the number of wrinkles on it. Here an analogy is drawn between the uniqueness of the lines on the hand and their same individuality on the head. So it turns out that the development of the mind and soul is already written on the forehead from birth: how smooth and long the strips are, the person is developed at this stage of time. In order to determine the momentary stage, you just need to go to the mirror and wrinkle your forehead.
These lines during life can change in the direction of increase, which undoubtedly indicates the spiritual development of the individual. So seven parallel spans on the forehead may well appear without any allegory and exaggeration.
Span as the pursuit of harmony
Despite the fact that the size of the span was individual (each person has a different distance between the fingers), for the sale of goods measured in this unit of length, there was a well-defined reference sample (0.177 meters).
Nevertheless, the span is more often considered to be proportionate rather than dimensional. And following this allowed the Slavs to create proportional structures. Imagine a hut built by the individual standards of a person: fathom, elbow, span, arshin, tops. Here it is - embodied harmony: the ideal dimensions of the home, proportionate only to the owner.