The Lines of the Palm

The major and minor lines of the palm (the heart line, head line, life line, fate line and their subsidiaries), are the features read in chiromancy, or palmistry. Each line is read for the sphere it governs: the heart line for the emotions and relationships, the head line for the intellect, the life line for vitality and the course of life, the fate line for career and destiny.

Palm reading is attested independently in several traditions, including the Indian samudrika shastra and the Greek and Roman world, and it became a popular divinatory art in Europe, systematised by writers who codified the meanings of the lines and their marks.