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On the eve of World War II, a palm reader shared his insights into Hitler's behavior and future

Amanda Macias   

On the eve of World War II, a palm reader shared his insights into Hitler's behavior and future
Defense3 min read

In order to gain insight into the behavior and personality of one of history's most brutal tyrants, palmist Josef Ranald analyzed Hitler's handprint prior to World War II.

In 1938, Ranald published his findings in his book, "How to Know People By Their Hands," even though he was concerned about giving too detailed a description of Hitler's palm.

Ranald feared that "others, finding signs similar to one or two of Hitler's in their own hands may assign to themselves the qualities which make Hitler what he is," he writes.

"For this reason, I wish again to emphasize that no single sign or set of signs can be read apart from the indications of the hand as a whole. It is only from the study of the totality of a hand that an accurate analysis can be made."

Ranald also studied the palms of Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Walt Disney.

Life Line

Hitler's line of life, which arches around his thumb, ends in a cross near the base of his hand. The cross signals a "violent end" to his life, according to Ranald.

life line hitler

Josef Ranald/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

Destiny Line

"This line marks the destiny of a man whose fate is out of his control," Ranald writes. Hitler's destiny line on his palm shows that he will serve "an awful, tragic role" in life.

"The destiny line, you will note, stretches unbroken and bare from its tragic beginning to its violent end," Ranald writes.

hitler palm skitch

Josef Ranald/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

Underneath the Jupiter and Saturn fingers

The base of the Jupiter finger first shows that Hitler is a bully with "boundless ambition" that demands "blind submission from everyone," according to Ranald.

The base of the Saturn finger indicates "moodiness, wide swings from one emotional extreme to another [and] suicidal morbidity at one moment..." His fingers also show that he is delusional and obsessed with power.

hitler handz

Josef Ranald/Amanda Macias/Business Insider


Line of head

Hitler's line of head ends in the middle of his palm which indicates "some kind of weakness - functional or organic - of the brain," Ranald writes.

hitler head line

Josef Ranald/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

Heart line

Hitler's short and broken heart line shows that he is frustrated, bitter, and cruel. "The broken, distorted girdle of Venus above the line of heart accentuates the destructiveness and unnaturalness of this hand," Ranald writes.

hiterl venus

Josef Ranald/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

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