Hearing the expression about seven spans in the forehead, everyone knows that we are talking about a very smart person. And, of course, the question of what this axiom is based on, which states that intelligence depends on the size of the top of the head, no longer occurs to anyone.
By the way, it is high time to decide on this: seven spans in the forehead is a proverb, saying or phraseological phrase? But first you need to find out its origin and meaning.
Phrenology or hyperbole?
Some linguists do not exclude the possibility that the stable phrase "seven spans in the forehead" originates from phrenology. This pseudoscience was created by the Austrian doctor F. Hall, it is based on the connection between the mental characteristics of a person and the structure of the skull. In the first decades of the 19th century, phrenology was quite popular in Russia, so, according to other philologists, adherents of Gall's theory, in support of their views, used a ready-made folk saying, the origin of which goes back centuries.
The most plausible would be such an understanding of the seven spans in the forehead, the meaning of which is considered as the most common hyperbole (exaggeration). Of the three significant words in this expression, the second is incomprehensible. Meanwhile, this was the name of one of the measures of length in Russia. There were two of them: a smaller and a larger span. One was determined by the distance between the stretched 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 must have had 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 a result of folk art (to which we refer all Russian proverbs and sayings), based on 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 entire statement is contained. It is worth recalling some original Russian phraseological units, for example, about seven shops, seven winds, seven deadly sins, seventh heaven, seven seals and locks, leaps and bounds.
As you can see, in almost every 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 human step equal to seven miles (more than 11 kilometers). By the way, the word "span" itself comes from the common Slavic verb denoting"stretch". So, it is quite possible that a person has such an amount of mind that, when physically materialized (stretched), will make his head huge, enormous.
"Seven spans in the forehead": a modern reading
The constant change in the Russian language has added meaning to this expression, that is, it has variations.
– Having a high forehead in an individual initially implies outstanding intelligence. In this case, the presence of a large brain is also assumed (as is known, 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 assessment - “narrow-minded”.
– This person lives exclusively by reason, that is, always with a sober head.
– Each convolution of the brain has at least seven turns.
– the expression "Seven spans in the forehead" became close in semantics to the word "wise".
– A brave person who is not afraid to try everything new, not yet tested.
– Sharp, extraordinary mind (ability to think outside the box).
It will take another hundred or two years, and this expression may have even more recent meanings, expanding the concept, filling it with various shades. But the first, basic, born of the people's instinct, will remain unchanged.
Proverb, saying or phraseological unit - "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 proverb. It is in this folk genre that a deep meaning is reflected, expressing wisdom and life experience. As a rule, any proverb has a generalizing instructive meaning, so it is almost impossible to interpret it differently - all conclusions have already been made by the people's mind.
In the proverb, it is only called, some frequently occurring phenomenon is defined, but there are no conclusions and moralizing. Here the main thing is the form of the statement, not the content. The saying can be called the first half of the proverb, it does not directly indicate the phenomenon, but only hints, but very clearly and unambiguously.
Perhaps the expression "seven spans in the forehead" is most logically attributed to this genre, since it only defines the size of the forehead and nothing more, but everyone knows that this is a positive characteristic: having a great mind.
As for phraseological units, their boundaries are blurred between combinations, fusions, expressions and catchphrases. But they also have a common feature - indivisibility and gravitation towards metaphor, figurativeness. If we consider our expression from these positions, then it can be quite attributed to phraseological units.
The version is new, unusual: spans on the forehead are written
Now there is an interesting private version about seven spans in the forehead. The meaning of a phraseological unit 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 onhead. So it turns out that the development of the mind and soul is already written on the forehead from birth: how even and long the stripes are, how developed a person is 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 upwards, which undoubtedly means the spiritual development of the individual. So seven parallel spans on the forehead may well appear without any allegory and exaggeration.
Span as a striving for 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 by this particular unit of length, there was a very specific reference sample (0.177 meters).
And yet, a span is more often considered to be not a measured value, but a proportionate one. And following this allowed the Slavs to create proportional structures. Imagine a hut built according to the individual measurements of a person: fathom, elbow, span, arshin, vershok. Here it is - the embodiment of harmony: the ideal dimensions of the home, commensurate only with the owner.
