The Gobbo: A Lucky “Hunchback”

First thing’s first. Referring to a person as a “hunchback” is not polite. The medical term for this condition is kyphosis. The House of Good Fortune is merely describing a cultural practice, not advocating for it.

The phenomenon we will explore is part of a broader historical belief that those with certain physical deformities (e.g. dwarfism, kyphosis, spinal curvature or crossed eyes) either had supernatural powers or could bring good luck/repel bad luck. This belief was actually quite widespread among ancient cultures and persisted until the modern era.

In Mesoamerica, for example, people with hunched backs had special roles in the Aztec royal court and are frequently depicted in Olmec art.

In Yoruba culture, hunchbacks, dwarfs and albinos are considered servants of the god Obatala. The idea is that those with physical deformities are touched by Obatala, who shapes the human form in the womb. Hunchbacks were thought to be able to be able to bestow money and good fortune on those with whom they come in contact.

According to one Yoruba myth, Obatala used his powers to command the hunchback’s back to open and poured all sorts of precious things into it and closed it back up. A deserving man was then told to rub the hunchback’s hump and all of the treasures would be his.

The word for “hunchback” in Italian is “gobbo” and the Italian gobbo is usually depicted as a well-dressed man in a coat and top-hat, both of which are adorned with lucky amulets. Also known as O’Scartellato, he typically holds a horseshoe and makes the sign of the cornuto with his other hand. He also tends to be festooned with bulbs of garlic and other good luck charms (portafortuna). Sometimes the gobbo is depicted as half-man/half horn (corno gobbo).

Charms and amulets depicting gobbi were carved from coral and mother of pearl or made of silver and worn on bracelets, necklaces and watch chains. Today, they are mostly made of plastic (like everything else) and it’s common to see this charm at Italian-American festivals like the Feast of San Gennaro in New York City. One can even buy a corno gobbo t-shirt on Amazon.

The belief that hunchbacks are “lucky” is by no means limited to the distant past. A casino in Monte Carlo employed a “hunchbacked” man because of the belief that having a “hunchback” cross your path was a lucky omen. Whenever a successful gambler was about the leave the table, the management would queue “Mr. Hunchback” to walk past the table in the hope of enticing the gambler to stay and press his luck (See Superstition and Folklore by Michael Williams). And in early 20th century America, sports teams employed “hunchbacks” (and dwarves) as lucky mascots. In Philadelphia, for example, both the Phillies and Athletics employed hunchbacked youngsters as batboy mascots.

And of course, there is perhaps the most famous hunchback of all time, Quasimodo, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame, whose life was, tragically, devoid of good fortune.

Further Reading: A digression into the “other” meaning of Cornuto: Il Magnifico Cornuto