The Myth of the Marriage Lines

By Nita Jatar Kulkarn

There is a belief that hand reading can unravel the mystery behind relationships and marriage. To do this, traditional palmists relied upon the so-called “marriage lines” on the edge of the palm, underneath the Mercury (Little) Finger.

The onus placed on these “magical” lines is that:

• Each line represents an actual relationship
• The strongest line denotes marriage
• The higher up the “marriage line" is (towards the base of the little finger) the later the marriage or relationship. In other words, the age of the marriage is seen on these lines.
• Absence of “marriage lines” means that the person will never get married or lacks libido
• The “marriage line" turning upwards at its end indicates that the person will never get married
• Faint or weak lines indicate weak relationships
• Small vertical lines rising up from the “marriage lines” indicate children
• Divorce is always marked on these lines either by large forks or the line plunging downwards.
• Signs like a trident and triple or multiple forks on the marriage lines have some dire meaning 

My research after seeing hundreds of hands (some of these over many decades) tells me that none of the above is true. I know several people with two equally strong marriage lines who have never had more than one partner. I also know several people with the so-called children lines who have only one child. I also know someone with a long “marriage” line that turns upwards who is happily married. I also know people with weak “marriage” lines who are happily married. And I know people with normal “marriage” lines who have never married! And some with these normal lines are divorced!


The picture on the right shows the hand of a man who married early, had an unhappy marriage for several years and is now divorced, all before the age of 28. The "marriage line" is clear, well-etched and shows no sign of divorce.

The palm below belongs to a woman in her thirties who married when she was 20 years old and is happily married. Note that she has no "marriage" line near the heartline. Instead, she has one nearer the little (Mercury) finger which would ostensibly indicate a late marriage. The fork would indicate disturbance in that marriage. There is no evidence of this in the woman's life. 

That said, if a marriage line under the Mercury finger plunges downwards and cuts the heartline it can indicate heartbreak, but age is difficult to be read from this. It need not be heartbreak from a romantic relationship. It can mean difficulties with family, for example. From my experience, 90% of divorcees do not have this sign. A gentle downward curve does not indicate divorce or even separation.

Even if one believes in these marriage lines, the "marriage line" splitting into a well-marked fork or a trident does not indicate divorce. Maybe it can indicate differences, but it's best not to read these lines at all. And when it comes to differences, best to be cautious. Many marriages have issues that are resolved amicably as explained in this post: Couple Compatibility in Hand Reading. Widely different temperaments can result in a fairly happy married life. Different or opposing temperaments do not mean unhappiness in marriage. In fact, opposites can match or the differing traits can be complementary to one another. It depends on the attitude of the couple. Besides, I know a couple in a very unhappy marriage and neither partner has the slightest fork on the "marriage line". Both have strong and clear marriage lines! 

The best thing to do is to ignore any "signs" on the marriage lines because if these lines themselves are unreliable, why believe any so-called signs on them? (If you want to know more about the signs and symbols on your palm then check out this post: Signs, Crosses, Symbols and Superstition in hand reading.

So, if these lines are not infallible indications of marriage or relationships, where is this aspect of oneself marked?

They could be marked by lines joining the fateline from the Moon mount of Moon. This can indicate a strong influence, but they can also be an influence of a significant event. It is often believed that if such a line joins the fateline it can indicate a union. I have seen this confirmed on just one hand where an ordinary middle-class girl married a leading industrialist and it changed her life. So more than the union, it indicated an event that altered her life. In another case, where this lines was seen well marked, it was a life-changing job offer. 

The influence line going past the fateline and cutting it, can indicate a disappointment either in love or career-related, a significant one. Disappointment in love is not usually seen in this manner, however. Age is difficult to pinpoint on the influence line. 

However, these lines are not usually present. Their absence has no bearing on marriage or relationships. As mentioned, the influence can indicate the influence of an event, not a person. Therefore, these lines are not reliable. The absence of these lines does not imply that the person will not have life changing events...

The influence lines on the Mount of Venus, which run parallel to the lifeline, on the inside of it, are influences of people, and these are the most reliable. These influence lines for example, show the influences in our life and they can be any influences, from that of parents to siblings to close friends, mentors, gurus and of course spouses and partners. There are no different lines for the different relationships! It is the impact on the mind which is reflected on the hand.

This is where you could possibly find a line representing your partner, but only if there is a close and intimate relationship over several years and the partner exerts a significant influence on the life. At times it is found on one partner, and not on the other. And at times neither partner has it, though they have a reasonably happy married life. This is because happiness means different things to different people. Many couples are not emotionally dependent on each other and at times can lead fairly autonomous lives. This does not indicate unhappiness. 

Finally, it depends on the temperament of the person on whose hand these lines are found. Strong, autonomous people have few or no influence lines. They influence others, rather than get influenced themselves. This does not mean they lack close relationships.

Divorce or serious break-ups can be found marked in some hands, on the main lines, not the influence lines as such. For example, if the impact of the divorce is financial then the financial trouble will be marked, not the divorce. The cause of financial issues may not be easy to decipher. The emotional impact of the separation/divorce can be marked on the head and heart lines too but again the cause of the emotional upset is not seen. Defects in the main lines indicate emotional disturbances, stress, and tension but it is not always possible to relate the breaks/dots/islands/bars/crosses on the main lines specifically to marital troubles.

Our relationships, even if they are one-sided, can show on the hand, and in such cases, it will be marked, but there may be no two-sided relationship in actual life.

Related Reading: This post on Love and Marriage is about what the hand actually reveals about the subject. Then there's this post about Death and Hand Reading - busting another myth about hand reading. 

Or instead, check out this collection of posts on the unreliability of predictive palmistry.

You might also like to have Palmistry Explained or read Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Hand Reading (PALMISTRY FAQS) or just FAQS.

Or you might want to know about celebrity couples and their Relationships or read about Gay Celebrity Hands.

Know more about How to Read Hands - the methodology behind it, and remember that your hand reflects your own opinion of yourself. If you want your hands read, then check out What to expect from a private hand reading or check out the Testimonials page, starting with the first Testimonial page.