Our old buddies from Judgehype are reporting a subtle change introduced in patch 3.2 to the loading screen.  The one that shows Arthas on his throne with both hands together, except the old version of this loading screen shows two fingers flexed forward.  In the French version, these two fingers have been removed and now both hands are completely together.

This initially didn’t make sense to the guys at Judgehype, but later a fan told them a reference of what the two-fingers mean.  I shared this with Maticus, and she caught it right away describing an old feud between the English Longbowmen and the French.  In short, the V-sign with these two fingers mimics when the English longbowmen prepared to shoot their bows.  But there is some more behind this.

I did some quick look up on the net, and found the tale behind this offensive two-finger sign, which in the present has evolved to be an equivalent of “The Finger”. Thus a provocation gesture or insult.

We can see how the gesture has evolved throughout the centuries, with Winston Churchill using the V-sign with both fingers as an insult during the World War II meaning victory over their enemies.

All I can say is … you motherless Arthas the Lich King … we are gonna get ya in patch 3.3!!!

An early recorded use of the ‘two-fingered salute’ is in the Macclesfield Psalter of c.1330 (in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), being made by a glove in the psalter