EVIL EYE

Evil Eye

Evil Eye : The causing of illness, misfortune, calamity and death by the looks of strangers and by envious looks, amulets and incantations (see charms) ward the danger off.

The Evil Eye exists around the world, dating to ancient times. The oldest recorded references to it appear in the cuneiform texts of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians, about 3000 b.C.e. The ancient Egyptians believed in the Evil Eye and used eye shadow and lipstick to prevent it from entering their eyes or mouths. The Bible makes references to it in both the Old and New Testaments. It is among ancient Hindu folk beliefs. Evil-eye superstitions have remained strong into modern times, especially in Mediterranean countries such as Italy and in Mexico and Central America.

There are two kinds of Evil Eye: deliberate and involuntary. Most cases of Evil Eye are believed to occur involuntarily; the person casting it does not mean to do it and probably isn’t even aware of it. No revenge is sought for this hazard.

Malevolent, deliberate Evil Eye is called “overlooking” and is a form of witchcraft that can bring about misfortune or catastrophe: illness, poverty, injury, loss of love, even death. Witches were said to give anyone who crossed them the Evil Eye and to use it to bewitch judges from convicting them.

The involuntary Evil Eye typically occurs when someone, especially a stranger, admires one’s children, livestock or possessions, or casts a lingering look on anyone. Unless immediate precautions are taken, the children get sick, the animals die, the possessions are stolen or good fortune in business turns sour. If the Evil Eye cannot be warded off, the victim must turn to an initiate — usually an older woman in the family — who knows a secret cure.

Besides envious glances, the Evil Eye comes from strangers in town, or anyone who has unusual or different-colored eyes — a blue-eyed stranger in a land of brown-eyed people, for example. Some unfortunate souls are said to be born with permanent Evil Eye, laying waste to everything they see. High-ranking people such as noblemen or clergy sometimes are believed to be afflicted like this. Pope Pius IX (1846-78) was branded as having the Evil Eye shortly after his investiture as Pope in 1869. Driving through Rome in an open car, he glanced at a nurse holding a child in an open window. Minutes later, the child fell to its death, and from then on, it seemed that everything the Pope blessed resulted in disaster. Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) was also said to possess the mal occhio, as the Evil Eye is known in Italy.

The Evil Eye is most likely to strike when one is happiest; good fortune, it seems, invites bad fortune. Small children and animals are especially vulnerable. In many villages, it is considered unwise to show children too much in public or to call attention to their beauty. Likewise, it is not advisable to display possessions or brag about successes.

In 19th-century Ireland, animals who were under the influence of the Evil Eye were said to have been “blinked.” In order to save such animals, local wise women were sought for ritual cures.

The primary defense against the Evil Eye is an amulet, which may be fashioned from almost any kind of material. Common shapes are frogs and horns, the latter of which suggests both the powerful Mother Goddess (a bull is her consort) and the phallus. Another popular amulet is the “fig,” a clenched fist with thumb thrust between the index and middle fingers, which also suggests a phallus.

The roots of the phallus amulet go back to the ancient Romans and their phallic god, Priapus. Another name for him was Fascinus, from fascinum, which means “witchcraft”; the Evil Eye is sometimes called “fascination.” Romans employed phallic symbols as their protection against the Evil Eye. In Italy, it is still common for men to grab their genitals as a defense against the Evil Eye or anything unlucky.

The ancient Egyptians used an eye to fight an eye. The udjat eye, also called the Eye of God and Eye of Horus, appears on amulets, pottery and in art, warding off the forces of darkness. Other defenses include bells and red ribbons tied to livestock, horse harnesses and the underwear of children, which divert the attention of the Evil Eye. Gardens are surrounded by protective jack beans. Other plants act as amulets — the shamrock in Ireland and garlic in Greece. In Hindu lore, barley, a universal remedy supplied by the gods and the symbol of the thunderbolt of Indra, god of war, thunder and storms, will avert the Evil Eye.

Without an amulet, quick action is important when the Evil Eye strikes. One should make gestures such as the “fig” or “horns” (holding up the index and little finger). Spitting is a powerful remedy, a hold-over from the ancient Romans and Greeks.

Cures for the Evil Eye usually involve reciting secret incantations, which typically are passed on from mother to daughter within a family. In Italy, an initiate diagnoses the Evil Eye and performs the cure with a bowl of water, olive oil and, occasionally, salt. A few drops of oil are dropped into the water (sometimes salted). The oil may scatter, form blobs or sink to the bottom. These formations are interpreted to determine the source of the attack. The initiate drops more oil into the water while reciting incantations and making the sign of the cross on the forehead of the victim. If that fails, the victim is sent to a sorceress for further treatment.

A Demonic power of causing illness, misfortune, calamity, and death through the eyes. Evil eye beliefs are universal and date to ancient times. The oldest recorded reference to the Evil Eye appears in the cuneiform texts of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, about 3000 B.C.E. The ancient Egyptians believed in it and used eye shadow and lipstick to prevent the Evil Eye from entering their eyes or mouths. The Bible makes references to it in both the Old and New Testaments. It is among ancient Hindu folk beliefs. Evil eye superstitions remained strong into modern times, especially in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, and in Mexico and Central America.
There are two kinds of Evil Eye, involuntary and deliberate. Most cases of Evil Eye are believed to occur involuntarily; the person casting it does not mean to do it and probably is not even aware of it. No revenge is sought for this hazard.

A deliberate, malevolent Evil Eye is called “overlooking” and is a form of witchcraft that can bring about misfortune or catastrophe: illness, poverty, injury, loss of love, even death. In the Middle Ages, witches, who were in league with the Devil, were said to give anyone who crossed them the Evil Eye and to use it to bewitch judges from convicting them.

The Evil Eye also occurs when someone, especially a stranger, admires another’s children, livestock, or possessions or casts anyone a lingering look. Unless immediate precautions are taken, the children become sick, the animals die, the possessions are stolen, or good fortune in business turns sour. If the Evil Eye cannot be warded off, the victim must turn to an initiate—usually an older woman in the family—who knows a secret cure. Besides envious glances, the Evil Eye results from strangers in town or anyone who has unusual or different colored eyes, for example, a blue-eyed stranger in a land of brown-eyed people. Some unfortunate souls are born with a permanent Evil Eye, laying waste to everything they see.

The primary defense against Evil Eye is an AMULET. Most common are frogs, horns, and the “fig,” a clenched fist with thumb thrust between the index and middle fingers. Horns and the fig represent a phallus and are associated with the Roman phallic god Fascinus (Priapus). His name is derived from the word fascinum, which means “witchcraft.” The Evil Eye is sometimes called fascination. Other amulets include various herbs and stones, red ribbons, and spitting.

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Evil Eye The supernatural or magical power to cause disaster, calamity, illness, and even death with a glance or lingering look. The Evil Eye is also called FASCINATION, overlooking, mal occhio, and jettatura. Amulets are worn to ward it off; Rituals such as spitting (see SPITTLE) can nullify it.

The Evil Eye is one of the most feared supernatural powers. In earlier times it was believed that the eye emitted powerful beams of energy that could be used by malevolent people to cause harm. Records of the Evil Eye date back to 3000 b.c.e. in the cuneiform texts of the Sumerians and Assyrians. The Babylonians believed in it, as did the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The Romans were afraid of it. It is even mentioned in the Bible.

The Evil Eye is an inherent power possessed by certain people. For example, a person may be cursed with Evil Eye from birth and not know it. Their envious or admiring glances are harmful to others. Consequently, individuals must be on constant guard against the inadvertent malevolent glance. The Evil Eye is most likely to strike when one is at the peak of prosperity and happiness. Women, children, and animals are particularly vulnerable.

Deliberate Evil Eye is cast by a person who possesses magical powers, such as a witch or a sorcerer, and is used to wreak magical harm. The death-dealing Evil Eye appears frequently in Native American folklore. The fatal look may be used in conjunction with the pointing of the shaman’s finger, stick, or wand, which sends negative energy streaming toward the victim.

Amulets and gestures are the primary defenses against the Evil Eye. The ancient Egyptians protected their possessions, dwellings, and tombs against the Evil Eye with an amulet called the udjatti, also called the Two Eyes or the Eye of the Sun and the Eye of the Moon. The udjatti were worn and were also painted on objects, coffins, and structures. Sometimes a single udjat was used, but the amulet was most powerful if both eyes reflected the baleful glance of evildoers. Grotesque heads of Demons or monsters, such as Medusa, also repel the Evil Eye.

The most common amulets are two phallic symbols: the corno, a curved horn, and the “fig,” a clenched hand with thumb stuck through middle and fourth fingers. The ancient Romans used phallic amulets after their phallic god, Priapus, also called Fascinus, from which comes “fascination” or bewitchment . Other amulets include eyes, bells, brass, red ribbons, garlic, iron, horseshoes, objects made of rowan or juniper, and shamrocks.

If an unprotected person is hit with the Evil Eye, immediate action must be taken to avoid disaster. In Italy, some men grab their genitals. Spitting will nullify the evil, as will making the signs of the corno or fig with the hand. Some victims consult a witch, a wise woman, or a sorcerer for a counterspell.

A widespread belief about peacock tail feathers associates the eye in the feathers with the Evil Eye; thus peacock feathers should not be kept in a house.

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The phrase evil eye refers to a particular look, stare, or glare that some people believe has the power to hurt or even kill the person at whom it is directed, much like a curse. A variety of amulets, charms, rituals, and hand gestures have been employed by people attempting to protect themselves from the evil eye. For example, in ancient times people sacrificed animals to counter an attack by an evil eye. In medieval times, amulets and charms were popular protections against an attack, and it was believed that sticking pins in a wax figure of the supposed perpetrator would break an evil eye spell that had already been cast. In later centuries it became customary to chant spells against the evil eye and to make countering hand gestures upon being attacked. This custom continues today in certain parts of the world, particularly in Italy and Romania. The concept of the evil eye has existed at least since the times of the ancient Greeks, when scholars wrote of its power. It was also mentioned in Jewish scripture. Centuries later, during times of witch persecution, the suspected use of the evil eye by an individual often led to putting that person on trial for witchcraft. Gypsies have also frequently been accused of using the evil eye against their foes, even in modern times.

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