The Evil Eye

What it Is

The evil eye is the idea that bad luck or harm can be cast on another simply through a look. The belief is an ancient one that dates back thousands of years and remnants of it can still be found the world over. However, it is most predominant among the cultures of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Casters and Recipients

In some cultures the evil eye is believed to be purposefully cast by those born with the magical ability to do so. But in most, it is seen as an unintentional result of envy. But however unintentional it may be, it is still feared as a destructive force. When the evil eye is cast no one is immune, including livestock. Sadly, children are often the most affected by the evil eye and it is thought that even the compliment of a stranger about ones child can cause them to fall ill or even die if the compliment is made from a place of envy.

However, illness and death represent the extreme case, and bad luck is more often attributed to the envious eye.

           

Protection

With a curse so easily cast, (by seemingly innocent people no less) it became necessary to take protective measures in order to safeguard ones family and cattle from the evil that could befall one at any moment.

            In Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” he describes the towns folk performing the sign of the cross before pointing two fingers in the direction of one they thought in danger of the evil eye. He described this as, “[…] a charm or guard against the evil eye.” This protection charm is still used in parts of Europe today. It is a combination charm consisting of the Christian sign of the cross and the pagan sign of the horns.

 Along with this physical charm, a plethora of protective amulets and good luck charms have popped up to aid the innocent victim from the malevolent stare. Most of these items take the shape of an eye and it is believed that when the evil eye falls upon it, it will be reflected back to the gazer.

            The most common of these talismans is the nazar. It can be found all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean and has become a favorite souvenir of tourists traveling to the area.  To look at it you might not know that you’re looking at a representation of the eye. It looks like a dark blue dot with thick rings of varying dark and light blue separated by white circling around it. This symbol has been made into many different items including sun catchers, bracelets, and beads; all beautifully crafted and ready to ward off the evil eye!

A nazar bracelet I picked up on one of my trips to Greece

An artistic representation of the nazar

Comments

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