Evil eye

The evil eye is type of spell or curse cast upon a person by giving them an evil glare. The idea of an evil eye dates back to antiquity. The evil eye appears in many cultures worldwide and goes by many names. Although the concept of the evil eye varies by region, it is commonly associated with feelings of jealousy and envy. The evil eye is believed to cause harm to the person it is cast upon and is thought to bring great misfortune. Many societies have practices aimed at repelling the evil eye and rituals used to remove it from a victim. A number of cultures across the world continue to believe in the evil eye into the twenty-first century.

Background

The evil eye dates back to ancient civilization and appears in many ancient Greek and Roman texts. The basic concept of the evil eye—a look can cause harm or damage to an individual—is based in Greek tradition and its belief in the power of intangible forces to cause physical and emotional change. This power extended to humans and supernatural beings. Change brought by such a force was not always meant to be harmful, but it was most commonly associated with negative effects. Ancient groups feared that a jealous or an envious person could cast a hateful glance in their direction and cause significant harm. Similar cultural beliefs extended throughout many regions of the Mediterranean and beyond.

Classical notions of an evil eye were almost always related to attitudes of jealousy and envy. The power of evil sight is seen in the legends of the gorgon and the basilisk creatures of Greek mythology. Ancient Greek phrases that relate to the concept of the evil eye include vaskanos ophthalmos and ophthalmos poneros (evil of eye). Similar ideas about the malicious nature and transmittable power of jealousy and envy appear in the works of many Greek scholars such as Aeschylus, Plato, Theocritus, Apollonius, Rhodius, Libanius, and Heliodorus.

Greek philosopher Democritus was among the first writers to specify the eye as an agent of harmful effects. Greek writer Plutarch expanded on Democritus's description and provided a comprehensive discussion of the evil eye concept in Greek tradition in his Quaestiones Convivales. In it, he describes how the eyes of a jealous person can radiate a stream of harmful particles onto an unsuspecting victim. Plutarch notes that not everyone in Greece took the notion of the evil eye seriously, but its lasting presence in Greek tradition suggests that it remains a popular belief.

The evil eye is mentioned in ancient religious texts, including the Bible and Koran. The Islamic faith includes many practices for warding off the evil eye. Several passages of the New Testament in the Bible discuss belief in the evil eye and how it affects Christianity. Early Christian intellectuals associated the power of the evil eye with the Devil, relating a person's use of the evil eye to their worship of Satan. Although the evil eye was considered a pagan concept, Christianity could not prove that the beliefs behind the notion were invalid. As a result, belief in the evil eye endured for many centuries from the Byzantine period to modern day, eventually making its way from the Mediterranean to other regions of the world. The evil eye concept infiltrated the popular culture of many societies. It was even found in the plays of William Shakespeare. It continued to play an important role in the superstitions of millions of people into the twenty-first century.

Overview

Various cultures have associated a number of symptoms with the evil eye. Victims are thought to be made to feel lethargic and depressed, and yawning is sometimes considered a sign of affliction. Fever, nausea, and headache are also considered indications of the evil eye. Children are common victims of the evil eye in many cultures' folklore, with it affecting their sleep, appetite, and mood. Babies that cried constantly were thought to have the evil eye. The evil eye could afflict animals and lead to weakness, tiredness, and infertility. The evil eye also was blamed for the failure of crops or the malfunctioning of machines.

In traditional beliefs, the evil eye is most commonly laid upon a victim due to feelings of envy or jealousy. The evil eye was often associated with the outcasts of a society known for having inferior social status or a hostile demeanor such as elderly spinsters. Physical flaws such as crossed eyes and other eye defects were commonly attributed to evil eye givers. Eye color also played a role in the superstition. In areas where dark-colored eyes were prominent, foreigners with blue or green eyes were often accused of giving the evil eye. At the same time, some cultures believed that the evil eye could be cast unknowingly from afar. Many cultures believed that consequences could be fatal if the evil eye was allowed to linger. They developed practices, symbols, and talismans aimed at repelling or driving away the evil eye.

Evil eye aversion practices vary by culture. Common objects used to repel the evil eye include cloves of garlic, blue beads and thread, and images of a staring blue eye. In Christianity, a cross or an amulet containing holy material is believed to repel the evil eye. These objects can be worn or placed over the person being protected. Some cultures also prepare potions or conduct spells to ward off the evil eye. Infants and children are thought to be particularly vulnerable to the evil eye in places such as Greece, India, and Romania. Complimenting a child is considered taboo in these countries for fear that the praise will make the child more susceptible to the evil eye. If a person does mistakenly praise a child, parents will often ask the praise-giver to spit on the child to revoke the evil eye.

If a person feels that they have been afflicted by the evil eye, removal options vary by region. Some cultures seek spiritual healers such as shaman, witch doctors, or psychics, who will remove the curse for a fee. These healers diagnose a person through a number of methods. A common diagnosis technique involves dropping a substance or object into water and seeing how the water behaves from the disturbance. Once diagnosed, the healer begins a series of rituals accompanied by spells or prayers to rid the victim of the evil eye.

Bibliography

Abate, Tom. "The Evil Eye: Anthropologist Focusing on History of a Curse." Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 1992, articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-08-13/news/9203130087‗1‗evil-eye-evil-eye-cultures. Accessed 2 May 2017.

Elliot, John H. Beware the Evil Eye Volume 1: The Evil Eye in the Bible and the Ancient World—Introduction, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Cascade Books, 2015.

Elliot, John H. Beware the Evil Eye Volume 2: The Evil Eye in the Bible and the Ancient World—Greece and Rome. Cascade Books, 2016.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. Edited by Nigel Wilson, Routledge, 2006.

The Evil Eye: A Casebook. Edited by Alan Dundes, U of Wisconsin P, 1992.

Radford, Benjamin. "The Evil Eye: Meaning of the Curse & Protection against It." Live Science, 23 Oct. 2013, www.livescience.com/40633-evil-eye.html. Accessed 2 May 2017.

Ross, Colin A. "Electrophysiological Properties of Human Ocular Extramission." Subtle Energies and Energy Medicines, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 21–27.

Tilford, Nicole. "Evil Eye." Oxford Bibliographies, 18 June 2015, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0112.xml. Accessed 2 May 2017.