The history of the old curse of the evil eye

Everyone is familiar with the blue evil eye charm, but where did this age-old superstition come from?

Some people believe that if they give someone the "evil eye," bad things would happen to them or their possessions. Supernatural harm might manifest as a minor misfortune or as something more terrible like illness, injury, or even death. Alan Dundes, a folklorist, compiled a collection of tales "For example, "the victim's good fortune, good health, or good looks — or unguarded comments about them — invite or provoke an attack by someone with the evil eye," as stated in "The Evil Eye: A Casebook" (University of Wisconsin Press, 1992). Loss of appetite, yawning excessively, hiccups, vomiting, and fever are all symptoms of disease brought on by the evil eye. If it's a cow, the attack could cause its milk to stop flowing; if it's a plant or tree, it could abruptly die."

According to Armando R. Favazza, the evil eye can also bring on sleeplessness, low energy, sadness, and diarrhoea ("Bodies under Siege ", John Hopkins University 1996). Rather than attributing a person's illness to chance or a virus, a curse may be regarded as a more likely explanation in cultures where magic and medicine coexist. Indeed, according to Robert Elsie, it can also impact inanimate objects and structures ("A Dictionary of Albanian Culture ", Hurst & Co Ltd, 2001). A car damaged by a witch's curse may be beyond repair, and a house cursed in this way may quickly spring a leaky roof or be overrun by insects. The evil eye has become a convenient scapegoat for a wide range of ill fortune.

the origins of the "evil eye."

The concept of "the evil eye" has persisted throughout time. The Bible (Proverbs 23:6; opens in new tab) warns, "Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, nor covet thou his delicate meals," and the Koran and Shakespeare's plays also make reference to this. The evil eye concept is widely accepted, although by no means universally so. The evil eye is believed by 36% of the world's civilizations, according to a 1976 global survey conducted by folklorist John Roberts, as reported by Anthony H. Galt in his study "The Evil Eye as Synthetic and its Meanings on the Island of Pantelleria, Italy" (The American Ethnological Society, 1982).

The evil eye is a form of magical curse with roots in superstition and the belief in the power of the supernatural. Consider the case of a person who falls victim to misfortune (such as a drought or contagious disease), bad luck, illness, or accident. According to the BBC, before science could explain things like weather patterns and germ theory, people often attributed unpleasant events to curses . The evil eye and other curses explain why decent people sometimes experience poor luck.

One's eyes are often considered the window to one's soul due to the widespread belief that they possess magical properties. Eye movement is supposed to discreetly reveal a liar, whereas a fixed stare can be either appealing or dangerous. Making eye contact may establish a very emotional bond between lovers or bosses and employees. Staring sternly at someone is a powerful gesture of dominance. Actors use their eyes to show various feelings, including love, hate, disgust, boredom, scorn, surprise, and envy. Jealousy is at the root of the traditional link of the evil eye with witchcraft.

Ailments affecting the eyes have become symbols of bad luck and evil due to widespread belief in their supposed supernatural power. Cross-eyed people, those with blepharospasm (involuntary eye cramps or spasms), and people with noticeable squints have historically been stigmatized and avoided because they are thought to bring ill luck, particularly in dangerous professions like fishing and mining. "The blind if obstinate, the one-eyed is frequently unjust, and the squint-eyed is routinely haughty," it says in an ancient Greek work on physiognomy, as cited in the "Oxford Handbook of Disability History" (Oxford University Press, 2017). Those with particularly close-set eyes or eyes of a different colour were similarly suspected of having the evil eye.

In several cultures, including Greece, Romania, and India, public displays of affection for a child are frowned upon for fear of attracting the wrath of the evil eye, which is said to be especially harmful to infants and young children. The parents of a child who has been thoughtlessly praised may urge the person who made the compliment to spit in the youngster's face as a precaution.

According to GreekCityTimes, the spittle salve is innocuous yet offensive enough to nullify the compliment, removing the need for the evil eye to be cast onto the temporarily elated kid. According to Anthony H Galt; "Babies and children are also protected with abitini pinned inside their clothing, which on Pantelleria consist of small bags of red cloth (sometimes heart-shaped) that look like pincushions and contain a figurinu (saint card), a small gold horn, or a crab claw, and a bit of red cloth or a piece of iron".

Which one of you is giving me the evil eye? That's possible. It is widely held among these people that one need not have malicious intent to cast an evil eye and that some people do it unwittingly. If one family member is suspected of having the evil eye, the rest of the family, especially any children, may be viewed with suspicion.

Concealer, remedies, and amulets against the evil eye

Avoiding the evil eye is the most effective strategy for dealing with it. Culture, location, and individual choice all have a role in the wide range of approaches. In Latin America, the evil eye is called "mal de Ojo," and belief in it is prevalent in rural regions. According to Lucky-Charms.org, in Cuba, a good luck charm called an azabache is commonly presented to infants to ward off the evil eye.

The evil eye can be warded off by wearing an amulet, which typically features a symbol of the eye and the colour blue (which represents heaven or godliness). Modern jewellery often incorporates them, and Meghan Markle has been spotted in numerous examples, as reported by Town & Country. Some people even think that even repeating the word "garlic" protects them from the evil eye, as described by Robert A. Georges in his work "Matiasma: Living Folk Belief" in Midwest Folklore.

Many people who suffer the effects of what they perceive to be an evil eye turn to shamans, witch doctors, psychics, and other forms of spiritual healing in the hope that they can be cured. A raw egg is one of the traditional Mexican treatments for mal de Ojo. According to Mary Caroline Montao, the egg, a worldwide emblem of purity and birth, absorbs evil energy as it crosses the victim's brow and prone body in the shape of a cross ("Tradiciones Nuevomexicanas: Hispano Arts and Culture of New Mexico ", University of New Mexico Press, 2001). The egg is cracked open over a water bowl, and the pieces are scrutinized for anything out of the ordinary. Some believe that if the egg's white or yolk takes on an oval or eye shape, the victim has been cleansed of the evil eye's influence.

The evil eye may seem like superstition with no place in the modern world. However, this view would be incorrect. Instead, as noted by folklorist Dundes, "should remember that the evil eye is not only a quaint, out-of-date superstition that only a few people are interested in learning about. Numerous millions of individuals throughout the world continue to be influenced by the fear of the evil eye."

The evil eye is a myth, often unfounded, and can have serious consequences. There is always the risk of violent retaliation whenever one person blames another for causing them harm, whether by natural or supernatural means, on purpose or by mistake. Many people have been harassed, beaten, and even killed for casting an evil eye, following in the footsteps of previous accused witches and sorcerers.

extra help

In an in-depth article, The New York Times investigates the history of the sign and its association with the curse and then talks about how it has become so prevalent in jewellery. Meanwhile, the Evil Eye shop sells various amulets to ward off curses and explains the origins of the emblem.

Reference : https://www.livescience.com/40633-evil-eye.html

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/halloween-jack-o-lantern-labu-4585684/

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