The evil eye has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. Its power as both a curse and an amulet persists to this day in modern life, with believers across the world using evil eyes as symbols of protection against evil spirits envy, and maliciousness.
The eye symbol is present in so many cultures that, even though it might have pagan origins, it appears in religious texts like the Bible and the Quran.
Superstitions have been around since ancient times, with references to them in Jewish culture both Bible and Talmudic texts. The Hebrew evil eye “ayin hara”, translates as “bad eye” in Hebrew. Despite its long history, the evil eye curse remains a culturally relevant concept today. Though the evil eye is seen as a malevolent force, those who believe in it maintain that it can be prevented with an ocular amulet such as the Nazar. By wearing or displaying the amulet, one can ward off bad luck and evil intentions from evil looks and envious gazes. The evil eye is believed to cause misfortune, illness, financial struggles, and other difficult issues. In some cultures, they also believe that an evil eye can take away a person’s positive energy or even steal their soul.
Greek and Romans thought the evil eye is intimately tied to Envy the word “Envy” is often used as a synonym for the evil eye and in fact, the Latin word for Envy in “Widia” is etymologically related to the word “To Look Upon” the Greek.
Evil Eye Curse
The belief in the evil eye curse, says is thought to be the result of envy when someone looks at something they covet with malevolent intentions. According to ancient traditions, these evil glares can cause a variety of bad luck and misfortune for the recipient, including physical ailment and emotional suffering. In some cultures, there are also malicious spirits or demons associated with the evil eye, which further adds to its perceived power.
Due to the potential malevolence of the evil eye curse, many cultures have developed rituals and superstitions meant to ward off evil glares from envious onlookers. One such ritual is the use of an ocular amulet such as a Nazar.
Evil Eye Belief
The evil eye belief is a supernatural notion that a person’s glance or gaze can have a harmful effect on another. This particular belief is popular in cultures around the world and it has been practiced for centuries. It is believed that when negative emotions such as malice, greed, and envy are energized within the evil eye gazer, these energies are then transferred to their intended target.
In the philosophy of Plutarch, it was thought that you could even accidentally give yourself an evil eye. He tells a story about a handsome man who looked at his reflection in a river and saw something reflected back that made him ill and lost his beauty. In this tale, we can see how the Greco-Roman belief in the evil eye may be rooted in ancient ideas about how eyesight works.
The evil eye came to play a major role in the daily life of cultures in the Middle east Arabian Peninsula Egypt and especially in the Greco-Roman world.
The standard ancient Greek word for afflicting someone with an evil eye is “Bascania” which is often precisely translated as “Bewitchment” but a more accurate translation would be evil eye “Bewitchman” or Affliction though belief in the evil eye likely stretches back deep into Greek history this family of terms started appearing in Greek literature from the 5th Century onward appearing everywhere, from The Works of Aristophanes and even Plato, this made its way into Roman literature as the word “Fascinatio” a rough transliteration of “Boscania” so in a quirk of etymological History.
Ancient Greece and ancient Rome believed that what the human eye sees is a form of physical touch. Plato says that when you look at something, a gentle light emanates from your eyes and connects with the light coming off of the object. In other words, you can see because the rays that induce vision come together in the space between the viewer and the thing being viewed.
The evil complex is a cross-cultural phenomenon. It was especially widespread in the cultures of ancient Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Sea, in fact, Dr. John H. Elliott who published the multi-volume definitive study on the evil eye, even argues that the belief complex
originated in ancient Mesopotamia, and from there spread to the rest of the world.
Though evil eye beliefs vary between cultures, most cultures agree they tend to share some common themes. One of the most widespread evil eye superstitions is the belief that an evil glance can cause harm or suffering to the recipient.
Evil Eye Talismans
In order to protect against the evil eye, many cultures believe in using spiritual protection such as evil eye talismans.
The most common of these is the Nazar, the blue eye talisman, and the Hamsa hand. Both, are believed, to contain talismanic power, and can be found made from glass beads, stones, and other materials meant to absorb evil glares. Regardless of the type used, all evil eye amulets have one thing in common: they are believed to repel negative energy from envious gazes and prevent bad luck.
Evil Eye Jewelry
Since evil eye jewelry is believed to ward off evil glares and protect its wearer from misfortune, it has become a popular accessory in many cultures. Popular evil eye jewelry includes Nazar amulets, evil eye charms strung onto evil eye bracelets or necklaces, evil eye earrings, evil eye pendants, and evil eye rings. All of these pieces are meant to symbolize protection from bad luck and offer their wearer peace of mind.
In Turkey, the Evil Eye is ingrained in everyday life and has deep symbolism throughout the culture. The Evil Eye pendant is affixed to anything that is perceived to attract greed, envy, or ill will. In Turkey, you will find the Evil Eye symbol on currency, in homes and offices, hanging from the necks of newborn children and farm animals, and in the foundations of buildings.
