Merriam Webster dictionary describes the “evil eye” in a
following way:
“an
eye or glance held capable of inflicting harm; also : a person believed
to have such an eye or glance” [1]
Indeed,
the only thing that I might’ve add in there, is “capable of inflicting harm through spiritual means”
Encyclopedia
Britannica explains it further :
“evil eye, glance
believed to have the ability to cause injury or death to those on whom it
falls; pregnant women, children, and animals are thought to be particularly
susceptible. Belief in the evil eye is ancient and ubiquitous; it occurred in
ancient Greece and Rome, Jewish, Islamic,
Buddhist and Hindu traditions, and in
indigenous, peasant, and other folk
societies, and it has persisted throughout the world into modern
times. Those most often accused of casting the evil eye include strangers,
malformed individuals, childless women, and old women.
“ [2]
Other than the injury and the death, the evil eye can cause
misfortune, sickness, poverty, or it can even cause Your technical devices to
malfunction.
As a person born and raised in Mediterranean country where
the influence of Roman, Celtic,
Illyrian, and Turkish cultures is
strongly present, even today, the evil
eye , or also “glance of malice”, is a concept that comes naturally to me. People here,
are raised with the notion,
having it around since their most early childhood, and therefore, it’s in a way a cultural
heritage and, I’ll dare to say, even part of instinctive thoughts and
behaviour. You will see people carrying
charms against it everywhere, from
barely literal people to renowned Drs. Of Science. It’s generally so in the
whole Mediterranean.
Evil eye is definitely one of those beliefs that spin the
globe. We can find it in Africa, where
the antidote for it , is believed to be
saliva of the person who inflicted
it in the first place, though anthropologists argue whether the
belief in evil eye in Africa is indigenous or imported. [3]
First written records are
found in some Assyrian and Babylonian ancient “poems”, circa 3000 years
B.C. [4]
Even the poet Virgil
says ( in Eclogues, iii. 103 ) : “Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi
fascinant agnos” , which would ,
loosely , translate to
: “I don’t know who glanced me with malice/ who laid evil eye on
me” [5]
Evil
eyes are mentioned in Bible, in the King
James’ version, where the “evil eye”
apparently replaces “covetousness” , though in the end , the concepts come
really close, more so when we consider how the evil eye works;
“He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and
considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.” [6] Proverbs 28:22 KJV
Similar case is with the Quran, where
it’s stated how envious people have “evil” , and it’s generally understood among the Muslim people, that it’s
the “evil eye” what Quarn speaks about in several places.
Many people throughout
human history were believed to
posses the power of causing harm with
the power of the glance of malice. A typical and well known example would be the Spanish king Alfonso XIII ( 1886. -
1931. ), whom even Benito Mussolini refused to meet, fearing his, at the
time extremely notorious evil eyes. Incidentally or not, during the very visit
of King Alfonso to the Italy, when
Mussolini refused to meet him ( 1923. ),
there had been all sort of terrible accidents, happening to people and soldiers
who were there to greet the king. Two sailors were washed overboard, there was an explosion on the submarine , an antique canon fired in his honor exploded, killing all of
it’s crew, and even the navy officer who
shook the King’s hand collapsed and died. Finally, some damn broke during his
visit killing 50 people during his visit [7] Italian housewives and old women, were said to have “thrown the
corns” at him, as he was passing by, meaning point “mano cornuto” at him,
or making an apotropaic hand
gesture, known also among the Hindu people and in Wicca, and used to
repel evil, and block it’s power to harm.
The “New York Times”
, issue from October 22nd , 1922., published an article about a
child that was “sick” , and was believed, by its parents, to be under the
influence of an evil eye. As a curative
measure, white chicken was to be
sacrificed, it’s liver was to be stuck with a lot of pins, and cooked
with a part of affected kid’s clothing, until there was heard some auspicious
sound like bells ringing, or song melody. That would, according to person who
advised the parents, signify that the evil eye effect was undone. [8]
Pope Pius (
1846-1878 ) IX and Pope Leo
( 1878-1903 ) XIII , were also
believed to have possessed the dreaded glance of malice. The earlier in
particular. It seemed that nearly
anything he would have blessed would in
some way become cursed. [9]
The severity attributed to the evil eye by the ancient
Romans, was finely illustrated in the
plethora of measures they undertook to protect themselves from it. They even
had specific deities, such as Cunina, believed to be the protectress of the cradle from malevolent magick and evil
eye, and was thus petitioned to safeguard the child from the evil eye. Newborns were wrapped in red
fabric, and even wore red clothes for
awhile , so they could be protected from
the evil eye, and the kids, until they’d
reach puberty, wore clothes with purple rims for the same purpose.
Priapus, the deity of phallus, also Roman, is probably yet
another source to the, surviving, Italian folk custom of using phallic symbols to ward off
evil eyes. As If they needed more
excuses ( lol ) Italian men will even nowadays grab their genitals , to repel
and null the effects of the evil eye.
In Africa ( particularly Northern ), when a women is having
troubles with labor, it’s often believed
( this state/condition ) to be caused
by the evil eye. Therefore, the father invites all the village people to
come visit the lady in labor, spit on their hands and pass them over pregnant
women’s belly. If the person who inflicted evil eye upon the women was among
them, as soon as they’d touch her belly, she would instantaneously lose pains
and ills, and the labor would onwards go swiftly and relatively painlessly. So we see, that countering the evil eye is so
important there that the villagers take it seriously, and all reply to the invitation, taking in count that it could be any of them that
casted the evil eye, be it accidentally. In fact, refusing such invitation, in
Northern Africa is seen as extremely rude, selfish or even hostile, and people
will hardly ever do it.
In Balkans, folk believe that the Evil eye is some kind of a
power that came from extremely arid regions ( ! ) hence, they believe that one
of it’s principal methods of attack is draining the victim of things,
spiritually luck, energy, and
physically, water or body fluids. Hence, the Balkan cunning folk, chant
over bowl of “new” water, in which they
drop, one by one, the shining hot coals,
as they chant the secret incantations that speak of three eyes, one of which is
evil eye, another being watery eye and
the third one being fiery, and invoke the powers of Sun, Moon, Stars and even
G’d itself and The Virgin Mary to counter it, and send it off to “never-land”. This serves both as diagnostic measure, and
as cure. When dropping the coals the “cunning folk” pronounces names or
specific characters ( for example: men , women, child, animal, old, young …etc
) of the suspected caster of the evil eye. When some of the coals sinks down to
the bottom of the bowl ( in some version floats, or make a loud noise, blackens
the water in the bowl etc. ) the
wrongdoer is found, and then the aforementioned chanting begins. Finally, the
afflicted either takes three small sips of the water, or the water is used to
draw three Crosses on his forehead and some is given to him to sprinkle the house, in
order to undo the hazardous effects of the evil eye. Occasionally, in some
regions, the leftover water is poured on a dog [10]
It seems that the evil eye has even taken place in popular
culture of today. Have You ever seen an
episode of the “Naruto Shippuden” anime ? Yes? What is it that
You think had inspired the author to create those havoc-wreaking doijutsus such as Sharingan and Rinnengan .
Evil eye indeed ! *blinks*
Protection and countering of the evil eye, or glance of malice
It’s only to be expected, that such ever present threat was
to be dealt with seriously, and hence, in magickal community was treated
with caution and countermeasures.
Indeed, even up until today, both ancient and some “newer “
methods have been preserved, and amulets and charms commonly used. Turkish air companies, for example, often paint a great blue eye, somewhere on the tail of their airplanes,
to safeguard it from the
devastating power of the glance
of malice. You know, If for nothing else, just to be on the safe side J
The “cimaruta” is
still one of the best selling
charms ( amulets ) in Italy , and not only
because of it’s broad apotropaic spectrum of influence, but because it’s considered to be
an “eye-proof” safeguard from the evil
eye, If You’ll excuse the pun J
So, without further adieu, let’s proceed on the practical
advices in regards to fighting the evil
eye.
Botanical agents against evil eye
Herbs that counter and remove effects of the
evil eye include: Basil, Cayenne peppers ( in Balkan ), Rue ( particularly in
Italy ), Lemons ( fruits, often halved
and placed around for protection ), Periwinkle ( dispels the evil eye ), Aspand
( Ancient Zooratostrian and Muslim rites ) , Garlic (
particularly in Greece ) , Black peppercorns ( for removal of the evil
eye ) , Barley ( extremely powerful against Evil eyes, and demons that cause
illness, in Hindu beliefs ), and others.
Minerals , animal curios , and Household
items against the evil eye
Knifes and needles ( for protection, and
removal, folk magick ) , sugar and salt,
broom straws ( for removing the evil eye,
Balkan folk magick, also Hindu ),
Cotton balls ( for removal via
sympathetic magick methods ) , Olive oil ( for diagnosing and removing the evil
eye ) , ashes ( in varying rituals, shown to the child and thrown on crossroads
), mirrors ( for deflecting the
evil eye , negating the power of it, and returning it to the source, also for
removing one 's own evil eye, in Russian
folk magick ), Alum ( when burnt it
creates bubbles, that are believed to destroy the evil eye ) , one's own or children’s saliva, Cat eye’s
shell ( Turbo sp. shells ), Tiger’s eye or Cat’s eye minerals, also Turquoise
mineral ( for protection ), Blue glass pearls ( protection ) , Red thread or ribbon ( for protection,
particularly of the children ), hand or Cross drawing, tattoo ,or charm ( for
protection ) , small, unripe lemons filled with pins , and others.
Symbols and charms against the evil eye
Hand of Miriam ( The Hamsa ) , Hand of
Fatma, Manopoderosa, Tiger’s paw ( tattoo , often seen on Hindu
 |
Mano ponderosa, XIX century work , can be
found in Brooklyn museum ( see image
credits for more details ) |
children’s face
cheeks ), fishes ( fishes are immune to the evil eye, possibly they are the
only animals or even objects on Earth which are immune to it, they may appear
on Hamsa amulet ) , Eyes , for example the Udjat or Vedjat also know as Eye of
Horus( Eye drawings, designs, and charms can
repel the evil eye , various designs ), Cross ( all sort of Cross
designs are believed to block and annul the harmful effect of the
evil eye ) , Moon, particularly new Moon shape, Turquoise pendants and
bracelets, copper anklets with garlic or
beet root ( Hindu, often seen on kids ), Blue or Green glass spheres ( also
called “witch balls” ) , Yarn spun
from the black sheep’s wool,
Charm bag ( mojo bag ) filled with Pumpkin seeds.
Diagnosing and removing the evil eye
Although there are certain symptoms that appear in people affected with the evil eye, diagnostic methods still do exist, although
they may vary in different cultures.
I’ve mentioned the method with the coals,
which are extinguished in water, that’s done
in Balkan peninsula folk magick, not only to determine the presence of evil eye, but
also reveal information about the caster, and finally, even remove the effects of the evil eye.
Likewise, the methods of removal vary. The
Evil eye is most often destroyed by fire, smudging or with water.
Oftentimes, puppets are made to take
the evil eye from the afflicted and then tossed into fire. A good part
of Atharva veda is concerned with remedies to the evil eye. Children, while susceptible
to it, are also believed
to have natural powers to destroy the evil eye, hence showing a piece
of clothes of the afflicted to a child is sometimes all that needs to be done.
The power of children against the evil eye is extremely present among the Hindu
people.
Let’s go through few examples.
Italian folk magick, evil eye test
It’s rather simple. It’s a form of
hydromancy really.
Italian women, particularly the old ones,
are famed for diagnosing and removing the
evil eye which they do with by dripping Olive oil into a vessel with
water as they recite secret prayers or sometimes incantations, passed onto them
by their mothers , grandmothers , aunts and so on. The eye symbol is said to be formed
by the oil in the water, If
indeed the cause is the evil eye. Then , these cunning women would continue to
drip more olive oil, drop by drop, reciting prayers, until the eye shape in the
bowl falls apart.
Muslim custom of testing for the presence
of the evil eye
This custom/ritual has been recorded in the
Sindh Pakistane Province and is done by Muslims, predominantly. It’s wise to
note, though, that the similar
ritual is also done by the Hindu people
[12]
The person afflicted ties a rope, or a yarn
around a stone. The stone is then tossed
into the fire. If the rope/yarn does not burn, the person is under the effect
of the evil eye.
Hindu ritual for detecting evil eye
For this ritual one needs to pour water on some plate, and sprinkle
it with some Crossroads dirt.
Inside some pot, practitioner places Broom straws, Salt and Cayenne pepper
and waves with the pot ( or circles around ) in front of the afflicted person’s
head.
Finally the pot is swiftly placed opening
down on the aforementioned plate, and if it sticks ( so that one can lift the plate with the pot ) , it’s interpreted as a definitive omen of
presence of the evil eye. [11]
Spanish / Latin American method of
diagnosing evil eye with an egg
A new, fresh egg is taken and rolled over
the face of the afflicted. Then it’s broken ( on a plate or in a bowl,
obviously! ) and placed bellow their
bed. After a day, the egg is inspected. Extremely foul odours, extremely dried up egg, or eye shapes formed
by the eggs are signs that someone is afflicted with the evil eye.
Often times, the practitioner will then pray over another, new , fresh egg, and
then break it and spread some ( usually by making a sign of Cross, Brujeria and
Santeria practitioners will do this often ) over the forehead of the afflicted
and the rest will be placed bellow their bed, once again, and inspected after a
day.
Removing the evil eye with the saliva
Spitting in front of a child, immediately
after it has been praised, oftentimes by the very person who had complimented
it, is considered to be a safe, fail-proof way, to negate the power of the evil
eye.
Old women in Europe are believed to be able
to remove the evil eye that causes suffering to the dying person, by spiting on their hand and passing
with it over them. Similar belief exists in northern Africa.
Simple heart-felt prayer, also immediately
after someone receives compliment, or the look which is suspicious is an
alternative to the above, although I don’t see
the reason to not combine the two
myself J
Burning the Evil eye
Make a poppet shaped like a human from a
cotton wool ( must be natural cotton
wool !) then waving around the afflicted
person three times, chant three times
“From N.N. into this poppet evil eye shall
transfer
And into the flames, forever it will
disappear”
Then burn the poppet. It is done.
Similarly, there is a custom among Hindu
people to make a three small human shaped puppets from the cotton wool by the afflicted person, hung them upside down
on a wall, and burn them in order to remove the evil eye, according to Henry
Gamache .
Removing the Evil eye with liquids
Evil eye seems to have "drying" effect on
people and sometimes even objects. People take this as common knowledge, where I
am from , ones that believe in it, at least. Hence it makes sense why water and
liquids ( like the saliva ) are used as cures.
It’s common among Christians to give three
sips of Holy water to the afflicted , and to sprinkle them ( or wash their face
thrice ) with it, to remove the overlooking.
Combine water and some Barley, and give to
the afflicted to drink and pour some over their head. Atharva veda speaks of use of water and Barely for remedy:
“VI, 91. Barley and water as universal remedies.
1. This barley they did plough vigorously, with yokes of eight and yokes
of six. With it I drive off to a far distance the ailment from thy body.
2. Downward blows the wind, downward burns the sun, downward the cow is
milked: downward shall thy ailment pass!
3. The waters verily are healing, the waters chase away disease, the
waters cure all (disease): may they prepare a remedy for thee!” [12]
Pour a whole bottle of bear ( natural, not
those with all sort of synthetic flavors added ) into a bathtub with water, and pray over the
water for the healing of the afflicted. Have them take a bath, and immerse
completely at least three times.
Such beer bath is considered to be cure per
excellence for the evil eye by some authors [13]
I myself like to suggest bath made with
infusion of the Basil and Rue, to which salt and lemon slices have been added.
Of course, praying over such bath is needed, and pouring it over body , or immersing
it three times , too.
Another Hindu “tip” calls for boiling Rice
and Lemon slices in water ( presumably until it boils ), then shaking the
mixture around the afflicted children’s body, or circling with pot around it,
and then pouring the mixture on some crossroads. [14]
Burning incense and spices , other
non-specific rituals
Burning alum and wafting the smoke towards the afflicted, is a
fast , and safe measure
undertaken to render the glance of malice null and void. Frankincense is used
in similar manner.
Muslims
from the Sindh, also suggest a ritual , where one places terracotta or clay
container on the shadow of the afflicted and burns seven black peppercorns in
it to accomplish the like with the previous. Muslims in the Sindh also place four lemons
of the shadow of the afflicted, cut in them in halves, and then throw
the halves in four quarters. Caution is needed here through. For the two halves
of the same lemon must never (!) be thrown in
the same direction ( quarter , N, S, E, W ) . [15]
Hope You find this useful, interesting and helpful
Many Blessings, LUV Shadow :)
