Ever feel like someone is causing you bad luck or worry? Maybe someone has given you the "evil eye".
The evil eye is a supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glare, usually inspired by envy. Amulets to protect against it have been found dating to around 5,000 years ago.
The evil eye originated in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The earliest evidence excavated from various ancient cities include:
Written documents: A Sumerian cuneiform mentions an "eye ad-gir" that afflicts people with evil
Archaeological data: Alabaster idols with incised eyes were found in Tell Brak, one of Mesopotamia's oldest cities.
Amulets: Eye-shaped amulets were found in Mesopotamia.
Most experts believe that the concept of the evil eye belief emerged from ancient Mesopotamia and spread to surrounding areas. Written documents and archaeological data reveal that the people of Sumer, who are believed to be the first inhabitants of the region, initiated, continued, and extended this belief.
Texts from ancient Ugarit, a port city in what is now Syria, attests to the concept of 'evil eye' – the city existed until about 1180 BC, during the late Bronze Age collapse. In Greek Classical antiquity, the 'evil eye' ("mati") is referenced by Hesiod, Callimachus, Plato, Diodorus Siculus, Theocritus, Plutarch, Heliodorus, Pliny the Elder, and Aulus Gellius. Peter Walcot's Envy and the Greeks (1978) listed more than one hundred works by these and other authors mentioning the evil eye. Ancient Greek authors frequently mentioned the ὀφθαλμὸς βάσκανος (ophthalmòs báskanos; evil eye).
As widely documented in archaeologic findings and in ancient literature, the Illyrians believed in the force of spells and the evil eye, in the magic power of protective and beneficial amulets which could avert the evil eye or the bad intentions of enemies. Such amulets included objects with the shape of phallus, hand, leg, and animal teeth.
Classical authors attempted both to describe and to explain the function of the evil eye. Plutarch in his work entitled Symposium has a separate chapter describing such beliefs. In his scientific explanation, he stated that the eyes were the chief, if not sole, source of the deadly rays that were supposed to spring up like poisoned darts from the inner recesses of a person possessing the evil eye. Plutarch treated the phenomenon of the evil eye as something seemingly inexplicable that is a source of wonder and cause of incredulity. Pliny the Elder described the ability of certain African enchanters to have the "power of fascination with the eyes and can even kill those on whom they fix their gaze".
The idea of the evil eye appears in the poetry of Virgil in a conversation between the shepherds Menalcas and Damoetas.In the passage, Menalcas is lamenting the poor health of his stock: "What eye is it that has fascinated my tender lambs?". The Christian Gospels record the fact that Jesus warned against the evil eye in a list of evils (Mark 7:22).
Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the evil eye could affect both humans and animals, for example cattle.
Different cultures have pursued measures to protect against the evil eye. Some of the most famous talismans against the evil eye include the nazar amulet, itself a representation of an eye, and the hamsa, a hand-shaped amulet. Older iterations of the symbol were often made of ceramic or clay; however, following the production of glass beads in the Mediterranean region in approximately 1500 BC, evil eye beads were popularised with the Indians, Phoenicians, Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans.[8][9] Illyrians used objects with the shape of phallus, hand, leg, and animal teeth against the evil eye. Ancient Romans used representations of phallus, such as the fascinus, to protect against the evil eye, while in modern-day Southern Italy a variety of amulets and gestures are used for protection, including the cornicello, the cimaruta, and the sign of the horns.
In different cultures, the evil eye can be fought against with yet other methods – in Arab culture, saying the phrase "Masha'Allah" (ما شاء الله) ("God has willed it") alongside a compliment prevents the compliment from attracting the evil eye, whereas in some countries, such as Iran, certain specific plants – such as rue – are considered prone to protecting against the evil eye.
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