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Beware the Power of the Evil Eye!

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The Eyes Have It

Are you familiar with phrases like these: "If looks could kill," "A sharp glance," "A piercing stare," or "A cutting look"? If you answered yes, then you've been introduced to the power of the evil eye whether you realized it or not. For centuries, people in the Mediterranean and Aegean Basins and the area known as the Fertile Crescent have believed that some envious, covetous, or jealous people hold the power to cause sickness and disaster, bring bad luck, and even cause death with nothing more than a look. To protect themselves from the looks that can kill, people in these regions wear a protective charm shaped like an eye in various shades of blue.

Explore the world of the evil eye, understand its meaning, discover its connection to the Bible, and see how it has become a fashion trend in the Western world.

Biblical References to the Evil Eye

Although the concept of the power of the evil eye has, in the West at least, been relegated to the realm of silly superstition, the Bible mentions it in several places. Most often, the evil eye is connected to the covetous, miserly, and stingy, but it always refers to the thoughts, attitudes, and actions that control how people look at others and things around them.

Deuteronomy 15:9
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Deuteronomy 28:54-57
[So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

Proverbs 23:6-8
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Proverbs 28:22
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

Matthew 6:23
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 20:15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine evil eye, because I am good?

Mark 7:21-23
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within and defile man.

Luke 11:34
The light of the body is in the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is also full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body is also full of darkness.

Read about the Evil Eye

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"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend."
-- Henri Bergson

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Fun Facts About the Evil Eye

  • Belief in the evil eye is ancient. Every culture with a written record has mentioned in their literature, but the oldest known written record of the evil eye can be found in the cuneiform tablets, dating to 3000 BC, of the ancient Assyrians, Sumerians, and Babylonians.
  • The ancient Egyptians used lipstick and powdered eye shadow to prevent the evil eye from entering their mouths and eyes.
  • Belief in the evil eye is still prevalent in places like Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, India, Mexico, and Central America.
  • In the earliest texts that mention the evil eye, the person is not aware that he even has the power to cause harm with it. This means that it was originally believed to be involuntary rather than intentional.
  • In the Middle Ages, people believed that witches gave the evil eye to anyone who crossed them. And because they could bewitch a judge with it, people charged with witchcraft were forced to walk backwards toward the judges as a safety precaution.
  • The evil eye is most likely to strike during good times because many people believe that good fortune brings bad.
  • Children and animals, especially livestock, are most susceptible to the power of the evil eye. For this reason, villagers tended to keep their children out of sight and, in their minds, out of harm's way.
  • Bragging about one's possessions, wealth, or good fortune is believed to be opening the door to the power of the evil eye. It's best to practice humility if your fortunes are good.
  • One of the earliest known obvious signs of prejudice, the evil eye was often blamed on members of a group whose looks or behavior differed from the established norm. For example, a blue-eyed individual in a village of brown-eyed people would raise the red flags of warning. The mentally ill were often blamed for having the evil eye.
  • Continuing with the practice of the ancient Greeks and Romans, spitting is said to be a powerful protection against the evil eye.
  • The primary protection against the evil eye is the amulet. They vary from culture to culture and include tying red ribbons in children's underwear, wearing the amulet as a piece of jewelry, growing jackbeans on the perimeter of a garden, and tying bells on the harness of a horse, donkey, or camel.
  • Pope Pius IX was believed to have the power of the evil eye because disasters seemed to befall the people and places he had blessed.
  • The Internet Movie Database shows 4 movies named The Evil Eye, with the earliest being made in 1913 and the most recent in 1963.

Evil Eye Jewelry

More than just a protective device, the evil eye has become a fashion trend in the West where the amulet is most often worn in bracelets.
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Kabbalah and the Evil Eye

With the revival of interest in the Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, has also come a renewed interest in the need for protection from the evil eye. One innovation to the ancient Kabbalah, however, is the significance attached to a red string as protection against the evil eye.

Among Jews, a red thread is said to protect babies against the evil eye and according to folkloric custom, a piece of red thread is placed on the pillow before a newborn is presented for the first time to friends and family. At some point late in the 20th century, a spin off of this tradition gained popularity when it became customary to wind a piece of red string around the tomb of Rachel, located near Bethlehem. After winding the string, it is removed and cut into pieces that can be given to family and friends to wear on the left wrist as an effective protection against the evil eye. According to the tradition, the left side of the body is the receiving side for the body and soul. Modern followers of the Kabbalah believe that wearing the red string on their left wrist enables them to receive, and use whenever needed, the protective and healing powers from the tomb. This practice is not part of the ancient Kabbalah, however.

Kabbala

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Do the eyes really have it?

I'd love to hear your feedback! If you found this lens informative and interesting, please consider leaving your stars at the top. Thanks for the visit!

  • tdove Jan 11, 2009 @ 4:00 pm | delete
    Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!
  • ElizabethJeanAllen Nov 23, 2008 @ 9:05 am | delete
    Wow! I give my students the "evil eye" when they need it. The only ones ever harmed from it are the ones that don't heed it and behave. They end up in the office and then the principal gives them the "evil eye" and some time in detention.

    I didn't realize that the tradition of bells on the horse harnesses stemmed out of a need for protection.

    Great lens! I learned a lot.
    Thanks,
    Lizzy
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