Evil eye

The evil eye is a supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glare, usually inspired by envy.^[1] The belief in the evil eye among humans has existed since prehistory,^[1] ^{[failed verification]} and amulets to protect against it have been found dating to around 5,000 years ago.^[1]

It is found in many cultures in the Mediterranean region, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, with such cultures often believing that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury,^[2]

Different cultures have pursued measures to protect against the evil eye.^[3] 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.^[4]^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c Hargitai, Quinn (19 February 2018). "The strange power of the 'evil eye'". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
^ Ross, C (2010). "Hypothesis:The Electrophysiological Basis of the Evil Eye Belief". Anthropology of Consciousness. 21: 47–57. doi:10.1111/j.1556-3537.2010.01020.x.
^ Ulmer, Rivka (1994). KTAV Publishing House, Inc. (ed.). The evil eye in the Bible and in rabbinic literature. KTAV Publishing House. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-88125-463-1.
^ Smith, Elaine (6 December 2019). "Beware the Evil Eye. Or Buy One, Just for Kicks (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
^ Sharifi, Maedeh (2021-03-04). "Reclaiming the Middle East's evil eye tradition with Sayran". newarab.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

[:0-1] Hargitai, Quinn (19 February 2018). "The strange power of the 'evil eye'". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.

[2] Ross, C (2010). "Hypothesis:The Electrophysiological Basis of the Evil Eye Belief". Anthropology of Consciousness. 21: 47–57. doi:10.1111/j.1556-3537.2010.01020.x.

[ulmer-3] Ulmer, Rivka (1994). KTAV Publishing House, Inc. (ed.). The evil eye in the Bible and in rabbinic literature. KTAV Publishing House. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-88125-463-1.

[4] Smith, Elaine (6 December 2019). "Beware the Evil Eye. Or Buy One, Just for Kicks (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.

[5] Sharifi, Maedeh (2021-03-04). "Reclaiming the Middle East's evil eye tradition with Sayran". newarab.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

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