There are strong and various beliefs on every continent about the Evil Eye starting as far back as 3,000 years ago. It is thought this strong symbolic image that founded in Greece and Rome and has since become a symbolism for many different religions.
This symbol has a different meaning in each religion that recognizes is from Buddhism to Christianity to Hindu, Islam, and Judaism. Many believe that the person who wears any evil eye jewelry as an amulet will be protected from evil forces.
There is a good chance that you have seen this symbol several times worn by others several times, maybe even worn it yourself. Like many people, though, you may not be familiar with the history behind this symbol or how popular it is in different cultures.
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The Evil Eye: The History and It’s Meaning
The evil eye is a symbol and has different beliefs and superstitions associated it, making it one of the world’s strongest symbolic images. And yet, regardless of the many different cultures that have their own myth of the symbol, the meaning remains the same.
The basic belief when somebody is looked at with an “evil eye”, it will inflict bad luck, harm, and/or suffering upon them. This may be a look given to them out of anger, jealousy or simply out of malice. The belief of this superstition is that the look is powerful enough to bring actual disaster to the person that was on the receiving end of the evil eye glare.
This belief is traced back to ancient Greece and Rome as being the largest threat to any person that was admired or praised more than what the general population thought to be truly deserved. The person that received the admiration and praise would become swollen with self-pride that they would bring about doom by way of the evil eye.
Thus, mental and/or physical illness would follow that person. The belief was that this is how punishment was distributed by the gods and goddesses to those who were too proud of their own achievements. It was believed that their price would destroy them and bring them back to being mere mortals.
Wishing The Evil Eye Away
It is believed by many cultures that those who receive more admiration and praise than earned, the words “God has willed” will deter those evil wishes on a child. Such as in the Jewish faith, repeating “Keyn aynhoreh!” is a phrase is to protect one against the evil eye.
The Hindu faith teaches those followers that during the changes one goes through in life like puberty, marriage, and childbirth are the most vulnerable times of the evil eye threat, making it one of the most powerful superstitions in India.
Different Countries Have Different Evil Eye Meanings
Following Hinduism, the belief is that the evil eye has great power because the body’s most powerful part is the eye, it is where the energy comes from. In following Hinduism, the “admirable” eye may bring about bad luck which could result in cow milk drying up. To offset this evil, the person offering an admiring glance will be offered bowl milk.
In Brazil, the evil eye superstition, known as the “fat eye” beliefs is a compliment that is thought not to be sincere will place the person at stake. While the European myth regarding the evil eye is that looks that are envious or malicious have the power to bring bad luck to one.
And it is the Germans who fear the evil eye of witches with red eyes and the Irish fear those with squinty eyes while Italians fear those with a uni-brow as being the evil eye. In America, the evil eye fear is nothing more than an impolite metaphor.
Evil Eye Jewelry As Protection Methods
The Greek carried a Cross or incenses along with the use of amulets to protect themselves against the Evil Eye. A new mother kept objects under their pillows that were thought to provide protection such as black, red, or white strings.
They also were known to keep items that were believed Evil Eye have special meanings like bread, gunpowder, a nail, or silver buckles under their pillow for protection against the Evil Eye. Gunpowder, for example, was a symbol that one had the ability to fight the evil eye and a nail was the symbol of strength.
Remedies For The Evil Eye Curse
The Greeks had additional remedies when these preventative measures failed in protecting against or warding off the evil eye. Such as burning a bear’s fur or have a gypsy massage the affected person’s forehead.
In Armenia, Assyria, and Greece, it is believed that a pinch on one’s rear-end is a remedy to rid the evil eye curse. European Christians believe that tracing the cross with their hands as they use their index and pinky finger to point toward the Evil Eyes source will ward away ill intentions. Parents of children in Bangladesh will have a black dot drawn on their forehead to ward off any curse of an evil eye curse and for a young woman, a secret dot is drawn behind their ears in kohl.
Evil eye jewelry myths have been passed down for generations. Discover the source of these fascinating tales about evil eye jewelry in our guide.
