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Good Luck, Bad Luck and the Evil Eye
We all know of lucky objects or sayings and use them without thinking. We have horseshoes on the outside doors, upside down of course as we don’t want the luck to run out. And with unlucky things and sayings, a single magpie is momentarily alarming! In this country we are not so aware of the evil eye fortunately. Luck, good or bad, is a matter of chance. Various items are said to help with receiving good luck, such as carrying a four-leaved clover, a rabbit’s foot, horseshoe etc. The horseshoe must be open end up, so that the luck does not run out. Knocking on wood when hoping for something is also widespread. Horse brasses, still used at country shows etc, help ensure good luck. Similar beliefs are held in many countries. Bad luck can be caused by many things, such as: getting into bed on the wrong side, opening an umbrella indoors, seeing magpies, (one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy), breaking a mirror brings seven years bad luck, numbers such as thirteen, or four in China, Japan and Korea, walking under a ladder, putting shoes on a table. There are many other regional suspicions – putting your clothes on inside out for example. The Evil Eye is a belief from several parts of the world, particularly the Middle East, Mediterranean and IndoEurope, and was unknown in much of the Southern Hemisphere until brought in by European cultures. It
originated in Mesopotamia around 5,000 years ago, although it may have existed in the Palaeolithic era. The real ‘evil’ done by the Evil Eye is that it causes living things to ‘dry up’, notably babies, lactating animals, nursing mothers, young fruit trees, withering of fruit in orchards and loss of potency in men. It is believed to have originated in Sumer, in ancient times, acknowledged by Arabs, Jews and Christians. It spread to India, then west to Spain and Portugal, north to Scandinavia and Britain and eventually south into North Africa. The Evil Eye is mentioned in the Old Testament. In Proverbs 23 v6. ‘Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thee his dainty meat.’ Possibly the 10th Commandment is referring to the Evil Eye when it says ‘Covet not your neighbour’s ox, nor his ass etc;’ The early Jewish Christians believed in ‘ayin ha’ra’ or the evil eye, and protected babies, the colour red being commonly used for this purpose. Referring to the belief that the evil eye is related to dryness or loss of fluids, Jewish folk belief says that fish are immune to the evil eye as they are covered in water. The results of the evil eye are, almost everywhere it exists, said to occur as an accidental side-effect of envy, or praise. In old English it is known as ‘overlooking’ (implying that the gaze has remained focussed on the object for too long). If a woman with no children praises another woman’s child, that child is likely to fall ill with vomiting and diarrhoea, caused by envy on the childless woman’s part. Mothers will often put a mark on the baby’s face, so that it cannot be said to be perfect. It is said that Socrates may have possessed the evil eye, as his disciples remarked on his glaring eyes. There are, of course, protective talismans and cures. In Turkey there are concentric circles of blue and white, found on Turkish aircraft, on vehicles and houses, or worn as beads. Horses and donkeys wear turquoise beads, especially in the Sub Continent. Blue eyes are also found on the Hamsa hand, a hand shaped amulet, known as the Hand of Fatimah by Muslims and the hand of Miriam by Jews. Ann Dekkers melbournmagazine@gmail.com
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