The legendary secret of the powerful "evil eye" talisman for thousands of years

Causing great disasters

Mexican people still whisper to each other about the strange story of little girl Chita. Chita is an obedient, healthy and pretty girl. One time when little Chita was taken to the city by her mother to play, suddenly a small Mexican woman approached her. She stared at the girl, touched her head with her hand and exclaimed: “She is so cute. Let me touch your body and eyes." The woman then disappeared into the crowd. Just one day later, baby Chita suddenly fell ill and had a very high fever. Chita was taken to the hospital for examination by her mother. Doctors have not found any cause for her illness. While her family was very confused, a magician appeared and told the baby's mother that "the girl was possessed by evil eyes". With the consent of her family, the magician found a way to relieve her...

Chita's story is just one of tens of thousands of stories related to the "evil eye" circulating around the world.

“Evil eye” in Spanish is el ojo, in Italian it is occhio, meaning hungry eyes. Legends about the evil eye appeared in the Middle East thousands of years ago and spread to many regions of the world from Italy and Greece to Mexico, Brazil and India, China, etc. The evil eye is present in many religions such as Judaism, Buddhism... It is also present in many different cultures.

It is said that the evil eye is formed from lust, envy, and jealousy. It enters someone and spreads, causing epidemic-like diseases of unknown origin. Wherever these germs appear, they will cause disasters, usually diseases for children and pregnant women. It can also dent orchards or kill domestic animals. When evil eyes are aimed at someone along with curses, that person can be ruined, bankrupt, and have their luck robbed. Pushing them into "bad luck" is incomprehensible.

Evil eye charm to cure misfortune

To avoid being haunted by the evil eye, each place has a different way. Mainly using dispelling charms.

Dr. Nese Yildiran at Bahcesehir University (Turkey) said that the oldest eye-shaped talismans appeared from 3,300 BC: "Those talismans were excavated in the Tell Brak area, one of the oldest eye-shaped talismans." oldest city of Mesopotamia, in what is now Syria. They are made of limestone with embossed eyes.”

He said many blue Eye of Horus pendants have been excavated from Egypt and blue evil eye beads were used by the Phoenicians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans. It is a bronze amulet with a very delicately carved hand shape. The shaking hand has the form of a thumb, index and middle fingers pointing straight, while the remaining two fingers are folded in. There are many strange symbols on it, and there is a snake wrapped around it.

19th century evil eye talismans were often red, shaped like an eye or a horseshoe, or a combination of both.

In ancient Egypt, the Eye of Horus, also known as the God Wadjet pendant, was buried with Pharaohs to protect them in their afterlife. The Hasam amulet, shaped like a hand with an eye in the middle, is used by Jews, Christians and Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East. The ancient Phoenicians strung the eye symbol into necklaces.

In Italy, the most popular are two types of amulets called Mano fico and Mano cornuto. These amulets are usually made of silver to wear around the neck. The Mano fico type is a talisman with the fingers clenched in a fist shape, in which the thumb is threaded through the index and middle fingers. This amulet is specifically used for women to combat the sexual evil eye. The Mano cornuto talisman is in the form of a hand making a decision. The thumb is placed next to the two middle fingers and the ring finger is folded in, while the index and little fingers are spread out like a horn. These amulets are given to children on their birthdays or before they go on long trips to avoid being possessed by the evil eye and will also bring good luck.

Amulets in Greece and Türkiye are often made in the shape of eyes made of green glass, to reflect evil eyes so they cannot haunt people. Sometimes they are made from delicately carved gemstones shaped like a hand and an eye inside, called Hansa hands.

In India, amulets against the evil eye are braided ropes with green stones attached. They are worn by babies when they are born. When the string breaks or the blue color disappears, it is considered that the children are old enough and no longer need the protection of the amulet. In areas such as Nepal, China, a popular amulet is the Buddha Eye made of silver or copper. This type of amulet is round with many carved patterns, in the middle there is a large eye and many other eyes around it.

Stories about the evil eye are still present in many areas today. Amulets against the evil eye have become a popular piece of jewelry in Europe. In the past, the evil eye had many mythical colors. However, in the end, it is still necessary for people to try to find ways to erase the "bullet-shaped" eyes of hatred, jealousy, and envy, although the method is different.

Today, evil eye amulets are typical souvenirs, easily found in many countries around the world, especially countries in the Mediterranean region. Here, visitors can easily see the evil eye symbol on women's bracelets, earrings, and necklaces; in local people's homes, offices and cars; children's clothing. Demon eyes are usually ocean blue and come in many different sizes, mostly round.

The amulet will follow the owner and protect him from bad luck. If this amulet breaks, it means you have just avoided something bad and need to immediately find a new one to replace it.

The land of Cappadocia with Türkiye's famous valleys is where visitors can admire the unique evil eye charm. Here, people hang evil eye talismans on dense tree branches to pray for good luck.