Wikimedia Commons
The belief that certain individuals can inflict disease or death simply by a glance was widespread during the medieval period. It was believed at the time that vision was an active process in which the eye emits rays – extramission theory – and that envy or anger makes those rays destructive. Francis Bacon, in his essay “Of Envy” (c. 1600), says that those emotion cause “an ejaculation or irradiation of the eye”, inflicting a “stroke or percussion” on the person envied.[1]
Use of the evil eye was called “overlooking”.[1] Although the power was generally considered to belong to witches, it was also believed that some innocent persons possessed it.[2] The English antiquarian John Aubrey (1626–1697) writes of a man who accidentally overlooked his own cattle, and there is an account of a man from Yorkshire who kept his eyes fixed on the ground to avoid harming anyone.[1] An archaic Polish folk tale tells of a man who cut out his own eyes rather than continue inflicting misfortune on his loved ones.[3]
Charms such as witch ballsGlass ball coated with a reflecting material, used to ward off the evil eye of a passing witch. used to protect against the evil eye were designed to attract, deflect or confuse a witch’s gaze.[1]
See also
- Apotropaic eyeOne of a number of signs used to ward off occult forms of evil such as spirits or demons.