I saw so many evil eye amulets in Greece recently, and if you’ve ever wandered through a market in Athens or Istanbul, you’ve probably seen them too: rows of shimmering round, glass beads, with blue and white encircling a black center. These stylized eyes are meant to bring good luck, and they’re not just souvenirs. They’re protection from one of humanity’s oldest superstitions — the evil eye.
What is the Evil Eye?
It sounds pretty scary, and it is a bit. Ancient people believed that looking at a person, or their possessions, with jealousy could cause actual harm – a curse even. In ancient Greece, this curse was known as “the evil eye.” Plato, had a theory that people could emit harmful energy rays to other people through their eyes – and this could be done either intentionally or unintentionally.
Because of this belief, in some places, it’s considered bad luck to be praised or have your children or possessions praised. If you’re successful, talented, or beautiful enough to stand out from the crowd, you’re at the highest risk from the evil eye! Because if you attract praise or, even worse, loud praise, that could bring about envy. And, of course, envy could lead to the evil eye curse.
Three Ways to Protect Yourself from the Evil Eye
There are at least three ways to protect yourself from the evil eye’s envious gaze.
No. 1 – Lay Low
The first way, is by not drawing attention to yourself or your good fortune. Be modest and downplay your successes… Plato advised Socrates to avoid excessive praise to ward off the evil eye.
No. 2 – Spitting
The second, and less hygienic, way to avoid the evil eye is by spitting to chase away any bad luck. For example: when someone gives you a compliment, that person must also spit three times… on you… saying, “ftooh, ftooh, ftooh” to make sure they don’t accidentally give you the evil eye through their compliment. It’s also supposed to reassure you – the person being spat upon – that the compliment is well meant.
No. 3 – Evil Eye Amulet
And the third way, for those of us who don’t want to downplay our successes or be spat upon, is just to get an evil eye amulet – which interestingly, is also sometimes referred to simply as an evil eye.
For ages, this blue amulet representing an eye has been the preferred method of staving off the evil eye curse. Throughout the centuries, people have painted eyes on drinking cups, or carved them on ships, so that the eye could stare back at misfortune and send it scurrying straight back to where it came from. These eye symbols, used as protection against bad luck, have been found dating back to 5,000 years ago.
The Romans added their own twist to this tradition. They set eyes into their mosaics and paired them with humorous or even bawdy symbols, hoping that laughter could also diffuse the evil eye. Then when the Ottomans came to power, Anatolian glassmakers gave us the symbol in its most recognizable form: the deep blue glass bead which is still popular today.
Why Blue Eyes
But why are the evil eye talismans blue? And what does it say about people with blue eyes (like me)? Well, it seems that people with light-colored eyes were rare in the Mediterranean region, and those with blue or green eyes were thought to be able to transmit the curse through their eyes more easily.
So, what better way to counteract that blue-eyed, negative energy than by reflecting it right back to the sender with a big glassy blue eye of your own?
Today, this evil eye protection symbol is everywhere (at least in Greece and Turkey). In Greece it is called the máti, in Turkey the nazar boncuğu. You’ll find it near baby cribs, worked into wedding gifts, hanging by doors, swinging from the mirrors of taxis, printed on bags, made into jewelry, keychains, and much more. You can wear an evil eye amulet to protect yourself or hang one on the wall to protect your home.
This watchful eye has been protecting people across five millennia. From pagan temples, Byzantine churches, Ottoman bazaars, and modern tourist shops, this glassy blue eye has watched over us and deflected bad luck away from us. It’s a reminder that envy is timeless — and so is our desire to be protected from it.
Fun Fact
The basilisk and the evil eye: The Greek word for the concept of the evil eye is “baskania” which inspired the name of the mythical creature, the basilisk. The basilisk, with its deadly gaze, was seen as the animal personification of this concept. You can read about one basilisk here.
What do you think? Do you believe in the evil eye – or any similar superstitions? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you want to read more of my curious histories, subscribe to my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).
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