What Is The Meaning And Myth Of The Evil Eye?

While the nazar is the most famous symbol that is believed to ward off the evil eye, cultures around the world have developed a great many different charms and artifacts that are said to keep their bearers safe from the maleficent gaze of those around them.

In India, where belief in the evil eye — “buri nazar” — cuts through every strata of society, there is a great variety in terms of objects used for protection from the evil eye, Tribune India reports. Many wear amulets similar to the Mediterranean nazar, while business owners often hang amulets made from chillis and lemons outside their premises to ward off curses. In Spain, where the evil eye has been associated with witches, plant remedies were once common among rural communities to fix hexes, while certain plants were also burned or hung around the home for protection. 

Throughout Northern Europe, brooches such as those pictured above were widely believed to ward off evil eye curses just as nazars were used in the Mediterranean. According to the scholar Frederick Thomas Elworthy’s book “The Evil Eye,” camel drivers on the island of Cyprus who were afraid that their steeds would attract the evil eye from other riders would protect them by adorning them with harnesses decorated with half moons — a tradition that spread among Europe and as far as India to protect both camels and horses.

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