evil eye

The power of injuring, bewitching, or even killing by a glance. The superstitious belief that certain people possess this power is still common in some parts of the world. Amulets are worn to protect against it.

Children and young people are supposed to be particularly susceptible and any unexpected calamity befalling a child may be accounted for by its having been ‘overlooked’. Animals are also regarded as susceptible. The glance of a person suffering from any physical quirk, such as a cast in the eye or a squint, is regarded as particularly dangerous. The power is supposed to be involuntary in many cases and not cultivated with evil intent.

The gesture of a clasped hand held out with index and little finger extended is supposed in Mediterranean cultures to avert the evil eye.