Moving from Brains to Eyeballs
I started making eyeball earrings recently, in which I create anatomically sound images of eyeballs and make them into earrings – all dolled up with opal or lapis lazuli on an attractive gold cabochon tray.
In the process of making these eyeball earrings, I researched the history of the ‘evil eye’ talisman. The evil eye amulet originated in the ancient city of Sumer (modern-day Kuwait and Iraq) and has since radiated out to nations of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Indo-Europe. The evil eye is mentioned in the Torah as ayin ha’ra and its existence is acknowledged by modern Arabs, Jews, and Christians.
The ‘evil eye’ refers to an inadvertent glance of envy and covetousness that was thought to ‘dry up’ living beings like babies, milking livestock, fruit trees and nursing mothers. Though the effects of the evil eye may be harmful, the term ‘evil eye’ might be a misnomer because the person who gives the evil eye is not necessarily evil or even aware of their destructive gaze. Perhaps then, the true evil of the evil eye is the failure to restrain envy in social situations.
Interestingly, in the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean region, especially throughout Greece, there is a tendency to view blue-eyed people as bearers of the evil eye – probably because few native people have blue eyes and those who do show up, such as tourists, are given to praising and cooing over babies, who are thought to be most at risk from the eye.
Protect your babies from the evil eye and buy a pair of handmade modern evil eye pendants on my Etsy shop!
