Belief in the Evil Eye dates back to classical antiquity, operating on the premise that certain people can cause injury or bad luck simply by looking at you with envy or malice.

A closer look

Belief in the Evil Eye dates back to classical antiquity, operating on the premise that certain people can cause injury or bad luck simply by looking at you with envy or malice. To combat this mystical ocular threat, cultures around the world invented amulets like the Turkish nazar or the Hamsa hand to stare back at the jealous gazer and reflect the curse. It is an entirely global superstition born from the universal human desire to blame our personal failures and random misfortune on a neighbor who gave us a weird look at the market. Instead of accepting that you tripped and dropped your groceries because you are clumsy, you can just confidently declare that the lady at the bakery magically cursed your ankles with her aggressive squinting