Where did the idea of ​​the “evil eye” come from and why we still believe in it today

The “evil eye” is one of popular beliefs more widespread and resistant to time. This is not a local phenomenon, but a universal imagination that crosses continents, religions and systems of thought. From Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean, from Africa to Latin America, the eye was a symbol of vital energy and protection, but also of envy and danger. Today, despite the rationality of the technological age, the evil eye continues to survive as a cultural and psychological language: attributing a negative event to a “malevolent” gaze serves to give meaning to the unexpected and to defend ourselves from what we cannot control. And on social media, where the gaze of others is omnipresent, this ancient fear seems more current than ever.

Origins and beliefs of the evil eye

The association between the eye and supernatural power it has been attested since the most ancient civilizations. In Italy, and in particular in the southern regions, this concept is called “evil eye”but it is not an exclusively Mediterranean phenomenon. Variants of the same belief are found in almost all civilizations: in the Greek world the matiin Arab countries theayn al-hasad (literally “the eye of envy”), in Latin America the bad eyesup to Indian and African traditions which attribute to the gaze the ability to directly influence the health and fortune of others.

Since the days of Mesopotamiathe eye was depicted as a symbol of divinity and vital energy, capable of protecting but also of striking. In ancient Egypt, theeye of Horus it embodied the healing force and protection against evil, an image that already contained the double value of the gaze: bringer of life and, at the same time, vehicle of vulnerability. There Classical Greecelater, further elaborated this idea: philosophers and doctors discussed the destructive power of baskanos: it”envious look“, and the spread of eye-shaped amulets testifies to the need to defend oneself from an invisible but perceived as real danger.

The role of envy in the evil eye

At the basis of the belief in the evil eye lies a profoundly human and universal feeling: envy. Legends have it that every time an individual or family displays prosperity, health or beauty in a context of limited resources, the fear that malicious gaze of others can “contaminate” such good fortune. In ancient African and Mediterranean agricultural societies, for example, where survival was linked to uncertain harvests and a fragile social balance, the evil eye functioned as a plausible explanation of sudden misfortunes: an illness of a child, the loss of a crop, the death of a working animal.

In the absence of scientific instruments, tracing the misfortune to the individual of others made it possible to make sense of chaosto preserve a form of symbolic control and, at the same time, of regulate community tensions. The accusation of having cast the evil eye it thus becomes a form of social language, which could express latent rivalries, jealousies or power relations.

Religious symbols and amulets against the evil eye

THE protection rituals against the evil eye they are equally ancient and reveal the ability of cultures to transform anguish into concrete practices. It spreads in the eastern Mediterranean the use of the “blue eye” (nazar), amulet that still accompanies the daily life of millions of people today. In Italy, on the contrary, the Neapolitan “red horn”.heir to phallic symbolism linked to fertility and vitality. In the religious field, the holy water and the crucifixin some contexts that have little to do with faith, can also have the function of protection against evil forces in general. Particularly interesting are the secret formulas that in many Italian regions elderly women recite to “remove the evil eye”.

In an era in which science and technology seem to explain almost every aspect of reality, we continue to give space to the evil eye because belief responds to a psychological need: attribute the misfortunes to a “bad look” represents a useful mechanism for reduce anxiety and restore coherence to events perceived as uncontrollable. This is a process that psychology would define “external attribution”: shifting the cause of what happens to an external element allows you to better tolerate frustration and the sense of helplessness.

It’s not just superstition: the evil eye also continues to function as a cultural language and as an identity code. Wearing an amulet, tattooing Shiva’s hand, having a chilli pepper in your pocket, making a superstitious gesture means reaffirming belonging to a community or to a certain type of belief.

The evil eye in the age of social media

In an era dominated by image andconstant exposure on social mediathe belief in the evil eye takes on a surprisingly current meaning: publicly display your successestravel, one’s family, wealth, work and hobbies inevitably means attracting the gaze, and envy, of others. There logic of expositionin fact, seems to amplify the perception of vulnerability. “To be seen and followed” it has become a goal, but continues to be a risk: the more we show success, well-being and happiness, the more the possibility of attract malevolent glances.

In this sense, the evil eye is more than a folkloric superstition: It’s a powerful metaphor for our relationship with the social gaze, with the envy and vulnerability that comes from popularity and being exposed. It is not surprising, then, that people continue to believe it, even when they say they don’t believe it at all.