The history and meaning behind the famous “evil eye"

Protection eyes are everywhere! 

If you are a big fan of using evil eyes to protect yourself, you are one of us! But you might be wondering how it protects you and where the belief comes from. 

Here are your answers…

The evil eye (also known in Spanish as mal de ojo) is a malicious look or stare that can cause bad luck or misfortune to the person who receives the evil eye or the person it was directed to. 

The evil eye jewels have become symbols of protection. They are amulets made to protect you against these energies that usually come from envy. They originally mostly came in blue and green colors in the shape of eyes. Nevertheless, the designs have changed over the years. It has become more and more common to see evil eyes of various colors and eye shapes. 

But they are not only showing up in jewelry, it’s also normal for different glass versions to be hung in homes or business entryways. 

Let's go back in time… 

The evil eye has become a worldwide symbol. But it’s not new, its origins date back to at least the 6th century B.C. in Greece. It has appeared in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim culture, and the Buddhist and Hindu society.

Around the 6th century B.C., the first evil eyes appeared on drinking vessels. Plato, Hesiod, and Plutarch all described how the evil eye worked, describing it as a curse given to someone when they were unaware and even saying that it could be the source of deadly rays. 

Despite appearing differently in some cultures, it keeps its meaning. Evil eyes are harmful expressions that you can be protected from. However, if you are not protected, these malicious intentions could cause actual disasters for a person.

Historically, all the illnesses that did not have an immediate apparent cause were created by the evil eye. In ancient Greece and Rome, gods and goddesses would punish those who were very proud of their achievements to restore them to the level of mortals. 

We think it’s super interesting how the meaning of protection has stuck through the years while so many historical elements have been forgotten! 

Let’s travel back to 2021…

To this day, there is some sort of belief in the evil eye on every single continent. As we said, this belief is shared by several religions and cultures.

It was not only ancient Romans who feared the evil eye. People in Europe, Asia, The Middle East, and America fear it. Even in the Islamic culture, excessive praise is believed to bring the influence of evil eyes. Hence, they try to not praise kids or to always do it under God’s protection. 

If we went to Turkey, we would notice it's still a tradition to bring an evil eye to newborn children for their protection. 

Evil eye vs. evil eye amulet 

We have been talking about the evil eye as two things: the curse and the amulet. However, we probably should say that there is a difference between the two. 

The bracelets, necklaces, and accessories are often called “evil eyes,” but these are just charms meant to repeal the effects that evil eyes can have. The amulet is also known as Nazar. On the contrary, the evil eye is the dangerous or malicious look itself.

Some of the names that the evil eye or the amulets receive are:

French - Mauvais Oeil 

German - Böse Blick

Arabic - ayin hasad

Hungarian - Szemmelverés

Swedish - Ondaögat

Spanish - Mal de ojo or Ojo turco

Irish - Droch-shùil

We believe in ALWAYS being protected.