The Evil Eye

About this book

One hostile glance is believed to wither a child, spoil a harvest or bring sudden misfortune. In response, people wear amulets, make protective gestures and place strange figures over doorways.

Frederick Thomas Elworthy traces the fear of the evil eye through customs and objects from many regions. He illustrates protective hands, horns, gestures and charms used to turn away an unlucky glance. His interpretations belong to nineteenth-century folklore scholarship, while the objects record a wide variety of responses to a fear shared across cultures.