EVIL EYES

In many parts of the world, Evil Eyes are believed to carry magical powers to protect you or bring you luck. Turkish people believe that it absorbs bad energy coming from evil eyes, hence no place of business or home is without one.

Evil Eyes come in many styles, from simple to ornate, and they are made of glass. When a child is born, an evil eye is pinned to the garment on his or her right back shoulder for protection from other people's evil / jealous eyes.
Evil eye jewelry like necklaces, pendants, bracelets, wall decoration items, rings, earrings are also handcrafted and are believed to be protective against envious people. Evil eye beads, linked together with sterling silver, are famous in many cultures throughout the world.

What is the story behind the Evil Eye?
Dundes theorizes that the evil eye, which has a Middle-Eastern, Mediterranean, and Indo-European distribution pattern and was unknown in the Americas, Pacific Islands, Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa or Australia until the introduction of European culture, is based upon underlying beliefs about water equating to life and dryness equating to death. In short, the envious eye "dries up liquids," according to Professor Alan Dundes -- a fact that he contends demonstrates its Middle Eastern desert origins.

As Dundes points out in support of this theory, evil eye belief is geographically spread out in a radiating ring from ancient Sumer, where it apparently got its start. It is mentioned the Old Testament of the Bible and believed by modern Arabs, Jews, and Christians. The belief extends eastward to India, westward to Spain and Portugal, northward to Scandinavia and Britain, and southward into North Africa. Although many people of European descent think it is universal, in fact China has no evil eye belief -- nor does Korea, Burma, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Sumatra, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Australia (aborigine), New Zealand (aborigine), North America (native), South America (native), or any of Africa south of the Sahara. It is generally referred to by scholars as a Semitic and Indo-European belief. The Westernmost pre-Columbian outpost of evil eye belief was along the Atlantic coast -- Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, and France; the easternmost pre-Columbian outpost of evil eye belief was India.

The epicenter of currently active evil eye belief is in nations along the Mediterranean and Aegean shores, plus India and the South American countries most influenced by Spanish conquest. It is now a fairly widespread belief among indigenous people in Latin America. Colonialists also spread it to North America, Australia, and New Zealand.