[Toms777]

The "Evil Eye" originated in Italy. My friend ron is from Italy and I asked him. I noticed some people answered and said it was egyptian. It's not that was the eye of Horus-similar but not the same. The Evil Eye in Italy is a way to curse people. The "devil horns" sign in rock music was originally a charm to ward off the evil eye. If you stick your first finger and pinkie up and keep the rest of the fingers down with the back of your hand facing someone, you are cursing them with the evil eye. If you do it with the back of your hand towards you, you are warding off the evil eye.
As for the guy in the store, he was probably just pissed off. No one can curse you from looking at you. Maybe you felt weird because he was an evil person.
Hope this helps:D

A supposed power of bewitching or harming by spiteful looks, attributed to certain persons as a natural endowment. The belief that a glance can damage life and property is wide-spread among both savage and civilized peoples (for the Chaldeans and Egyptians see Lehmann, "Aberglaube und Zauberei," p. 32, Stuttgart, 1898; Budge, "Egyptian Magic," pp. 97 et seq. London, 1899; Lane, "Customs and Usages of the Egyptians of To-day" [German transl. by Zenker], ii. 66; and L. Krehl, "Der Talisman James Richardson's," p. 7, s.v. "Araber," Leipsic, 1865). This belief was also held by the Jews in Biblical times (see Jew. Encyc. i. 546, s.v. Amulet).

Simeon ben Yoḥai and the popular amora R. Johanan could, with a look, transform people into a heap of bones (Pesiḳ. 90b, 137a; B. M. 84a; B. Ḳ. 11a; see Blau, "Das Altjüdische Zauberwesen," p. 50). According to R. Eliezer (Sanh. 93a), Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, after they had been rescued from the fiery furnace, were killed by the many eyes which were directed at them in astonishment. "When R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was shut out of the place of teaching, every spot upon which he turned his eye was burned up; even a grain of wheat upon which his glance fell was half burned while the other half remained untouched, and the pillars of the gathering-place of the scholars trembled" (B. M. 59b; Shab. 33b). Even over the first two tables of the Covenant, because they were given publicly, the eye had power (Grünhut, "Liḳḳuṭim," v. 128a = 'Aruk, s.v. ). According to Rab (Yer. Shab. Xiv. 14c; B. M. 107b), out of 100 people 99 die through the evil eye. Large masses of people provoke the evil eye, wherefore Joshua (Josh. Xvii. 15) advised the sons of Joseph to get themselves up to the forest that the evil eye might not injure them (B. B. 118a). Jacob also said to his sons when they went down into Egypt: "Do not all enter at the same gate on account of the eye" (Gen. R. xci.). Prominent men are peculiarly susceptible to the evil eye. When the people demanded that Judah I. should come up to the pulpit from the school-bench, his father, the patriarch Simeon ben Gamaliel, said: "I have one dove among you, and do you wish to take him from me by destroying him?" meaning thereby, "If Judah I. is raised to the leader's place, the evil eye from the audience may harm him" (B. M. 84b).

To the descendants of Joseph the evil eye can do no manner of harm (Ber. 20a). Whoever is on the point of entering a city and is afraid of the evil eye, should stick his right thumb in his left hand, and his left thumb in his right, and say: "I, N. N., son of N. N., am of the seed of Joseph, whom the evil eye may not touch" (Ber. 55b). The saying is Jewish; the gesture rests on the heathenish notion that obscene gestures protect against the evil eye. The Talmud teachers, however, probably no longer knew the meaning of the gesture prescribed. A glance at the left side of the nose also protects against the evil eye (Ber. l.c.). In the case of a horse protection is effected by hanging between his eyes a fox's tail (Tosef. Shab. iv. 5).

Effect on Inanimate Objects.

The evil eye could also affect lifeless objects. Rab forbids standing in a neighbor's field when the corn is in the ear (B. M. 107a). A garment found should not be spread over the bed when guests are in the house, for "it will be burned by the eye" of the guests (B. M. 30a). Blessing comes only upon those things which are hidden from the eye (Ta'an. 8b).

Many a superstition owes its origin to etymology. Shab. 67a says: "If a tree lets its fruit fall, it should be painted red and loaded with stones" (comp. Pliny, "Hist. Naturalis," xviii. 86). Painting the tree red protects it from the evil eye, having the meaning of both "dyeing red" and "glancing." The harm that comes from the eye is neutralized by hanging something between the eyes. The superstitions of the Middle Ages were the same as those of the Talmud period, with the exception that at the later epoch the Jews had more remedies against the influence of the evil glance (comp. Zohar, Num. xxiv.; Manasseh ben Israel, "Nishmat Ḥayyim," p. 141, Amsterdam, 1651).

The belief in the "'en ha-ra'" still prevails in Asia and eastern Europe and to a certain extent in western Europe also.

Children are especially susceptible to the influence of the evil eye. On account of their beauty they arouse the envy of the mothers of other children, who cast upon them their evil glances; but "wise women" understand how to counteract the influence which such glances may exert. R. Ḥisda says: "If the first child be a girl this is a good omen for the succeeding boys, because the evil eye is in that case not irritated."

In Folk-Lore.

In Slavic lands old women throw live coals into water, with which they sprinkle the four corners of the room, reciting the while certain formulas as a safeguard against the evil eye (Rubin, "Geschichte des Aberglaubens," etc. p. 164; Grunwald, "Mitteilungen," etc. v. 41, No. 88). People light the Habdalah candle and hold it before the child's open mouth, extinguishing it so as to make the smokego into the mouth (Grunwald, l.c. p. 40, note). This is probably an imitation of Catholic exorcism by means of incense. "A piece of bread and salt or of the maẓẓah from Passover is put into the pockets of particularly beautiful children. A piece from the garment of the person who is suspected of having exercised the charm . . . is placed on glowing coals and the smoke blown into the child's face" (Grunwald, ib.). Adults wear rings or beads of amber on a string around the neck as a protection against the evil eye (Rubin, l.c. p. 179; Grunwald, l.c. v. 60, No. 198, note). The bridegroom, whose conjugal happiness is envied by some one, is especially susceptible to the influence of the evil eye. He may protect himself by walking backward (Grunwald, l.c. i. 87, v. 33, note 42). In olden times children were not taken to the wedding-feast for fear of the evil eye in the crowd (Lev. R. xxvi. 7; Tan. Emor, 4; comp. also Grunwald, l.c. i. 36, 99).

Bibliography: Winer, B. R. ii. 720;
Wuttke, Der Deutsche, Volksaberglaube der Gegenwart, Index;
Lenormant, Magie und Wahrsagekunst der Chaldäer, Jena, 1878;
Budge, Egyptian Magic, London, 1899;
Lane, Customs and Usages of the Egyptians of To-day (German transl. by Zenker, ii. 66);
L. Krehl, Der Talisman James Richardson's, p. 7, s.v. Araber, Leipsic, 1865;
Elworthy, The Evil Eye, London, 1895;
Daremberg-Saglio, Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, ii. 983;
A. Kohut, Jüdische Angelologie und Dämonologie, p. 58, Leipsic, 1866;
D. Joël, Der Aberglaube und die Stellung des Judenthums zu Demselben, p. 63, Breslau, 1881;
Blau, Das Aujüdische, Zauberwesen, pp. 153-156, 165, Strasburg, 1898;
Grünbaum, Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Sprach-und Sagenkunde, ed. Perles, pp. 105, 521, 557, Berlin, 1901;
M. Grunwald, Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Jüdische Volkskunde, 1901, part vii. s.v. Böser Blick;
S. Rubin, Gesch. Des Aberglaubens bei Allen Völkern mit Besonderem Hinblick auf das Jüdische Volk, Vienna, 1887;
Revue des Ecoles de l'Alliance Israélite, 1901, No. 2, p. 161;
No. 3, pp. 198-208;
1902, No. 5, p. 362.K. L. B.

[speedball1]

The Evil Eye= A sharp glance. A cutting look. A piercing stare. If looks could kill.


When it comes to the human head, no feature has quite the reputation for villainy as the old hairy eyeball.
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We don't refer to the murderous mouth, the nasty nostril or the baleful ear. Oh, the tongue may lash, but its bark is worse than its bite. True terror resides in the eye.
It has always been this way, or at least as close to always as we can tell. The theme of the Evil Eye runs deep and wide in human history. Universally it describes a look inspired by maliciousness or jealousy. Also universally it is blamed for causing everything from garden-variety bad luck to toothaches, headaches, disease and death. An envious Evil Eye falling on your pigs may presage an impending sausage shortage. And to this day in Turkey, many parents keep new babies under wraps for 40 days, for fear that their defenseless beauty will inspire a jealous glance.

Many Turks still use blue-glass "eye" brooches to ward off the gruesome gaze. "Silly them," you say, but you may be wearing an Evil Eye charm, too. Here's a partial list of items whose roots may be anti-ophthalmological:


Lockets

One old European Evil Eye defense was to write spells or prayers on a piece of paper, and stuff it in a little container to wear on your body. Colonial Americans were partial to heart-shaped containers.

Battle decorations

Warriors believed that distracting and flashy décor on helmets and shields would derail the enemy's perilous peepers.

Eye make-up

Indian women drew black lines around their eyes not only to shield themselves from the Evil Eye, but also to ensure that they didn't accidentally inflict the Evil Eye on their friends.

Harness gew-gaws

Livestock, which incited envy in days of yore just as surely as do Mercedes and Porsches today, were equally vulnerable to the Evil Eye. Baubles and red yarn distracted the green-eyed gaze. (Jealousy is said to be green-eyed; likewise, blue and green eyes are often suspected of being the evil ones.)

Animal brooches and charms

Animals with unusual eyes -- foxes, grasshoppers, snakes, fish, snails, toads -- were often accused of wielding the Evil Eye. But, perversely, their images, worn on the body, evolved into protections against it.

Why the eye?
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"Staring is a way of asserting one's dominance and of expressing interest in another person," says Ohio State University psychologist Gerald Winer. "It can be viewed as an intrusion. And it's a short step from casting a glance to casting a spell."
Winer's research has shown that many children -- and even college students -- believe some type of emanation from the eye facilitates the process of seeing, a belief that mirrors ancient theory. Furthermore he speculates that the act of looking, which is more obviously focused than the act of, say, listening, makes it seem more invasive. These aspects of looking, plus all that emotional "window of the soul" stuff, make the eyes a formidable force indeed, and ripe for supernatural speculation.


Raise your hand if you can tell when someone's staring at you, or if you think you can get someone's attention by staring at the back of her head.
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The vast majority of college students subscribe to this theory, Winer says, and unlike superstitions about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, this one gets stronger with age, not weaker.
Yeah, I said superstition. Numerous experiments have demonstrated that people can't tell when they're being watched, and Winer is openly skeptical of the few experiments that found people can tell.

Don't you feel dumb? You're walking around wearing an anti-Evil Eye amulet, plus you believe you can bounce vision-beams off your friend's head to make her turn around. Heh. Starman is mistaken. Satan didn't bestow the evil eye. I got it from my exwife every time I suggested sex. Ok! Satan might have invented it but my exwife perfected it.

Hey, stop giving me the Evil Eye. I can feel that.

[Marily]

What did the f and the s o b stands for in your post?

[NeedKarma]

What did the f and the s o b stands for in your post?

Swearing. There is a reason why she had been banned.

[godiva]

O.K. so going to the grocery store is usually mediocre. The other day,there I was, turning around to move my cart from an island where they keep cold sandwiches & stuff. So I turn around, ready to go forward, and there was this man(about 60) giving me this look. There was no reason for the look b/c there was 2 cart lengths between us. I smiled lightly to proceed. I caught a glimpse of the "wife". Now, she just looked unhappy at the time. But I hadn't seen anything like that look in a long time. A touch of anger(actually looking above his single visions) Maybe even vacuous, but certainly not pleasant. I thought to myself "what a f weido". But as I went a few aisles down, I thought - "did that s.o.b. just give me the evil eye?" I got to my car & started rebuking & praying for myself.

Is there such a thing? Do you believe any of it? Or is it just a very mean eye or even jealous eye? :cool:

It's simply a means of empowering oneself through the use intimidation

[jackashley5]

O.K. so going to the grocery store is usually mediocre. The other day,there I was, turning around to move my cart from an island where they keep cold sandwiches & stuff. So I turn around, ready to go forward, and there was this man(about 60) giving me this look. There was no reason for the look b/c there was 2 cart lengths between us. I smiled lightly to proceed. I caught a glimpse of the "wife". Now, she just looked unhappy at the time. But I hadn't seen anything like that look in a long time. A touch of anger(actually looking above his single visions) Maybe even vacuous, but certainly not pleasant. I thought to myself "what a f weido". But as I went a few aisles down, I thought - "did that s.o.b. just give me the evil eye?" I got to my car & started rebuking & praying for myself.

Is there such a thing? Do you believe any of it? Or is it just a very mean eye or even jealous eye? :cool:

Yes there is a thing called the evil eye it's the hexergram with a eye in the middle its colked on you protty and its spouse to cures the house