Talk:Evil eye

African American mooshoo

Seeing as though Africans taken to America were in some instances Muslims, and African Americans have been involved in Islam for a long time, why is it an occultist is credited with introducing the evil eye into African American circles? Unless there is some factual basis for this that I (in ignorance) have missed this seems to be a patronising passage that should be removed or at least verified.

Still don't understand what it is

I read most of the article and still don't understand. Is it a fae-like floating eye? Is it some invisible demon flashing looks at people? Is it just when one person looks at another with scorn? I have no clue if it is a person, thing, or idea. Is it a living thing in and of itself? Is it the way something expresses? The article is so very unclear. I have seen the talismans, but am not sure if they are the evil eye or not—and if not, how are they thought to work? Why an eye to guard against an eye?

It reminds me of "the game." As soon as you have thought about the game, you've lost the game. When you see one of those talismans you think about the evil eye, whatever that is, and otherwise, no one thinks about it. Which means the talisman rather than protecting people from a thing keep it fresh in mind all the time. Or maybe people were tricked by someone who wanted the evil eye to be everywhere and the talisman is the evil eye. Or does the talisman just stare back at the eye? Os ot like a weeping angel where you suffer if you blink while the eye is watching; so the talisman watches for you?

I just don't understand it at all because I never grew up with this folklore. So, those who do understand, please explain it as if you area talking to someone who has no clue. Because I don't have any.2604:2D80:DE11:1300:ED2A:9572:F1A4:6B7C (talk) 06:04, 2 March 2021 (UTC)

The book "The Poor, the Crippled, the Blind, and the Lame: Physical and Sensory Disability in the Gospels of the New Testament" (https://books.google.com/books?id=_hVnDwAAQBAJ, p. 105) explain it well:

It refers to the power possessed by a person to bring harm or injury (I would also add and misfortune) to others simply through one's gaze. Such powers are wrought through the feelings of envy or jealously at the happiness, beauty and prosperity of others. Gre regiment (talk) 22:27, 29 September 2022 (UTC)

Eye of Horus

I think that the Eye of Horus from ancient Egypt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus) would be an earlier precedent than eye-cups. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shanaoc (talk • contribs) 21:35, 17 October 2021 (UTC)

The evil eye in Christianity

Neither of the examples cited in Protective Talismans and Cures > By Religion > In Christianity purporting to indicate Christianity's beliefs on the evil eye have anything to do with the subject. Luke 11:34 is not talking about the evil eye in the mythological/paranormal sense; it is essentially talking about the effects of turning one's "eye" towards things Jesus considered wicked. (See Pulpit Commentary on Luke 11:34 - "If they gave way to passion, jealousy, prejudice, impurity, lawlessness in its hundred forms, then for them the spiritual eye of the soul would become diseased, and therefore incapable of rightly discerning any heavenly sign. It was this danger that the Master was pointing out to the crowd.") Mark 7:22 is cited, because the Greek words ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός literally translate "eye evil", but this is translated "envy" in most modern translations (https://biblehub.com/mark/7-22.htm). Even if this were to be translated differently, the verse is a list of sins and is not talking about "the evil eye" in the sense of the supposed supernatural phenomenon. Zomwolf (talk) 06:25, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Exactly. The proposed bits in "In Christianity" are of Hollywood and hearsay. I recently edited out said bits, leaving in place a sentence of the "evil eye" not having any significant meaning or value in Christianity. I also wrote that even if some translation could possibly come to the word pair of "evil eye" somewhere in the Bible it doesn't mean it would still be of the "evil eye" as per the article.

All my edits were reverted. How does this work - how do we replace the current sham with facts?

Thanks. Jaakko.pontinen (talk) 20:17, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

I feel obliged to agree with you @Jaakko.pontinen; the section you originally axed is a disgrace. "Original research" doesn't even begin to cover it; whoever wrote it extrapolated very obviously false information from primary sources, if you can even call the 1897 novel Dracula a primary source on christian beliefs.

The user who reverted your edit didn't justify or explain their revert in any way, which by itself straddles the line of acceptable conduct. I can only assume they mistook your contribution for vandalism. I invite you to re-submit your changes, citing this discussion thread and any wikipedia policies you find fit to support it. If they still find your contribution unacceptable, they're welcome to explain their concerns here.

Heck, I'd do it myself, but I'm too lazy to log in :P 83.5.139.163 (talk) 05:41, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

I just ripped out the bit for which we're citing Dracula. It is obviously nuts to assume, with no source saying so whatsoever, that the superstitions of one fictional group of 1890s Romanian peasants in a novel are representative of "folk Christian" belief in Europe in real life.

After reading the comments here and taking a look myself at the remainder of the "In Christianity" section, I am inclined to agree that the rest is garbage too. The citations are basically just of Bible passages (and their translations in different versions of the Bible), with no secondary sources indicating that any of those passages relate to the evil eye in the sense that this article is about. Even the versions that include the phrase "evil eye" don't clearly mention the evil eye, and in context the text does not appear to be at all connected to the superstition this article is about - "an evil eye"/"envy" is described (along with many other sinful thoughts) in Mark 7 as an "evil thought" that comes from within a person's heart and defiles them.

(I suspect that if there is any connection here at all, it might be a linguistic one - perhaps the supernatural concept of "evil eye" and the mundane concept of envy being conflated into a single word in the dialect of Greek in which the Gospels were written? But even if that's the case, absolutely nothing in the text of cited Bible passages seems on its face to hint at belief in the supernatural evil eye discussed in this Wikipedia article, even in the versions that use the phrase "evil eye".)

I'm simply going to delete the section; if there's an actual case to be made that that section of the Bible really does refer to the superstition of the evil eye, it should be backed up by secondary sources, not just editors' own Biblical interpretations which are WP:OR. ExplodingCabbage (talk) 11:50, 3 December 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Introduction to Mythology

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 16 January 2024 and 10 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Kendra.Moreno (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Kendra.Moreno (talk) 21:52, 21 April 2024 (UTC)