The Evil Eye

The Evil Eye PDF Author: Alan Dundes
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN: 9780299133344
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
The evil eye--the power to inflict illness, damage to property, or even death simply by gazing at or praising someone--is among the most pervasive and powerful folk beliefs in the Indo-European and Semitic world. It is also one of the oldest, judging from its appearance in the Bible and in Sumerian texts five thousand years old. Remnants of the superstition persist today when we drink toasts, tip waiters, and bless sneezers. To avert the evil eye, Muslim women wear veils, baseball players avoid mentioning a no-hitter in progress, and traditional Jews say their business or health is "not bad" (rather than "good"). Though by no means universal, the evil eye continues to be a major factor in the behavior of millions of people living in the Mediterranean and Arab countries, as well as among immigrants to the Americas. This widespread superstition has attracted the attention of many scholars, and the twenty-one essays gathered in this book represent research from diverse perspectives: anthropology, classics, folklore studies, ophthalmology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, sociology, and religious studies. Some essays are fascinating reports of beliefs about the evil eye, from India and Iran to Scotland and Slovak-American communities; others analyze the origin, function, and cultural significance of this folk belief from ancient times to the present day. Editor Alan Dundes concludes the volume by proffering a comprehensive theoretical explanation of the evil eye. Anyone who has ever knocked on wood to ward off misfortune will enjoy this generous sampling of evil eye scholarship, and may never see the world through the same eyes again.

The Evil Eye

The Evil Eye PDF Author: Alan Dundes
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN: 9780299133344
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 334

Get Book Here

Book Description
The evil eye--the power to inflict illness, damage to property, or even death simply by gazing at or praising someone--is among the most pervasive and powerful folk beliefs in the Indo-European and Semitic world. It is also one of the oldest, judging from its appearance in the Bible and in Sumerian texts five thousand years old. Remnants of the superstition persist today when we drink toasts, tip waiters, and bless sneezers. To avert the evil eye, Muslim women wear veils, baseball players avoid mentioning a no-hitter in progress, and traditional Jews say their business or health is "not bad" (rather than "good"). Though by no means universal, the evil eye continues to be a major factor in the behavior of millions of people living in the Mediterranean and Arab countries, as well as among immigrants to the Americas. This widespread superstition has attracted the attention of many scholars, and the twenty-one essays gathered in this book represent research from diverse perspectives: anthropology, classics, folklore studies, ophthalmology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, sociology, and religious studies. Some essays are fascinating reports of beliefs about the evil eye, from India and Iran to Scotland and Slovak-American communities; others analyze the origin, function, and cultural significance of this folk belief from ancient times to the present day. Editor Alan Dundes concludes the volume by proffering a comprehensive theoretical explanation of the evil eye. Anyone who has ever knocked on wood to ward off misfortune will enjoy this generous sampling of evil eye scholarship, and may never see the world through the same eyes again.

Evil Eyes

Evil Eyes PDF Author: Corey Mitchell
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
ISBN: 0786037806
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
A deep dive into the twisted mind of “The Sunday Morning Slasher” from the Los Angeles Times–bestselling author, “the leading voice of true crime” (Dennis McDougal). More victims than Bundy . . . In Houston, Texas, on a Sunday morning in spring, Carl “Coral” Eugene Watts trapped two young women in their apartment. Only hours before, he’d killed another woman by drowning her in her bathtub. As Watts attempted to do the same to twenty-year-old Lori Lister, her roommate made a daring escape, leading to Watts’s arrest. Watts confessed to thirteen murders, but with no direct evidence, he managed to plea bargain his sentence down to sixty years for burglary. Through the untiring efforts of investigators and the mother of one of his victims, Watts was finally convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, where he remained the prime suspect in dozens of other slayings. Experts theorized that Watts may have slain more than Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy . . . combined! Bestselling author Corey Mitchell tells the chilling story of how he almost got away with murder. Praise for the writing of Corey Mitchell “Corey Mitchell empathized with crime victims in a unique and personal way. That empathy is evident in every true crime book he wrote.” —Suzy Spencer, New York Times–bestselling author “No one faces evil head on like Corey Mitchell.” —Gregg Olsen, New York Times–bestselling author “Corey Mitchell uncovers yet another level of the insanity behind the world of youth and violence.” —Aphrodite Jones, New York Times–bestselling author

Mal'uocchiu

Mal'uocchiu PDF Author: Sam Migliore
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 9780802079220
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
The evil eye has received considerable attention in the literature of disciplines as diverse as anthropology and medicine. Researchers have attempted to identify and explain this essentially ambiguous and variable phenomenon from a number of perspectives - as a culture-bound syndrome, an idiom of distress, a mechanism of social control, and a representation of psychobiological fear. In Mal'uocchiu: Ambiguity, Evil Eye, and the Language of Distress, Sam Migliore shifts the focus of discussion from paradigms to a practical examination of how people use the notion of the evil eye in a variety of sociocultural contexts, particularly in various aspects of Sicilian-Canadian culture and experience. Drawing on the theories of Luigi Pirandello and Ludwig Wittgenstein, Migliore argues that mal'uocchiu, and by implication other folk constructs, is like a character in search of an author to give it 'form' or 'meaning.' The book begins by considering the indeterminate nature of the evil-eye complex. Migliore proposes that this indeterminacy allows people to create myriad alternative meanings and messages to define and make sense of their personal experiences. He then examines how the evil eye relates to Sicilian-Canadian conceptions of health and illness, and discusses treatment and prevention strategies. Throughout the study, the author blends context-setting, case studies, personal recollection, and interpretation to provide readers with an accessible, alternative look at the multifaceted nature of this folk tradition. His position as both an anthropologist and a community 'insider' affords him a unique perspective on the subject. This study will be essential reading for students of medical anthropology, religion, and ethnic studies.

Beware the Evil Eye Volume 4

Beware the Evil Eye Volume 4 PDF Author: John H. Elliott
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498230725
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
This first full-scale study of the Evil Eye in the Bible and the biblical communities has traced in four volumes evidence of Evil Eye belief and practice in the ancient world from Mesopotamia (c. 3000 BCE) to Late Roman Antiquity (c. 600 CE). The fourth and final volume considers the literary and material evidence of the unabated thriving of Evil Eye belief and practice in Israel following the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE (chapter 1) and in early Christianity (chapter 2) through Late Antiquity (500-600 CE), with a brief reference to Evil Eye lore in early Islam. Numerous cross-references relate the subject matter of this volume to that of the previous three. A concluding Epilogue (chapter 3) offers some final thoughts on this survey of Evil Eye belief and practice in antiquity and their role in conceptualizing and combatting the pernicious forces of evil in daily life. Beside presenting the first full-scale monograph on the Evil Eye in the Bible and the biblical communities (volumes 3 and 4), the volumes summarize a century of research since the milestone two-volume study of Siegfried Seligmann, Der bose Blick und Verwandtes (1910), and they describe the ecological, historical, social, and cultural contexts within which the biblical texts are best understood. Throughout the study, the Evil Eye in antiquity is treated not as an instance of vulgar superstition or deluded magic, but as a physiological, psychological, and moral phenomenon whose operation was deemed explicable on rational grounds.

The World's Eye

The World's Eye PDF Author: Albert M. Potts
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813157757
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
Greek vases and Peruvian bottles, Chinese bronzes and African masks, Tel Brak idols and Egyptian tomb paintings—artifacts ancient and modern reveal man's universal fascination with the eye and his awe before its mysterious powers. In this wide-ranging and richly illustrated essay Albert M. Potts considers the special properties the human mind has ascribed to the eye over the millenia and seeks out its peculiar significance as symbol. Amulets against the Evil Eye persist today in nearly every part of the world. Almost as pervasive is the conception of the Good Eye, itself used as a protective amulet. The Eye of Horus, for example, was one of the holiest symbols of the ancient Egyptian religion, and its descendants can still be found in the Mediterranean basin. Using artifacts and texts, the folklore of our own times, and aspects of the unconscious revealed by Jungian psychology, Potts reveals the diverse forms and meanings of this powerful symbol.

Faces around the World

Faces around the World PDF Author: Margo DeMello
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1598846183
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive examination of the human face, providing fascinating information from biological, cultural, and social perspectives. Our faces identify who we are—not only what we look like and what ethnicities we belong to, but they can also identify what religions we practice and what personal ideologies we have. This one-of-a-kind A–Z reference explores the ways we change, beautify, and adorn our faces to create our personalities and identities. In addition to covering the basics such as the anatomical structure and function of parts of the human face, the entries examine how the face is viewed around the world, allowing students to easily draw connections and differences between various cultures around the world. Readers will learn about a wide variety of topics, including identity in different cultures; religious beliefs; folklore; extreme beautification; the "evil eye;" scarification; facial piercing and facial tattooing masks; social views about beauty including cosmetic surgery and makeup; how gender, class and sexuality play a role in our understanding of the face; and skin, eye, mouth, nose, and ear diseases and disorders. This encyclopedia is ideal for high school and undergraduate students studying anthropology, anatomy, gender, religion, and world cultures.

The Evil Eye

The Evil Eye PDF Author: Mary Shelley
Publisher: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ISBN: 8726595826
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
When his wife is murdered and his daughter abducted, Dmitri is drawn into a life of violence and crime. Alone in the Albanian mountains, Dmitri becomes a skilled criminal but his actions uncover a secret that force him to kidnap another man’s child. Set in Albania and Greece, this Gothic tale of love and revenge is perfect for readers of crime stories like the ‘The Godfather’. ‘The Evil Eye’ (1829) is a classic short story by the English writer Mary Shelley, famous for her best-selling novel ‘Frankenstein’. Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was an English author and travel writer best known for her ground-breaking Gothic novel ‘Frankenstein’ (1818). Considered one of the first true works of science-fiction, the book became an instant bestseller. It has been adapted for TV, stage, and film on many occasions, with Boris Karloff famously playing Frankenstein’s monster on screen in 1933. Other adaptations include ‘Mary Shelley's Frankenstein’ (1994) starring Kenneth Branagh and Robert De Niro and ‘Viktor Frankenstein’ (2015) starring Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy. Shelley’s other novels include Valperga (1823), The Last Man (1826), Perkin Warbeck (1830), Lodore (1835), Falkner (1837) and the posthumously published Mathilde (1959). However, she will always be remembered as the creator of Frankenstein. The book continues to influence filmmakers, writers and popular culture to this day, inspiring and terrifying new audiences the world over.

Gospel Perspectives, Volume 5

Gospel Perspectives, Volume 5 PDF Author: David Wenham
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1592446329
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 459

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Book Description
In their search for the historical Jesus, scholars have rightly focused their attention on the evidence of the four canonical gospels, but they have often given insufficient attention to the importance of other early Christian writings. This volume by an international team of authors, writing under the auspices of the Tyndale House Gospels Research Project, seeks to shed light on the gospels from outside the gospels. It includes essays on Paul's use of the Jesus tradition, the evidence of other New Testament writers, the Gospel of Thomas, the apocryphal gospels, the apostolic fathers, and on Jewish and classical traditions. The essays break new ground in various respects; and the volume as a whole, which is concluded by Dr. Richard Bauckham with an article on the problems and prospects of studying non-canonical gospel traditions, should prove a significant stimulus to ongoing research in this neglected area.

Superstition: A Very Short Introduction

Superstition: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Stuart Vyse
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192551310
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Is breaking a mirror just an expensive waste of glass, or something rather more sinister? Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today? This Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behaviour remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune. Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Evil Eye

Evil Eye PDF Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802194028
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
“A quartet of shrewd and unnerving novellas about toxic entanglements” from the National Book Award–winning author (Booklist). Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most prominent writers of her generation, and she is fearless when exploring the most disturbing corners of human nature. In Evil Eye, Oates offers four chilling tales about love so powerful that people might die—or kill—for it. In the title story, we meet Mariana, the young fourth wife of a prominent intellectual. When her husband’s first wife comes to visit, Mariana learns a terrible secret that threatens her marriage and sanity. In “So Near Any Times Always,” shy teenager Lizbeth meets Desmond, a charming older boy who offers the first spark of romance. Yet as their relationship blossoms, Lizbeth realizes that a menacing soul lies beneath Desmond’s perfect façade. In “The Execution,” spoiled college student Bart Hansen has planned the perfect crime to get back at his condescending parents. What he didn’t plan on was the resilience of his mother’s love, even in the face of death. And in “The Flatbed,” childhood trauma has prevented Cecelia from enjoying physical intimacy with a man. But when she meets the love of her life, Cecelia must confront the demon who stole her innocence long ago. With the razor-sharp prose that has made Joyce Carol Oates a living legend, Evil Eye shows love as sporadically magical, mysterious, and murderous. “A dazzling, disturbing, tour de force of Gothic suspense: four odd, compelling, ingeniously narrated tales that gain in power and resonance when read in conjunction with each other.” —The Boston Globe “Exquisitely suspenseful. . . . The relationships between the damaged, sometimes monstrous individuals who people these pages will keep the reader riveted.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review