Evil Eye

From time immemorial, people, from gut feelings, we instantly become wary of strangers with greedy or mean eyes. We know from experience, that effusive praises should be taken with a pinch of salt, for behind all the gushes, smiles and the adoring eyes, the person is probably itching to wring your necks or stab you from behind. The Turks have devised the Evil Eye Pendant to guard themselves from such not-so-well-meaning people with their necessarily evil eyes. The Turkish Evil Eye Pendant or the Nazar Boncugu, which literally means the "evil eye bead", is actually a stone bead, which is worn to protect oneself from evil looks. The stone is an amalgamation of molten glass, iron, copper, water and salt. This particular combination of minerals and metals is believed to provide a shield from the forces of evil. The Evil Eye pendant has the symbol of an eye worked upon it. The symbol of the eye is regarded as a potent amulet for protection against evil forces in almost every culture of the world like Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian. Thus, in Turkey, you have an eye for an eye. It is believed that the Nazar Boncugu deflects the negative energy that is being directed towards a person onto itself, thus dispersing its powers. The Nazar Boncugu is blue in color and the age-old Anatolian belief is that it is actually the blue color of the stone, which holds the real shielding power and absorbs the negative energy. This is not surprising since the people in many Mediterranean nations ardently believe in the protective powers of the blue color. That is why; front doors of houses in these Mediterranean countries are painted blue to ward off evil spirits. The evil eye pendant is attached to anything and everything that, it is felt, will attract envy and greed. Thus, you will find a Turkish man attaching the evil eye pendant in front of his house or office, hanging it from the neck of his newborn child, or his farm animals and even on his newly acquired machinery. You will find the pendant being inserted into the foundations of modern offices and even come across it in Turkish web pages. What is more, there is no religious bar in the use of the evil eye pendant. Thus, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, use this lucky charm. The evil eye pendant is still hand crafted using primitive means, by highly skilled glass workers who are carrying on a 3000 year old craft. The pendant can be worn in a necklace or a bracelet.