Evil Eye: The History and Cultural Significance

A piercing blue gaze meets yours from the beads of a bracelet, pendant of a necklace, or key chain danging from a waist.

This symbol, the “evil eye,” can be traced back to 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian tablets and continues to prevail in modern fashion, according to a 2017 Indian Journal of Scientific Research study.

Today, many cultures still use it as a form of protection from envy – why? How did a blue eye translate into a protective symbol against a timeless, universal superstition about envy?