the evil eye is called apotropaic in greek.
the evil eye is called apotropaic in greek.
what is the evil eye called in greek?
apotropaic
the evil eye, known as ("mati"), "eye", as an apotropaic visual device, is known to have been a fixture in greece dating back to at least the 6th century bc, when it commonly appeared on drinking vessels. in greece, the evil eye is cast away through the process of "xematiasma" (), whereby the "healer" silently recites a secret prayer passed over from an older relative of the opposite sex, usually a grandparent. such prayers are revealed only under specific circumstances, as according to their customs those who reveal them indiscriminately lose their ability to cast off the evil eye. there are several regional versions of the prayer in question, a common one being: "holy virgin, our lady, if [insert name of the victim] is suffering of the evil eye, release him/her of it." evil repeated three times. according to custom, if one is indeed afflicted with the evil eye, both victim and "healer" then start yawning profusely. the "healer" then performs the sign of the cross three times, and emits spitting-like sounds in the air three times. a very similar ritual can be found in neighboring north macedonia and bulgaria, as well as in corsica.
evil eye
there is another form of the "test" where the "healer" prepares a few cloves by piercing each one with a pin. then she lights a candle and grabs a pinned clove with a pair of scissors. she then uses it to do the sign of the cross over the afflicted whilst the afflicted is asked to think of a person who may have given him the evil eye. then the healer holds the clove over the flame. if the clove burns silently, there is no evil eye present; however, if the clove explodes or burns noisily, that means the person in the thoughts of the afflicted is the one who has cast the evil eye. as the clove explodes, the evil eye is released from the afflicted. cloves that burn with some noise are considered to be λόγια - words - someone foul-mouthing you that you ought to be wary of. the burned cloves are extinguished into a glass of water and are later buried in the garden along with the pins as they are considered to be contaminated. greek people will also ward off the evil eye by saying φτου να μη σε ματιάξω! which translates to "i spit so that i won't give you the evil eye." contrary to popular belief, the evil eye is not necessarily given by someone wishing you ill, but it stems from admiration. since it is technically possible to give yourself the evil eye, it is advised to be humble.
evil eye