Eye Motifs
Eyes used as a recurring subject, theme, symbols, etc.

(permanent link) added: 2012-04-28 09:11:26 sponsor: Beed28 (last reply: 2012-10-10 01:03:44)

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The eyes are the window to the soul, or so we're often told. It's probably not surprising, then, that eyes are one of the most common Body Motifs. When eyes turn up in a symbolic role, they are normally linked to themes of perception, vigilance, and, occasionally, psychic powers (as in "the third eye"). On a more ominous level, eyes can be linked to deception, illusion and being under constant surveillance. They are also linked to appearances -- both the superficial and the ability to see something's true nature.

As with all motifs, the motif can take the form of an actual eye, or simply a symbol of one: for example, a tattoo, a piece of jewellery or other MacGuffin, or a sign on a wall. It's also worth remembering that eyes are extremely vulnerable, so the motif might be the absence of an eye. In such circumstances, the theme may become blindness (both literal and metaphorical) and compromised perception.


Anime and Manga
  • Each Millennium Item in Yu-Gi-Oh! has an eye on it somewhere.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion and Rebuild features several including: SEELE's logo, Asuka's Eye Scream of EoE (and it's reference to it in Rebuild), Sahaquiel and several more if one looks for them.
  • In Soul Eater Asura the Kishin has a symbol which consists of three eyes turned on their sides. Pretty relevant since his "thing" is madness (distorted perception) born from paranoia (hence the extra eye). People who're going insane frequently hallucinate faces (their own and others) being replaced with one with the symbol in place of its eyes.
  • Pride in FMAB. Most of his attacks involve shadows, which are depicted as covered in eyes.
  • The Jagan Eye in YuYu Hakusho is one of Hiei's major themes - it gives him several mental powers, as well as glowing when he uses Dark Flame techniques.

  • In Blade Runner, the use of a 'shining eyes' technique is deliberately used by the film directors to denote replicants (Androids) and man-made animals giving the aesthetics view of a lens' flare.
    • The film opens with the futuristic landscape reflected in the close-up of an eye. When the Tyrell building comes into view, it evokes the image of the pyramid with the all-seeing eye above it. Replicants can be recognized by an eye exam. Photographs (the eye of the camera) are important to Replicants. Pris' makeup is all white, except for a strip of red across her eyes. The Replicants locate Tyrell via the man who made their eyes. When Batty finally meets Tyrell, he gouges his eyes out. When Batty dies, he tells Decker of the wonders his eyes have seen.
  • In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL communicates via the red eye of its camera, and we see the lightshow of the stargate reflected in Bowman's eye.
  • Eyes are a motif in Minority Report. Among them:
    • The pre-cogs "see" crimes before they happen in their mind's eye.
    • People's eyes are constantly scanned at checkpoints for identity verification.
    • Anderton has his eyes replaced to hide his identity from scanners and the spiders.
    • In the opening sequence, the "pre-criminal" Howard Marks returns home for his glasses ("You know how blind I am without them"), only to find his wife in bed with another man.
      • Earlier his son plunges a pair of scissors through the eyes of a cardboard picture of Abraham Lincoln, the same instrument Howard later attempts to drive into his unfaithful wife's eyes.
    • The drug dealer who sells Anderton his narcotics has no eyes so he cannot be identified.
    • Agatha asks Anderton several times throughout the film, "Can you see?", a physical as well as metaphysical question.
    • "The eyes of the nation are upon us," Director Burgess tells Anderton in warning him about the upcoming vote on the Pre-Crime Unit.
    • Whenever the cops see Anderton (or any other pre-criminal), they say, "We have eyes on him."
  • In Coraline, the titular character discovers an alternate, seemingly perfect version of her own world in which everyone's nicer, the food's better, and everyone has buttons for eyes. She's given the chance to stay forever if she sews buttons into her own eyes. A recurring motif throughout the film isn't a human eye, but rather a doll's eye- a round, black, button with four holes in the middle.


Live Action TV


  • Argus Panoptes from Greek mythology; the giant with many eyes (different account give him from 4 to 100 eyes), who was the watcher of Io.
  • The Eye of Providence is an eye symbol usually combined with a pyramid or triangle, which was originally used by the Horus cult of ancient Egypt. It was adopted by gnostic Christianity, and has since become representative of the Illuminati and later Freemasonry. It is part of the Great Seal of the United States of America. The idea of the eye as symbolic of omniscience or mystical intelligence probably originates from this.

Video Games
  • The Reaverbots of Mega Man Legends are usually accotiated with their round red eye, with Reaverbot bosses having the eye shown in their health bars. Eden at the end of the first game also has a large eye symbol on its underside.
    • These Reaverbot eyes also show up in Hyleg Ourobockle's and Burble Hekelot's stages in Mega Man Zero 2.
  • In the Legend of Zelda series, Ganondorf, Agahnim, and the Sheikah Tribe tend to have a recurring eye motif. Vaati, however, takes the cake, with most of his One-Winged Angel forms being based around an eye. In The Minish Cap, when he takes over Hyrule Castle, he even decorates the place with eye markings.
  • Many Kirby enemies and bosses have prominent eye motifs; ex. Kracko, Waddle Doo, Wheelie, etc. They are especially prominent in a number of final boss One-Winged Angel forms; ex. Drawcia Soul, Magolor Soul, Zero, and Dark Nebula.
  • In the Diablo franchise, the seal of the Horadrim order includes what could be a pair of very stylised eyes, dripping, within a triangle.

  • In Drowtales, the [[http://wiki.drowtales.com/index.php/Val'Kyorl'solenurn Val'Kyorl'solenurn clan]]'s symbol is the eye of an aware. It's embrouidered onto the front lower panel of clothing and battle flags, as well as tattooed onto the forehead.
    • The symbol of the imperial family is nine gemstones shaped like eyes.

  • CBS's corporate logo is a simplified eye. Sometimes played with in CBS Sports CGI, where the outer circle becomes a basketball, the cornea a football, and the iris a baseball or soccer ball.
  • The ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus was a symbol of protection.
    • It morphed into the physician's "Rx" logo, at least according to some theories.

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