The Evil Eye and the Nazar
Ancient Greek and Roman writers already discussed the belief in detail, and it appears in early Islamic tradition. Alan Dundes's influential essay 'Wet and Dry, the Evil Eye' argued that it rests on a worldview equating life with moisture, so the envious eye is feared for drying up milk, crops, potency and health.
Pliny, Natural History 7.16–18; Alan Dundes, 'Wet and Dry, the Evil Eye: An Essay in Indo-European and Semitic Worldview', in Interpreting Folklore (1980), repr. in The Evil Eye: A Casebook (1981)
A near-universal Mediterranean and Near Eastern belief that an envious gaze can cause harm, warded off by a blue-and-white eye-shaped amulet.
