There is nothing more dreaded by the people, nor considered more deadly
in its effects, than the Evil Eye.
It may strike at any moment unless the greatest precautions are taken,
and even then there is no true help possible unless the fairy doctor is
at once summoned to pronounce the mystic charm that can alone destroy
the evil and fatal influence.
There are several modes in which the Evil Eye can act, some much more
deadly than others. If certain persons are met the first thing in the
morning, you will be unlucky for the whole of that day in all you do.
If the evil-eyed comes in to rest, and looks fixedly on anything,
on cattle or on a child, there is doom in the glance; a fatality
which cannot be evaded except by a powerful counter-charm. But if
the evil-eyed mutters a verse over a sleeping child, that child will
assuredly die, for the incantation is of the devil, and no charm has
power to resist it or turn away the evil. Sometimes the process of
bewitching is effected by looking fixedly at the object, through nine
fingers; especially is the magic fatal if the victim is seated by the
fire in the evening when the moon is full. Therefore, to avoid being
suspected of having the Evil Eye, it is necessary at once, when looking
at a child, to say “God bless it.” And when passing a farmyard where
the cows are collected for milking, to say, “The blessing of God be
on you and on all your labours.” If this form is omitted, the worst
results may be apprehended, and the people would be filled with terror
and alarm, unless a counter-charm were not instantly employed.
The singular malific influence of a glance has been felt by most
persons in life; an influence that seems to paralyze intellect and
speech, simply by the mere presence in the room of some one who
is mystically antipathetic to our nature. For the soul is like a
fine-toned harp that vibrates to the slightest external force or
movement, and the presence and glance of some persons can radiate
around us a divine joy, while others may kill the soul with a sneer or
a frown. We call these subtle influences mysteries, but the early races
believed them to be produced by spirits, good or evil, as they acted on
the nerves or the intellect.
Some years ago an old woman was living in Kerry, and it was thought
so unlucky to meet her in the morning, that all the girls used to go
out after sunset to bring in water for the following day, that so they
might avoid her evil glance; for whatever she looked on came to loss
and grief.
There was a man, also, equally dreaded on account of the strange, fatal
power of his glance; and so many accidents and misfortunes were traced
to his presence that finally the neighbours insisted that he should
wear a black patch over the Evil Eye, not to be removed unless by
request; for learned gentlemen, curious in such things, sometimes came
to him to ask for a proof of his power, and he would try it for a wager
while drinking with his friends.
One day, near an old ruin of a castle, he met a boy weeping in great
grief for his pet pigeon, which had got up to the very top of the ruin,
and could not be coaxed down.
“What will you give me,” asked the man, “if I bring it down for you?”
“I have nothing to give,” said the boy, “but I will pray to God for
you. Only get me back my pigeon, and I shall be happy.”
Then the man took off the black patch and looked up steadfastly at the
bird; when all of a sudden it fell to the ground and lay motionless, as
if stunned; but there was no harm done to it, and the boy took it up
and went his way, rejoicing.
* * * * *
A woman in the County Galway had a beautiful child, so handsome, that
all the neighbours were very careful to say “God bless it” when they
saw him, for they knew the fairies would desire to steal the child, and
carry it off to the hills.
But one day it chanced that an old woman, a stranger, came in. “Let me
rest,” she said, “for I am weary.” And she sat down and looked at the
child, but never said “God bless it.” And when she had rested, she rose
up, looked again at the child fixedly, in silence, and then went her
way.
All that night the child cried and would not sleep. And all next day
it moaned as if in pain. So the mother told the priest, but he would
do nothing for fear of the fairies. And just as the poor mother was in
despair, she saw a strange woman going by the door. “Who knows,” she
said to her husband, “but this woman would help us.” So they asked her
to come in and rest. And when she looked at the child she said “God
bless it,” instantly, and spat three times at it, and then sat down.
“Now, what will you give me,” she said, “if I tell you what ails the
child?”
“I will cross your hand with silver,” said the mother, “as much as you
want, only speak,” and she laid the money on the woman’s hand. “Now
tell me the truth, for the sake and in the name of Mary, and the good
Angels.”
“Well,” said the stranger, “the fairies have had your child these two
days in the hills, and this is a changeling they have left in its
place. But so many blessings were said on your child that the fairies
can do it no harm. For there was only one blessing wanting, and only
one person gave the Evil Eye. Now, you must watch for this woman, carry
her into the house and secretly cut off a piece of her cloak. Then burn
the piece close to the child, till the smoke as it rises makes him
sneeze; and when this happens the spell is broken, and your own child
will come back to you safe and sound, in place of the changeling.”
Then the stranger rose up and went her way.
All that evening the mother watched for the old woman, and at last she
spied her on the road.
“Come in,” she cried, “come in, good woman, and rest, for the cakes are
hot on the griddle, and supper is ready.”
So the woman came in, but never said “God bless you kindly,” to man or
mortal, only scowled at the child, who cried worse than ever.
Now the mother had told her eldest girl to cut off a piece of the old
woman’s cloak, secretly, when she sat down to eat. And the girl did as
she was desired, and handed the piece to her mother, unknown to any
one. But, to their surprise, this was no sooner done than the woman
rose up and went out without uttering a word; and they saw her no more.
Then the father carried the child outside, and burned the piece of
cloth before the door, and held the boy over the smoke till he sneezed
three times violently: after which he gave the child back to the
mother, who laid him in his bed, where he slept peacefully, with a
smile on his face, and cried no more with the cry of pain. And when he
woke up the mother knew that she had got her own darling child back
from the fairies, and no evil thing happened to him any more.
* * * * *
The influence of the mysterious and malign power of the Evil Eye has at
all times been as much dreaded in Ireland as it is in Egypt, Greece,
or Italy at the present day. Everything young, beautiful, or perfect
after its kind, and which naturally attracts attention and admiration,
is peculiarly liable to the fatal blight that follows the glance of the
Evil Eye. It is therefore an invariable habit amongst the peasantry
never to praise anything without instantly adding, “God bless it;” for
were this formula omitted, the worst consequences would befall the
object praised.
The superstition must be of great antiquity in Ireland, for Balor, the
Fomorian giant and hero, is spoken of in an ancient manuscript as able
to petrify his enemies by a glance; and how he became possessed of the
power is thus narrated:—
One day as the Druids were busy at their incantations, while boiling a
magical spell or charm, young Balor passed by, and curious to see their
work, looked in at an open window. At that moment the Druids happened
to raise the lid of the caldron, and the vapour, escaping, passed under
one of Balor’s eyes, carrying with it all the venom of the incantation.
This caused his brow to grow to such a size that it required four men
to raise it whenever he wanted to exert the power of his venomed glance
over his enemies. He was slain at last in single combat, according to
the ancient legend, at the great battle of Magh-Tura[2] (the plain of
the towers), fought between the Firbolgs and the Tuatha-de-Dananns for
the possession of Ireland several centuries before the Christian era;
for before Balor’s brow could be lifted so that he could transfix his
enemy and strike him dead with the terrible power of his glance, his
adversary flung a stone with such violence that it went right through
the Evil Eye, and pierced the skull, and the mighty magician fell to
rise no more.
[2] Now called Moytura.
An interesting account of this battle, with a remarkable confirmation
of the legends respecting it still current in the district, is given
by Sir William Wilde, in his work, “Lough Corrib; its Shores and
Islands.” In the ancient manuscript, it is recorded that a young hero
having been slain while bravely defending his king, the Firbolg army
erected a mound over him, each man carrying a stone, and the monument
was henceforth known as the _Carn-in-en-Fhir_ (the cairn of the one
man). Having examined the locality with a transcript of this manuscript
in his hand, Sir William fixed on the particular mound, amongst the
many stone tumuli scattered over the plain, which seemed to agree
best with the description, and had it opened carefully under his own
superintendence.
A large flag-stone was first discovered, laid horizontally; then
another beneath it, covering a small square chamber formed of stones,
within which was _a single urn_ of baked clay, graceful and delicate
in form and ornamentation, containing incinerated human bones, the
remains, there can be no reason to doubt, of the Firbolg youth
who was honoured for his loyalty by the erection over him of the
_Carn-in-en-Fhir_ on the historic plains of Mayo.
After Balor, the only other ancient instance of the fatal effects of
the malific Eye is narrated of St. Silan, who had a poisonous hair in
his eyebrow that killed whoever looked first on him in the morning. All
persons, therefore, who from long sickness, or sorrow, or the weariness
that comes with years, were tired of life, used to try and come in the
saint’s way, that so their sufferings might be ended by a quick and
easy death. But another saint, the holy Molaise, hearing that St. Silan
was coming to visit his church, resolved that no more deaths should
happen by means of the poisoned hair. So he arose early in the morning,
before any one was up, and went forth alone to meet St. Silan, and when
he saw him coming along the path, he went boldly up and plucked out the
fatal hair from his eyebrow, but in doing so he himself was struck by
the venom, and immediately after fell down dead.
The power of the Evil Eye was recognized by the Brehon laws, and severe
measures were ordained against the users of the malign influence. “If a
person is in the habit of injuring things through neglect, or of will,
whether he has blessed, or whether he has not blessed, full penalty be
upon him, or restitution in kind.” So ran the ancient law.
The gift comes by nature and is born with one, though it may not be
called into exercise unless circumstances arise to excite the power.
Then it seems to act like a spirit of bitter and malicious envy that
radiates a poisonous atmosphere which chills and blights everything
within its reach. Without being superstitious every one has felt that
there is such a power and succumbed to its influence in a helpless,
passive way, as if all self-trust and self-reliant energy were utterly
paralyzed by its influence.
Suspected persons are held in great dread by the peasantry, and they
recognize them at once by certain signs. Men and women with dark
lowering eyebrows are especially feared, and the handsome children are
kept out of their path lest they might be overlooked by them.
Red hair is supposed to have a most malign influence, and it has even
passed into a proverb: “Let not the eye of a red-haired woman rest on
you.”
Many persons are quite unconscious that their glance or frown has
this evil power until some calamity results, and then they strive not
to look at any one full in the face, but to avert their eyes when
speaking, lest misfortune might fall upon the person addressed.[3]
[3] There is a strange idea current in Europe at the present time that
one of the most remarkable potentates now living has this fatal gift
and power of the Evil Eye.
The saving invocation, “God bless it!” is universally used when praise
is bestowed, to prevent danger, and should a child fall sick some one
is immediately suspected of having omitted the usual phrase out of
malice and ill-will. Nothing is more dreaded by the peasantry than
the full, fixed, direct glance of one suspected of the Evil Eye, and
should it fall upon them, or on any of their household, a terrible fear
and trembling of heart takes possession of them, which often ends in
sickness or sometimes even in death.
* * * * *
Some years ago a woman living in Kerry declared that she was
“overlooked” by the Evil Eye. She had no pleasure in her life and no
comfort, and she wasted away because of the fear that was on her,
caused by the following singular circumstance:—
Every time that she happened to leave home alone, and that no one was
within call, she was met by a woman totally unknown to her, who, fixing
her eyes on her in silence, with a terrible expression, cast her to
the ground and proceeded to beat and pinch her till she was nearly
senseless; after which her tormentor disappeared.
Having experienced this treatment several times, the poor woman finally
abstained altogether from leaving the house, unless protected by a
servant or companion; and this precaution she observed for several
years, during which time she never was molested. So at last she began
to believe that the spell was broken, and that her strange enemy had
departed for ever.
In consequence she grew less careful about the usual precaution, and
one day stepped down alone to a little stream that ran by the house to
wash some clothes.
Stooping down over her work, she never thought of any danger, and began
to sing as she used to do in the light-hearted days before the spell
was on her, when suddenly a dark shadow fell across the water, and
looking up, she beheld to her horror the strange woman on the opposite
side of the little stream, with her terrible eyes intently fixed on
her, as hard and still as if she were of stone.
Springing up with a scream of terror, she flung down her work, and
ran towards the house; but soon she heard footsteps behind her, and
in an instant she was seized, thrown down to the ground, and her
tormentor began to beat her even worse than before, till she lost all
consciousness; and in this state she was found by her husband, lying
on her face and speechless. She was at once carried to the house, and
all the care that affection and rural skill could bestow were lavished
on her, but in vain. She, however, regained sufficient consciousness
to tell them of the terrible encounter she had gone through, but died
before the night had passed away.
It was believed that the power of fascination by the glance, which
is not necessarily an evil power like the Evil Eye, was possessed in
a remarkable degree by learned and wise people, especially poets, so
that they could make themselves loved and followed by any girl they
liked, simply by the influence of the glance. About the year 1790,
a young man resided in the County Limerick, who had this power in a
singular and unusual degree. He was a clever, witty rhymer in the Irish
language; and, probably, had the deep poet eyes that characterize warm
and passionate poet-natures—eyes that even without necromancy have been
known to exercise a powerful magnetic influence over female minds.
One day, while travelling far from home, he came upon a bright,
pleasant-looking farmhouse, and feeling weary, he stopped and requested
a drink of milk and leave to rest. The farmer’s daughter, a young,
handsome girl, not liking to admit a stranger, as all the maids were
churning, and she was alone in the house, refused him admittance.
The young poet fixed his eyes earnestly on her face for some time in
silence, then slowly turning round left the house, and walked towards
a small grove of trees just opposite. There he stood for a few moments
resting against a tree, and facing the house as if to take one last
vengeful or admiring glance, then went his way without once turning
round.
The young girl had been watching him from the windows, and the moment
he moved she passed out of the door like one in a dream, and followed
him slowly, step by step, down the avenue. The maids grew alarmed, and
called to her father, who ran out and shouted loudly for her to stop,
but she never turned or seemed to heed. The young man, however, looked
round, and seeing the whole family in pursuit, quickened his pace,
first glancing fixedly at the girl for a moment. Immediately she sprang
towards him, and they were both almost out of sight, when one of the
maids espied a piece of paper tied to a branch of the tree where the
poet had rested. From curiosity she took it down, and the moment the
knot was untied, the farmer’s daughter suddenly stopped, became quite
still, and when her father came up she allowed him to lead her back to
the house without resistance.
When questioned, she said that she felt herself drawn by an invisible
force to follow the young stranger wherever he might lead, and that
she would have followed him through the world, for her life seemed to
be bound up in his; she had no will to resist, and was conscious of
nothing else but his presence. Suddenly, however, the spell was broken,
and then she heard her father’s voice, and knew how strangely she had
acted. At the same time the power of the young man over her vanished,
and the impulse to follow him was no longer in her heart.
The paper, on being opened, was found to contain five mysterious words
written in blood, and in this order—
Sator.
Arepo.
Tenet.
Opera.
Rotas.
These letters are so arranged that read in any way, right to left, left
to right, up or down, the same words are produced; and when written in
blood with a pen made of an eagle’s feather, they form a charm which no
woman (it is said) can resist; but the incredulous reader can easily
test the truth of this assertion for himself.
* * * * *
These popular stories are provokingly incomplete, and one cannot help
regretting that the romance of “The Poet and the Farmer’s Daughter” was
not brought to a happy termination; but the Irish tales are in general
rather incoherent, more like remembered fragments of ancient stories
than a complete, well-organized dramatic composition, with lights well
placed, and a striking catastrophe. The opening is usually attractive,
with the exciting formula, “Once upon a time,” from which one always
expects so much; and there is sure to be an old woman, weird and
witch-like, capable of the most demoniacal actions, and a mysterious
man who promises to be the unredeemed evil spirit of the tale; but in
the end they both turn out childishly harmless, and their evil actions
seldom go beyond stealing their neighbours’ butter, or abducting a
pretty girl, which sins mere mortals would be quite equal to, even
without the aid of “the gods of the earth” and their renowned leader,
Finvarra, the King of the Fairies. The following tale, however, of a
case of abduction by fairy power, is well constructed. The hero of the
narrative has our sympathy and interest, and it ends happily, which is
considered a great merit by the Irish, as they dislike a tale to which
they cannot append, as an epilogue, the hearty and outspoken “Thank
God.”