Echoes of the Past: Mythology and the 'evil eye'

A leftfield article on mythology from the September 11 1964 is the focus of this week’s Echoes of the Past. Written by Walter F Scott, the Mythology, superstition, and the “evil eye” article explored how the eye was perceived in various folklores, which was often with fear and suspicion.

The greatest exponent of the ‘evil eye’ was said to be Medusa, who could turn those that caught her glance into stone, but expression was known in lots of other cultures. ‘At one time the belief was held that every human sickness or ill-fortune might be due to the glance, deliberate or accidental, of someone possessed of the evil eye,’ said Scott.