Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 4041 - 4045 (8th - 12th July 2019)
Morituri:
The gesture with the two middle fingers touching the palm, with index finger and pinkie sticking out, used to be a warding sign against the "evil eye." Think about how you might hold your hand to poke someone's eyes out and you'll get it. It has wandered into our general depictions of magic users from now-obscure historical origins.
For those not familiar with Euro culture, there was a widespread belief that people could do harm - cause bad luck or ill health, etc - just by gazing maliciously at someone else. In some cases the "ability" was limited to witches or similar, but the most widespread form of the belief was that anybody might do it, even unintentionally, when they looked at people against whom they felt genuine hatred or malice. This was called the "evil eye," and a number of signs, gestures, amulets, and habits are considered to be protections from it.
Theta9:
--- Quote from: Morituri on 13 Jul 2019, 13:08 ---The gesture with the two middle fingers touching the palm, with index finger and pinkie sticking out, used to be a warding sign against the "evil eye."
--- End quote ---
Except that the handsign you refer to does not involve the thumb extended. That would be the Ameslan sign for "I love you" .
OldGoat:
--- Quote from: Morituri on 13 Jul 2019, 13:08 ---The gesture with the two middle fingers touching the palm, with index finger and pinkie sticking out, used to be a warding sign against the "evil eye." Think about how you might hold your hand to poke someone's eyes out and you'll get it. It has wandered into our general depictions of magic users from now-obscure historical origins.
For those not familiar with Euro culture, there was a widespread belief that people could do harm - cause bad luck or ill health, etc - just by gazing maliciously at someone else. In some cases the "ability" was limited to witches or similar, but the most widespread form of the belief was that anybody might do it, even unintentionally, when they looked at people against whom they felt genuine hatred or malice. This was called the "evil eye," and a number of signs, gestures, amulets, and habits are considered to be protections from it.
--- End quote ---
That belief is still with us in the United States today. "MOM! My sibling's lookin' at me!"
Siblings being siblings, I suppose it's universal. So universal in fact, that maybe that's where the Evil Eye came from in the first place?
DashaBlade:
--- Quote from: OldGoat on 13 Jul 2019, 18:22 ---
--- Quote from: Morituri on 13 Jul 2019, 13:08 ---The gesture with the two middle fingers touching the palm, with index finger and pinkie sticking out, used to be a warding sign against the "evil eye." Think about how you might hold your hand to poke someone's eyes out and you'll get it. It has wandered into our general depictions of magic users from now-obscure historical origins.
For those not familiar with Euro culture, there was a widespread belief that people could do harm - cause bad luck or ill health, etc - just by gazing maliciously at someone else. In some cases the "ability" was limited to witches or similar, but the most widespread form of the belief was that anybody might do it, even unintentionally, when they looked at people against whom they felt genuine hatred or malice. This was called the "evil eye," and a number of signs, gestures, amulets, and habits are considered to be protections from it.
--- End quote ---
That belief is still with us in the United States today. "MOM! My sibling's lookin' at me!"
Siblings being siblings, I suppose it's universal. So universal in fact, that maybe that's where the Evil Eye came from in the first place?
--- End quote ---
It's a little known fact* that Cain actually killed Abel because Abel wouldn't stop lookin' at him. Also, because he kept touching Cain's stuff.
*(No, it isn't)
OldGoat:
--- Quote from: DashaBlade on 13 Jul 2019, 19:34 ---It's a little known fact* that Cain actually killed Abel because Abel wouldn't stop lookin' at him. Also, because he kept touching Cain's stuff.
*(No, it isn't)
--- End quote ---
But it makes a damn fine conspiracy theory.
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