A supposed power bestowed on a person whereby his/her glance brings sickness, bad luck, calamity or death.

In witchcraft and black magic it is said that certain individuals have the power to cast evil spells or to project evil thought forms simply by looking at another person. The idea of this evil power is practically universal, and there exists in virtually every language an comparable term �?the boser Blick in German, malocchio in Italian, mauvais veil in French; and from the Latin fascinum, which was originally associated with the idea of binding, is derived the English 'fascinate', which was originally connected with such ideas as binding by means of diabolical powers or pact.

The fact of the evil eye has given rise to numerous protecting devices against it. These incorporate a wide range of magical signs and amulets, reflective surfaces, and, in particular, a number of obscene or phallic figures and amulets which are intended to ward off evil �?such as the corno, a curved horn, and the peculiar gesture involving a clenched hand with the thumb stuck through the middle and fourth fingers. Images of eyes are also used to avoid evil (see eye of horus), on the grounds of sympathetic magic, and many of the more ancient gems and symbols are designed with this in mind.