Out of the five articles in this survey, three deal with the question of the “evil eye”, an incontestably “paganistic” belief in magic that is one of the oldest in the Greek-speaking world. The distinction between religious belief in the evil eye and belief in magic, is so fine that it is hard to draw the line between the two. What conclusions, asks the writer, can be drawn from fieldwork made on the power of the “eye”? This research was conducted at the Cretan village Eleftherna near the town of Rethymnon . What makes the descendants of the immigrants from Castelorizo in Perth, Australia so different from their forefathers? Other questions discussed are the use of herbs in magical potions, the magical properties of certain items of clothing which borders on fetishism, the role of magic in providing or standing in the way of fertility.
Magic in modern Greece
22 Aug 2012
by Archaeology Newsroom
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