Teddy Bears and Talismans: Warding Off the Evil Eye in Albania

Photo: Vik Walker

Matador Nights co-editor Kristin Conard worked during a lodging place in Saranda, Albania, right upon a coast with a perspective of Corfu. But it isnt a turquoise sea or a cows wandering amidst a houses which she cant stop thinking about.

Why have been there teddy bears nailed to all of a houses? I ask Jolanda, a lady during a traveller office in Saranda.

They have been upon a deserted houses or a unprepared ones for good luck, she says matter-of-factly, as yet this should be usual knowledge. we suspect to anyone who lives there it is, yet we am still confused.

But why?

She justification a quite certain perspective of fitness to, for protection. She is again satisfied which she has entirely explained a situation. From what? we persist. With good patience, she goes on. From immorality spirits. You see, she seems to have caught upon to my complete ignorance, adding It protects from misfortune, from immorality spirits, from a immorality eye. We went from fitness to immorality in only under a minute.

While waiting for a bus in circuitously Butrint a couple of days earlier, my crony as well as we were approached by a young child selling bracelets which his mother had made. Many featured a classic immorality eye appeal a blue eye set in a blue background. we asked him, What is it? What is a immorality eye?

Teddy bear during construction site, Photo: Chris Price

The eye, he said, indicating to his own, People give a eye, as well as this will stop it.

Stop what?

The evil.

But what evil?

The immorality from a eye.

The explanation seemed maddeningly circular. we hoped which Jolanda, with her wonderful English (as we know no Albanian) would be able to insist it better.

***

Its cal led syri i keq in Albanian, as well as someone can see we as well as your good things as well as instruct bad upon you. Say we have a crony who sees my good shirt, she pulls during a string of her white button down blouse. They see how good it is as well as they have been indignant or jealous, as well as so they instruct bad upon me. They abuse me as well as give me a immorality eye. So in a couple of days or weeks, my shirt starts to get holes as well as turn in to rags. And so we am ruined.

But how do they give it? we have visions of witch doctors as well as shamans, chanting incantations.

She shrugs. It is a abuse which we can give with your eyes.

So how do a bears help?

They confuse a immorality intoxicating beverage who cannot come in to a house if there is someone there. The intoxicating beverage will be chased divided by what they think is a human, as well as a house will be protected.

Its a same with a garlic which adorns a doors of scarcely all of a restaurants which we visited in Saranda. we thought it was for decoration, as we initial went to an Italian restaurant, yet no, a garlic was everywhere. Id known which garlic could sentinel off vampires, yet in Albania a enchanting powers additionally embody negating a powers of a entire immorality eye. Apparently we can lift a clove of garlic with we upon your chairman for protection, yet a smell isnt a single which youd identical to to lift around with you, so instead there is a immorality eye appeal or whitchcraft to be kept with we during all times. There have been hundreds of immorality eye charms as well as talismans for sale during a shops in Saranda.

Photo: Marc Tarlock

Its a use which has recently come behind in to fashion in Albania. While a convention itself is thought to have roots in centuries-old folklore, a reemergence connects to a post-Communism enlightenment where there is a vast g! ap betwe en those who have as well as those who have not as well as which there is now much more, materialistically, to envy.*

Should we get one? we ask Jolanda, Does everyone need one?

Those who hold will have one. we dont believe, yet we have one.

This seems counterintuitive, yet we let it go. What happens if we remove it?

She ponders this for a second. Well, we dont remove it. But if it breaks, it means which it has absorbed all a immorality appetite which it can. Ive had two of mine which have broken, right down a middle. So we theory Ive had a immorality eye come my way! She laughs as she says this, clearly unmotivated by this pointer of a curse. She reaches in to her bag. Here, we dont believe. Do we wish mine?

I shake up we my head; we couldnt take this womans whitchcraft from her. Belief or not, it was hers, as well as we didnt wish her to part with it, especially since shed already had two break upon her.

Having blue eyes myself, we schooled we should have exceptional skill during giving a immorality eye. we indispensable to be careful of giving compliments as they might be construed as curses; we could be job upon a immorality eye to strike down whomever we was complimenting.

Giving a immorality eye is not though a consequences though. Its believed which whoever gives a immorality eye to someone else will get a immorality behind upon them 1000 fold. That doesnt quite appear value it to me, yet annoy as well as possessiveness have been powerful emotions. The convention has been around for thousands of years. Would people still hook teddy bears to their houses as well as lift a blue charms if they werent useful? Or is a use in a belief itself whats useful?

Im quite sure if we do or dont hold in a power of a immorality eye, yet which doesnt stop me from picking up a appeal of my own to lift in my pocket as we transport by a Balkans. It cant hurt

*According to! John M. Roberts theory as detailed in Kristin Peterson-Bidoshis essay The Dordolec: Albanian House Dolls as well as a Evil Eye published in a Journal of American Folklore, 2006.

Community Connection

Have we run in to a immorality eye or a identical convention in your travels? How do beliefs about a power of a immorality eye perceptible in opposite cultures?