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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

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TO MEET A CROSSED EYED WOMAN (ESPECIALLY FIRST THING IN MORNING)
IS BAD LUCK. SHE MAY CAST THE EVIL EYE ON YOU.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; RIVER ROUGE

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Number
BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance

Date learned: 02-10-1968

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EYE COLOR

"BLUE" EYES- SIGN OF SINCERITY AND INTELLIGENCE.

Where learned: HOME

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Sign Color

Date learned: 11-11-1968

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IT IS AN IRISH SAYING CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH BLUE EYES
WITH GREY FLECKS:
"GOD PUT THEM IN WITH A DEITY FINGER."

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; SOUTHGATE

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
PROVERB -- Blason Populaire

Date learned: 10-00-1971

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IF A PERSON HAS AN EYELASH ON THEIR CHEEK, TELL THEM TO MAKE TWO
WISHES, ONE FOR EACH SIDE.
THE SIDE THAT THE EYELASH IS ON IS THE SIDE
THE WISH WILL COME TRUE.

Submitter comment: ROMANIAN BELIEF

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CHANCE ; WISH ; WISHING

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Prayer

Date learned: 09-15-1969

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SMALL EYES PLACED CLOSE TOGETHER INDICATE AN EVIL MIND.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye

Date learned: 01-29-1970

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BELIEF

IT IS BELIEVED THAT DEEPSET OR CLOSELY SET EYES ARE AN INDICATION
OF A PERSON'S DISHONEST NATURE.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; CAMPUS

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye

Date learned: 10-27-1969

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EVIL EYE

ANYTHING BLUE OR WEARING THE EVIL EYE WILL KEEP PEOPLE FROM GIVING
YOU THE EVIL EYE

Submitter comment:

ALSO SOMEONE WITH BLUE EYES WILL NOT GET THE EVIL EYE

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Blue ; COLOR ; DEVIL ; EVIL EYE ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Curse
BELIEF -- Emblem

Date learned: 10-00-1977

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BODY PART BELIEF

EATING CARROTS WILL HELP EYESIGHT

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; BIRMINGHAM

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye

Date learned: 00-00-1965

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IF YOUR LEFT EYE BEGINS TO TWITCH, IT MEANS YOU WILL RECEIVE
GOOD NEWS.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; CAMPUS

James Callow Keyword(s): POSITION DIRECTION

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Good luck

Date learned: 03-00-1982

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EAT A LOT OF CARROTS

IF YOU EAT A LOT OF CARROTS YOU WILL HAVE PRETTY EYES.
WAS A WAY MOTHERS IN ITALIAN FAMILIES GOT THEIR CHILDREN TO EAT FOOD
IF THEY DID NOT LIKE IT>

Submitter comment: PASSED DOWN FROM MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Plant

Date learned: 12-00-1982

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EVIL EYE

WHEN MY BROTHER WAS ABOUT A YEAR OLD, OUR FAMILY WENT TO VISIT
SOME RELATIVES IN CANADA. WE STOPPED AT A SMALL GROCERY STORE
IN CANADA. THE OLD MAN IN THE STORE KEPT SAYING WHAT A
BEAUTIFUL BABY MY BROTHER WAS. MY FATHER HURRIED US ALONG.
WHEN WE GOT IN THE CAR, HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY THE
MAN LOOKED AT MY BROTHER AND WAS WORRIED THAT THE MAN HAD
AN "EVIL EYE."
AFTER WE CAME HOME THAT NIGHT, BY BROTHER BECAME VERY ILL WITH
DIARRHEA. BY THE NEXT DAY, HE WAS DEHYDRATING AND HAD TO BE
HOSPITALIZED. HE ALMOST DIED. HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR
ALMOST A MONTH. MM
A FEW MONTHS LATER HE PICKED UP A BOTTLE OF LIQUID FURNITURE
POLISH WHILE MY SISTER WAS CLEANING HOUSE AND DRANK IT. HE
HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND HAVE HIS STOMACH PUMPED. MM
A FEW MONTHS LATER, MY BROTHER CAME DOWN WITH TONSILLITIS AND
WAS GIVEN A PRESCRIPTION FOR PENICILLIN. HE TURNED OUT TO BE
ALLERGIC TO THE PENICILLIN AND ENDED UP BEING RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL
AGAIN. MM
THROUGHOUT THIS TIME, MY FATHER SWORE THAT THE MAN IN THAT STORE
HAD GIVEN MY BROTHER THE "EVIL EYE" AND THAT THE ONLY THING THAT HAD
SAVED HIS LIFE WAS MY FATHER'S CONSTANT PRAYING. I DON'T BUY
THE EVIL-EYE THEORY, BUT I DID AT THE TIME.

Submitter comment: MY FATHER WAS BORN IN SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA IN 1909 WHILE HIS
PARENTS WERE VISITING THE UNITED STATES. THEY ALL WENT BACK TO
LEBANON A YEAR LATER. HIS MOTHER AND THREE BROTHERS DIED IN AN
EPIDEMIC WHEN HE WAS 3 YEARS OLD, AND HE WAS RAISED BY HIS
GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS VERY SUPERSTITIOUS.
MY FATHER'S NAME WAS SHERIFF MAHSSNEY. HE DIED IN 1980.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN

Subject headings: Favorites
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Curse

Date learned: 00-00-1954

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THE EYES ARE MUCH REVERED IN LEBANESE CULTURE. PEOPLE OFTEN SWEAR
ON THEIR MOTHER'S EYES, THEIR BABY'S EYES, ETC., TO CONVINCE
PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH. MM
LEBANESE PEOPLE ALSO REFER TO THE EYES WHEN PROFESSING GREAT LOVE.
"I LOVE YOU MORE THAN MY EYES," IS A COMMONLY HEARD EXPRESSION.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN

James Callow Keyword(s): ASSERVATIONS

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
SPEECH -- Formula
PROVERB -- Proverbial Comparison

Date learned: 00001950S

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IF PEOPLE PRAISE YOU TOO MUCH THEY ARE REALLY JEALOUS OF YOU.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY WISHING YOU HARM SO THEY ARE GIVING YOU THE EVIL
EYE.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; EAST DETROIT

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal
BELIEF -- Curse

Date learned: 11-00-1982

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IF YOUR LEFT EYE JUMPS SOMEONE WILL MAKE YOU MAD, IF YOUR RIGHT
EYE JUMPS SOMEONE WILL MAKE YOU GLAD.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Sensations and involuntary actions Eye twitch

Date learned: 00001950S

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IF YOU LOOK AT A BABY UPSIDE DOWN IT WILL END UP CROSSED EYED.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

James Callow Keyword(s): POSITION DIRECTION

Subject headings: Observation
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness

Date learned: 00001950S

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"Certain people have the power to give the evil eye.
Some would give it to you to make you sick, bring you
bad luck, etc. or they would say not to look in their
eyes so you would not get the evil eye (they could not
help themselves from giving the evil eye --- it was
beyond their control). Mr. DiSantis had the power. He
told my Dad and others about it when he was young,
(maybe age seven)."

Submitter comment: This is a verbatim account from Maryann Leisner detailing
a story told many times by her Italian father, Mr. Phillip
Melone. Mr. Melone believes this to be true.

Where learned: ILLINOIS ; SKOKIE

Keyword(s): Curse, magic, harm

Subject headings: PROSE NARRATIVE -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Curse
BELIEF -- Bad luck Body parts and functions

Date learned: 00001930S

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When a person in Saint Thomas gets in trouble or is "put
down" by someone else, another person will pull the bottom
of his right eye down quickly and say "Bo Bo."

Submitter comment: The collector has no idea what it means but the gesture is
done frequently among children and the adult usually does
not see it.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

James Callow Keyword(s): RIGHT LEFT

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
SPEECH -- Formula
SPEECH -- Gesture

Date learned: 04-00-1991

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It has been said that if you urinate in the middle of the
highway, you'll get a star (pimple) under you eye.

Submitter comment: Everytime I saw someone with a pimple under his/her eye I would
think about this old saying.

Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise

Keyword(s): Pimple

James Callow Keyword(s): Stye

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Specific distinguishing characteristic Dimple, wart, mole, scar, freckle, birthmark, strawberry mark, bruise, spot (on any part of body)
BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal
BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank

Date learned: 00-00-1970

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IF YOUR LEFT EYE JUMPS SOMEONE IS GOING TO MAKE YOU MAD.
IF YOUR RIGHT EYE JUMPS SOMEONE IS GOING TO MAKE YOU GLAD.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye
BELIEF -- Sensations and involuntary actions Eye twitch

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