He mentions Nicoletta in the streets of Athens, who stirs the desires of all who see her. She must quickly phone her mother 200 km away and have her recite mystical words for her to fully recover from the effects of the yawn. But good on my mother, she really knows how to de-Eye me.
People live in fear of tempting cantankerous gods by praising anything.
Greece s superstitions are true of the Middle East too. The eye holds more terrors than all the monsters of hell. Doctors, lawyers, politicians and unlettered peasants, all live in daily fear of the awful metaphysical force that they believe can stab through the air unseen from the eyes of certain people, and cause illness and property damage, can maim, can even kill. People such as Nicoletta s mum are reputed to be experts at this. The main instruments are merely a few mumbled words and hand motions.