The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-11-20
The EVIL Eve,

Every one has heard of IN. three Gorgons
Of Greek mythology, and Of Meddsa, the best
known parsonage among then, .Ae glance OF
whose eye had the power of turning into stone
every one upon whom it was dii eCted The
name OF the Gorgons, or Gorgones, usually
supposed to be derived from Inc Greek word
"gorgos," fierce, may be dr.yn, with more
probability from the mytholo of the Egyp.
tlans and PhGpicians, from WON the Greeks
borrowed so much. In that ncient speech,
which lies at the root OF all The Celtic Ian
guages OF Europe, 1t signifies 1.-The witch, or
mad women, with the evil e,e;" from "Gor.
ach, a mad woman, and "Gon, to hurt with
the evil eye, wnence "uUiacngon," or Cor
gon'' and "Goineideach," one bewitched or
gorgonized. There was lately disposed of at
Messrs Christie & Manson's, in the cOllec-
ton of the Duke Of Marlborough, an antique
gem, with the head of Medusa, drawing of
which, greatly enlarged, was engraved for
the second volume of the Analysis of An.
cient Mythology" by Jacob Bryant London,
1900. The ancient artist who cut this match
less gem caught the whole spirit Of the fable
and represented IN the awful countenance
with 1.-The snakes in the waivy hair the
very ideal of all wlckedness horror and des
pair, as if he had known-whiCh he possibly
did-that the ancient word which the Greeks
had softened into Medusa was "Mldhocas
ach," despairing Pliny speaks of "thOse
among the Trlballians and 1llyrians who
with their very eyesight can kill those whom
they look wlstfully upon for any long time"
and Plutarch states on the authority of Phil
aretus that 1.-THE Thyblens who inhabited Pom.
tus were deadly, not only to babes but to
men grown and that whomsoeyer their eye
speech or breath would reach were sure to
fall sick and pine away" 1t is known, he
adds, IN another passage, that friends and
servants have fascinating (Or eviD eyes and
that there are even fathers to whose protrac
ted gaze mothers will not expose their chill
dren." 1t was seldom that the superstition
of early times invested men with power Of
the evil eye. Just as in the medieval ages
as in the present day, wherever the idea of
sorCery still lingers-a much larger space
than is generally supposed-thcrc are few
wizards, but many witches. Occasionally a
man Is supposed to possess the evil eye-the
superstition is current in Italy with regard
to Pope Pious the Ninth-but, In ninety nine
cases out of hundred, the persons supposed
to WELD the power of intlicting death or ca
lamity by glance of the eve are women,
young or old. Popular superstition has gen..
orally divided them into two classes: those
who involuntarily and ipnocently possess the
fatal power, and are unconscious of its exer-
else; and those who knowingly acquired it
by compact with the power OF darkness, and
take fiendish delight in exercising it against
all who offend them. The maleicent power
has been known by several English words.
1t is to "eye bite" TO overlook" and to
take" The French and Italians simply call
it dissemination in the evil sense Of the word
the Germans, the "scheelauge," or squInteye,
ascribing the power to a squint; and the
"zauberblick," or enchanted glance. To
take" in Shakespeare, means TO blast or
blight by witchcrsft. In king Lear" Act 9,
Scene ~, occurs the inprecation: "Strike
her young bones, Won taking airs, with lame
ness" He says Of Hans Tie Hunter, in THE
Merry Wives of indsor,' that he BLASTS
the trees and takes the cattle and makes mich
kline yield blood" In Hamlet" speaking
of Christmas time, ne says:
The nights are wholesome. then no planets strike,
No fairy takes. no witch hath power 60 charm,
SO hallowed and so graclu Us Is the time.