(YouTube video transcript)
Have you ever felt a sudden chill after someone stared at you a little too long? Or watched an older relative quickly make a strange gesture with their fingers the moment a stranger complimented a child?
In Malta, that instinct has a name: L-Għajn - The Evil Eye.
Welcome back to Eerie Tales with Cosette. I’m Cosette, and this week we turn our gaze to one of the oldest and most deeply rooted beliefs in Maltese folklore.
What is the Evil Eye?
The belief is simple and ancient: a look filled with envy, jealousy, or even excessive admiration can cause real harm. Illness, misfortune, business failure, restless children, or sudden bad luck — all can be blamed on l-għajn.
It is not always intentional. Many people believe you can give the Evil Eye without meaning to, simply by looking at something (or someone) you desire too intensely. The danger lies in the gaze itself.
This idea is not unique to Malta. It stretches across the Mediterranean - from Italy and Sicily to North Africa and the Middle East - and appears in ancient texts, religious writings, and archaeological finds going back thousands of years. But on these islands, it has taken on a distinctly Maltese flavour.
Watch on YouTube
How did the Maltese protect themselves from l-għajn?
Over the centuries, they developed a whole range of defences - some still visible today.
One of the most common was the horn, known as il-qrun or bżaru. People used real cattle horns, double horns made from cockspurs, or small gold horn amulets worn on chains. Even now, you can still spot them dangling from rear-view mirrors or hanging above doorways.
Then there’s the horned hand gesture, also called il-qrun. It’s made by extending the index finger and the little finger while folding the others. It’s a quiet, almost automatic movement — something many people still do the moment someone pays a compliment, just in case.
The traditional fishing boats, the luzzu, carry their own protection. Those bright, colourful boats in Marsaxlokk and other harbours have two painted eyes on the prow. Fishermen have long believed these eyes watch over the boat and its crew, turning away storms and any malice. Many connect them to the ancient Eye of Horus - a powerful protective symbol that travelled across the Mediterranean with the Phoenicians and earlier seafarers.
In older tradition, cowrie shells - called baħbuħa - were also used. According to ethnographic sources, these shells were once hung around the necks of young children, and sometimes animals, as protection against the Evil Eye. The custom is less remembered today, but it was part of the older set of amulets in Malta.
People also turned to holy medals, horseshoes hung with the points upward, blessed olive leaves, and small pieces of wax from holy candles.
And then there are the words. When someone admires a child or a beautiful possession, many still quickly add “Alla jbierek” - God bless - or “Alla jħarsek minn kull għajn” - May God protect you from every evil eye. A simple phrase that acts as a shield.
Even the Inquisition records from the 16th to 18th centuries are full of cases involving the Evil Eye - not as diabolical witchcraft, but as everyday folk belief. People sought cures through prayers, smoke, and small rituals when they believed someone had “looked” at them with envy.
Why It Endures
The Evil Eye is more than superstition. It is a cultural language for talking about envy, vulnerability, and the quiet dangers of standing out. In a close-knit island society, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, the idea that a single glance could bring harm makes a certain kind of sense.
Today the belief has softened, but it has not disappeared. You will still find the little horn on keyrings, the painted eyes on boats, and grandmothers who make the gesture without even thinking. Some wear the blue eye charm that has become popular across the Mediterranean. Others simply say the protective words out of habit.
Whether you believe in its power or see it as a fascinating piece of living folklore, l-għajn remains one of the most persistent whispers in Maltese tradition.
I already shared a short version of this tale - you can watch it here:
The 'Evil Eye' in Malta - Short
Do you (or your family) still use any of these protections? Have you ever been told to be careful of l-għajn? Tell me in the comments. I always love hearing the personal stories that keep these old beliefs alive.
Until next time…
May no envious eye fall upon you.
- Guide Me Malta – “Guarding against the evil eye! Discover all about Malta’s folklore and superstitions”
- Yellow.com.mt – “The Maltese Witch Trials: What the Inquisition Records Actually Show”
- Times of Malta – articles on traditional Maltese amulets and the Mediterranean cowry (baħbuħa)
- Ethnographic studies by Joseph Cassar Pullicino and G. Zammit Maempel on protective amulets and the Evil Eye in Malta
- Traditional documentation of the luzzu eyes and their connection to ancient Mediterranean protective symbols (including the Eye of Horus)