The evil eye. An account of this ancient and wide spread superstition

330 THE EVIL EYE chap.
avowed protectors against fascination, we are not
only confirmed in our judgment of their meaning
in the ancient form, but we are taught how strong,
how lasting, and how universal, is the belief.
In the light gained from ancient amulets we
easily see the meaning of most of the other objects
on Fig. 112, every one of which is openly sold today
as contra la jettatura.
The large tiger's tooth in the centre is by no
means uncommon. Real tigers' teeth set as a brooch,
forming a crescent, are plentiful enough here in
England, though their owners hardly look on them as
amulets. Much value is placed on every part of a
tiger as a protective charm in India.
"^'^ Pliny says " : The canine tooth of the wolf, on
the right side, is held in high esteem as an amulet."
Also :
^^^ " A wolfs tooth attached to the body pre-
vents infants from being startled, and acts as a pre-
servative against the maladies of dentition ;
an effect
equally produced by making use of a wolfs skin,
attached to a horse's neck (it) will render him proof
against all weariness, it is said." If wolves' teeth
were so precious in olden times, while they were
tolerably plentiful, of how much greater value would
be that of one of a gran bestia, like a tiger !
We
see the analogy of setting greater value upon the
scarcer article, in Jorio's remarks on Neapolitan
shop and house keepers (p. 259 sq.). Again, in
Pliny's day, the wolf skin was an amulet ; we see
and know the use made of it to-day.
The medal with St. George and the Dragon is
with some a favourite, but of course we can only now
^*'' Nat. Hist. xi. 63 (vol. iii. p. 59, Bohn).
**i Ibid, xxviii. 78 (vol. v. p. 364, Bohn).