DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.67375#0284
CHAPTER X.
Neapolitan life — continued.
REFERENCE has been made to the superstitions of the
fishermen; but what Neapolitan, from the lowest to
the highest, is not superstitious ? The usual harmless cre-
dulities that are met all over the world exist here also; but
belief in the evil eye, fascination, the jettatura, is all-pre-
vailing. The theory is that certain people have the quality
of fatal fascination, and exert it both intentionally and in-
voluntarily on any person or object on which they cast their
eye. How to avoid this danger is a serious problem; and
so sincere is the belief in this power and its prevalence,
that almost every ill that can possibly happen is attributed
to the evil eye. Children are thought to be especially sus-
ceptible to this influence; and no matter how scantily clothed
and fed the little Neapolitans may be, they have some sort
of amulet to protect them from the jettatura, almost with-
out exception.
If one loses anything, it is supposed that a fascinator has
cast an eye on it; or if a fragile article falls and is broken,
it has been done by the power of a jettatore ; in fact, no
one who accepts this theory can be comfortable without the
proper amulet or charm, which performs its office by fixing
the attention of the evil eye, and thus receiving the fatal
glance which would be so dangerous to the wearer of the
amulet. The medals of saints and Madonnas are not
charms ; they are an expression of religious devotion to the
Blessed Mother and the patron saint of the wearer. Amu-
lets have quite different forms, the most common being the
Neapolitan life — continued.
REFERENCE has been made to the superstitions of the
fishermen; but what Neapolitan, from the lowest to
the highest, is not superstitious ? The usual harmless cre-
dulities that are met all over the world exist here also; but
belief in the evil eye, fascination, the jettatura, is all-pre-
vailing. The theory is that certain people have the quality
of fatal fascination, and exert it both intentionally and in-
voluntarily on any person or object on which they cast their
eye. How to avoid this danger is a serious problem; and
so sincere is the belief in this power and its prevalence,
that almost every ill that can possibly happen is attributed
to the evil eye. Children are thought to be especially sus-
ceptible to this influence; and no matter how scantily clothed
and fed the little Neapolitans may be, they have some sort
of amulet to protect them from the jettatura, almost with-
out exception.
If one loses anything, it is supposed that a fascinator has
cast an eye on it; or if a fragile article falls and is broken,
it has been done by the power of a jettatore ; in fact, no
one who accepts this theory can be comfortable without the
proper amulet or charm, which performs its office by fixing
the attention of the evil eye, and thus receiving the fatal
glance which would be so dangerous to the wearer of the
amulet. The medals of saints and Madonnas are not
charms ; they are an expression of religious devotion to the
Blessed Mother and the patron saint of the wearer. Amu-
lets have quite different forms, the most common being the