Evil Eye
Palau. 5 dollars 2020. Silver .999. 1 oz. Proof. 38.61 mm. Mintage: 2,500. Special Technology: partial color application combined with cold enamel. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description of the Coin
One side features the abstract shape of an eye with pupil, iris and background of contrasting colors; the entire surface is filled with ornaments, in the lower right field the year 2020.
The other side depicts the coat of arms of Palau, above, the inscription REPUBLIC OF PALAU, below, 5 $.
Background
The fear of the evil eye can be found in all cultures of the world. It is based on the idea that a malicious person has the power to harm anyone simply by giving him an evil look. Plutarch provides us with the theory that shaped our idea of the evil eye until the Enlightenment: envy and resentment produce harmful exhalations, which find their target through the eye.
Children and pregnant women were considered especially at risk. Already the Sumerians wrote down spells to protect them from the evil eye. The Greeks developed the Apotropaic eye depicted on many ancient objects. And the Hand of Fatima with the central eye, which is known all over the world, stems from Ottoman times.
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Further Information
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