Quick Specs
- Type: Wall hanging with an owl, eye beads and a seven-bead chain
- Size: 11 3/4 by 1 1/2 inches
- Owl: Silver-toned, with feathered texture, ear tufts, two eye-bead eyes and a large eye bead on its chest
- Bead chain: Seven octagonal faceted beads in violet, blue, aqua, green, pale yellow, orange and red
- Ends: Filigree disc with a small eye bead above; teardrop-shaped blue eye bead below
An Owl With Eyes at Every Level
The owl sits in the upper third, and almost every part of the hanging carries an eye. A round filigree disc at the top frames a small eye bead, with spokes cut around its outer band and scrollwork across its inner circle. Below it the owl faces forward in silver-toned metal, with ear tufts, a feathered texture around its face and two round blue eye beads for eyes. A larger eye bead fills its chest, deep blue and ringed in white and pale blue around a big black pupil. Two narrow charms, each topped with a tiny eye bead, swing from the owl’s sides. A single line of seven octagonal beads follows, linked by clear rings, in violet, blue, aqua, green, pale yellow, orange and red, each with a star pattern of facets. A teardrop-shaped eye bead in deep blue, with a white and light blue center, ends the line. The hanging is 11 3/4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, narrow enough to stand in a thin gap of wall, and the chain at the top carries it from a single hook.
The beads on this hanging come from the evil eye belief, the idea of a curse brought about by a malevolent glare, usually inspired by envy. A museum catalogue says amulets against it are worn or carried, and that although designs vary, every one includes an eye motif, either realistic or highly stylised. This hanging repeats the motif at every level: a small bead in the disc above, two round beads set as the owl’s own eyes, a large circle-within-circles bead on its chest, a tiny bead atop each side charm and a teardrop at the bottom. The result is a column of eyes of different sizes, with the owl at its center. The seven faceted beads between the owl and the teardrop carry the spectrum’s colors down the line and give the long middle section a bright run of color. Violet, blue and aqua sit near the owl, and orange and red sit near the teardrop, so the line warms as it descends.
Where an Owl Hanging Fits
The owl hangs best where you’ll pass it daily: inside a front door, along a hallway, beside a bedroom door or above a desk. At 1 1/2 inches wide it fits the thin gap between a door frame and a shelf, or along the side of a bookcase. At 11 3/4 inches long it also fits above a narrow bookshelf or beside a mirror. Slip the chain over a small nail or hook and leave a clear drop below, because the teardrop bead and the two side charms swing in a draft. The owl faces forward, so a spot at eye level lets its face and its chest bead meet your gaze. For more pieces that carry the eye, see my evil eye collection.
How to Hang and Care for the Owl Eye Hanging
Three steps cover finding the gap, hanging the chain and wiping the owl.
- Find the Gap
Measure a vertical run of about 12 inches on the wall and 2 inches across. The owl is the widest part, so check that nothing near it, such as a picture frame or a light switch, touches the side charms when they swing. A thin gap beside a door or a bookcase works well, and eye level puts the owl's face where you'll see it.
- Hook the Chain
Set a small nail or hook into the wall and slip the top chain over it. Step back and look at how the line hangs. The owl should face you squarely and the seven beads should fall in a straight column under it. If the owl turns to one side, nudge the chain along the hook until it faces front.
- Wipe the Owl
Brush dust from the owl, the disc and the beads with a soft dry brush or cloth every few weeks. Work around the small side charms and the teardrop bead with a light touch. Take the hanging down before you paint or clean the wall near it, and hang it back once the surface is dry.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this hanging because it gathers an owl, a chain of spectrum-colored beads and several traditional-style eye beads into a piece 1 1/2 inches wide, small enough for tight wall spaces. The evil eye belief is a living folk custom in Turkey, Greece and many other places, and this hanging is a decorative reference to it, never a substitute for the customs of the people who keep it. If the nazar is part of your family’s tradition, you already know how it’s gifted, hung and replaced. If it’s new to you, learn those customs before you decide what the eye means in your home. For more things to hang, see my wall hangings collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
The owl is linked to Athena, the goddess of ancient Greece. A history reference lists the owl, a symbol of wisdom, among the objects associated with her, and Wikipedia says the bird has been used in the Western world as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. The eye beads on this hanging come from a separate custom, so the pairing is a design choice, and what the owl means to you is yours to decide.
In Turkey the bead is called nazar boncuğu, where boncuk is the Turkic word for bead. In Greece the amulet is called mati, a word meaning eye, and the belief itself is known as kako mati, the bad eye, or simply mati. The English terms are the evil eye for the belief and nazar or eye bead for the amulet.
Accounts of the nazar say that a cracked or broken bead has taken in a particularly strong negative force, and the usual advice is to replace it as soon as possible. Wikipedia describes the same idea: the bead absorbs the harm and breaks so that the wearer is spared. These are folk beliefs, and customs differ between families and regions, so follow the practice you grew up with if you have one.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet