Филологические науки/Язык, речь, речевая коммуникация

Латанова Р.У., Нармухаметова Н.М., Ксанова Д.М.

Евразийский Национальный университет им.Л.Н.Гумилева, Казахстан

Universal nature of symbolism

Symbolism has long been used by humanity to communicate ideas which are best crystallized in a compact form. As the well-known saying goes, a picture tells a thousands words. Esoteric symbols are alive today as they were in the ancient past, but there is much confusion surrounding their usage, history, intent, and meaning.

We use symbols to show at glance important information such as traffic and road signs amongst many other symbols which are widespread and common today. Some other examples are corporate logos and certification statuses.

Symbolism is also especially used in the communication of non-physical, spiritual ideas, phenomena, and processes.

The evil eye is a curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when they are unaware. Many cultures believe that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury. Talismans created to protect against the evil eye are also frequently called “evil eyes”.

The idea expressed by the term causes many different cultures to pursue protective measures against it. The concept and its significance vary widely among different cultures, primarily in West Asia. The idea appears several times in translations of the Old Testament. It was a widely extended belief among many Mediterranean and Asian tribes and cultures. Charms and decorations with eye-like symbols known as nazars, which are used to repel the evil eye are a common sight across Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, the Levant and other countries and have become a popular choice of souvenir with visitors.

Belief in the evil eye dates back to antiquity. It is mentioned by Plutarch, Pliny the Elder, Hesiod and the Greeks listed more than one hundred works by these and other authors referring to the evil eye.

Classical authors attempted to offer explanations for the evil eye. Plutarch’s scientific explanation stated that the eyes were the chief, if not sole, source of the deadly rays that were supposed to spring up like poisoned darts from the inner recesses of a person possessing the evil eye. Plutarch treated the phenomenon of the evil eye as something seemingly inexplicable that is a source of wonder and cause of incredulity.

The belief in the evil eye during antiquity varied across different regions and periods. The evil eye was not feared with equal intensity in every corner of the Roman Empire. There were places in which people felt more conscious of the danger of the evil eye. In the Roman days not only were individuals considered to possess the power of the evil eye but whole tribes, especially those of Pontus and Scythia, were believed to be transmitters of the evil eye. The phallic charm called “fascinum” in Latin, from the verb “fascinare”, “to cast a spell” (the origin of the English word “fascinate”), was used against the evil eye.

The spreading in the belief of the evil eye across the Near East is believed by some to have been propagated by the Empire of Alexander the Great, which spread this and other Greek ideas across his empire.

They say that the eyes are the windows to a person’s soul. Take a look into a person’s eyes and you can gaze deep into their feelings, emotions and mood. The eyes of a person can be warm and bright or cold and stray and we can know it all by just looking at them. Each and every person in the world is blessed with eyes and each pair of eyes are brilliant in their own sweet ways. The various scintillating colors of a person‘s eyes often attracts us towards them. But it is known that the color of a person’s eyes add more than just a beauty factor in the life of that factor in the life of that person? Your eye colour can tell a lot about you and your personality? Different eye colours can say about you.

Black coloured pair of eyes is very rare. What we see and call as black eyes are in actuality just very dark brown eyes. The dark brown or black, as we may call it for own usage is often associated with night, mystery and intuition. People with black eyes are said to be very trustworthy and responsible. They are secretive but will let your secrets out to anyone. They sometimes mistrust people and are reluctant to start friendships and to fall in love. But when they do begin a relation, they are loyal till the very end. They are extremely hardworking and practical and will always give their best shot at whatever it is that they are doing. They are said to be spiritual, passionate and optimists. They always know how to show their worth to others.

The most common eye colour in the world is brown. When we say brown, we talk about light to medium brown and not very dark brown. People with brown eyes are attractive and confident. It is a strong and rich colour and it is associated with earth and thus, things like simplicity, creativity and positivism are some things that you can always find in people who have such brown eyes. They are independent, polite, caring and love making new friends and they are always up for trying new things in life. They are also practical but when it comes to the people they care about, practicality tends to take a back-seat as love and care overtakes it.

People with grey eyes are the least aggressive people of all. They put all their passion in whatever they do, be it profession or personal. They take love and romance very seriously and these are not the kind of people whom you will see fooling around. They are creative and imaginative, and flexible in their attitude –the 3 qualities that every great leader possesses. Their inner strength, analytic thinking and rationality given them an upper hand in taking a leading rose in any situation. These are great people to be around and their company will surely have a positive effect on you as well.

People with green eyes are like a gust of strong and fresh winds. They always have a room of mystery and enigma around them and a look into someone’s green eyes can make you get lost in them within seconds. Intelligent and always curious, green eyed people are always the first to take interest in something new. They have an incredible zeal and zest for life and for living live to the fullest. They are passionate about many things. And of course, with an eye colour so enchanting, they tend to be very attractive and beautiful as well. The only negative factor is that they get jealous very soon. But overall, the positives defeat the negative. Youthfulness oozes out of them and the compassion and vibrancy that they bring along wherever they go is contagious.

Blue eyed people have long- lasting relationships and are very energetic. But the most prominent feature among them is their inherent desire to make other people happy. Blue eyed people will go the extra mile just to make sure that you are happy with utmost kindness and sincerity. This one feature is very rare and is what makes the blue-eyed person so appealing to us. They are very keen on observing things, are extroverts and always happy-go-lucky. A person with blue eyes wants a long-lasting and a full-commitment and a no-bullshit relationship.

We use eyes to see the beauty in everything. William Shakespeare even said they are the windows to our souls.

They are the first things we look at on another person. They can tell us when someone is lying or telling the truth, and they can even tell us when someone is in love.

Eye contact may communicate very different things to people of various cultures.

What does eye contact mean in the United States? Here, if you have good eye contact with a person, it generally signifies that you are interested in the person you are looking at and in what that person is saying. If you look down or away from a person rather than meeting his or her gaze, you are considered to be distracted or uninterested in him or her. Also, if you neglect to make eye contact eye contact with a person, you may be thought to lack self-confidence.

On the other hand, a person who makes eye contact with another person is thought to be confident and bold (and boldness is considered a good trait). So, making eye contact is generally considered a good thing in the USA.

On the one hand, the European customs of eye contact –especially in Germany, Spain and France –tends to be similar to that in America. It is considered proper and polite to maintain almost constant eye contact with another person during a business exchange or a conversation.

Yet eye contact also has more flirtatious aspects than it does in the US. In the US people often avoid eye contact in crowded impersonal public situations –such as while walking through a busy downtown or riding public transportation, In a country like France, however, a stranger may feel quite free to look at someone he is interested in and try to acknowledge his interest by making eye contact. Therefore, it is important for a visitor to understand the full implications of what he or she may be implying by returning the eye contact initiated by someone else.

Although all Middle Eastern cultures cannot be grouped into one, they do have similarities in their rules for the appropriateness of eye culture. Eye contact is much less common and considered less appropriate in many of these cultures than it is considered in the United States.

Middle Eastern cultures, largely Muslim, have strict rules regarding eye contact between the sexes; these rules are connected to religious laws about appropriateness. Only a brief moment of eye contact would be permitted between a man and a woman, if at all.

However, western women traveling in Muslim areas should not expect that no man will attempt to make eye contact with them. As a matter of fact, their “differentness” may draw attention to them, and men try to make eye contact with them. They should be aware, however, that returning eye contact will be considered the same as saying, “Yes, I’m interested!” So, when in the Middle East care should be taken in making eye contact with anyone of the opposite gender.

On the other hand, in many Middle Eastern cultures, intense eye contact between those of the same gender –especially between men –can mean “I’m telling you the truth; I am genuine in what I say!”

In many Asian, African and Latin American cultures, extended eye contact can be taken as an affront or a challenge of authority. It is often considered more polite to have only sporadic or brief eye contact, especially between people of different social registers (like a student and a teacher, or a child and his elder relatives). For instance, if a Japanese woman avoids looking someone in the eyes, she is not showing a lack of interest nor is she demonstrating a lack of self-confidence, instead, she is being polite, respectful and appropriate according to her culture. So, in many of these cultures, you should take care what kind of eye contact you initiate with those who are your social superiors or who are in authority over you, so that you are not considered disrespectful or overly bold.

If you’re a keen traveler, you probably know how powerful a symbol the eye is for many cultures around the world. During your trips, you may have noticed beady blue glass eyes hanging from doorposts, or blue trinkets, shaped like open palms, on display in jewellery stores.

The most glass amulets that protect owners from the evil look like a dark blue teardrop, centered around a light blue eye, and created from an amalgamation of molten glass, iron, copper, water and salt.

Many ancient esoteric as well as earth-based philosophies consider the eye as a “channel or a passageway” into a new dimension. Here the eye is not a physical symbol but rather a ethereal one in which consciousness may enter into a gateway of infinite expanse.

The interest to the eyes is seen in all spheres of our life: in science, poetry, quotes of famous people and phraseology. There is no culture, no country without set expressions dedicated to eyes. They help people to understand each other both verbally and nonverbally. Here we offer our readers list of proverbs and sayings about these “mirrors of our souls” – eyes.

When you go to buy, use your eyes, not your ears. – Czech proverb.

Eyes that see do grow old. – Nicaraguan proverb.

A stranger has big eyes but sees nothing. – African proverb.

One should choose a wife with the ears, rather than with the eyes. – French proverb.

No man is a hero in the eyes of his valet. – French proverb.

Light is bad for sore eyes. – French proverb.

A rich man is never ugly in the eyes of a girl. – French proverb.

Love is blind, friendship closes its eyes. – Chinese proverb.

He who peeps at the neighbor’s window may chance to lose his eyes. – Arabic proverb.

The eye is blind if the mind is absent. – Italian proverb.

Away from the eye, away from the mind. – Palestinian proverb.

The one-eyed man thanks God only when he sees a man blind in both eyes. –Nigerian proverb.

What the eye does not admire, the heart does not desire. – Dutch proverb.

He who doesn’t open his eyes when he buys must still open his purse to pay. – Danish proverb.

Keep your eye on the ball.- Saying.

Green-eyed monster. – Saying.

Give your eye teeth. – Saying.

Eye-opener. – Saying.

Eye –wash. – Saying.

Eye for an eye. – Saying.

Eye candy. – Saying.

Apple of your eye. – Saying.

All my eye and Peggy Martin. – Saying.

Mud in your eye. – Saying.

More than meets the eye. – Saying.

Not bat an eye. – Saying.

Keep your eyes peeled. – Saying.

Eagle eyes. – Saying.

Bird’s eye view. – Saying.

Bedroom eyes.- Saying.

Bat an eyelid. – Saying.

It is said that the eyes are the mirror of the soul and there is a lot of truth in it. Eyes are the doorway to your heart. They reflect your emotions and your inner being. A lot can be concluded from the expression of your eyes. Thus, it is no wonder, that eyes have been the source of inspiration for poets, authors, and artists since the time immemorial.

“Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing”. Bill Cosby.

“Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive”. Napoleon Hill.

“Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts”. Albert Einstein.

“I still close my eyes and go home – I can always draw from that”. Dolly Parton.

References

1. “Definition for “evil eye” from Merriam Webster Dictionary”. Merriam-webster.com. 2012-08-31.

2. “evil eye (occult)”. Encyclopaedia Britannica.

3. Ulmer, Rivka (1994). KTAV Publishing House, Inc., ed. The evil eye in the Bible and in rabbinic literature. p. 176. ISBN 0-88125-463-0.

4. Erbek, Guran (1998). Kilim Catalogue No. 1. May Selcuk A.S. Edition=1^st.

5. Sindidi (http://www.daaraykamil.com/Sindidi-en.pdf). Daaraykamil.com

6. Cora Lynn Daniels, et.al., eds, Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World (Volume III), p.1273, Univ.Press of the Pacific, Honolulu, ISBN 1-4102-0916-4