Have you seen these babies?
There is a large batch of portraits of naked babies wearing necklaces in my inlaws photo collection, all unidentified. Of Italian or Greek descent or both. I have a few reasons for making this post.
1. Family can help identify some of these babies if they know (And PLEASE comment below if you do!!)
2. Other heritage seekers with Greek or Italian families may have copies of these photos and actually might know who one of these cutie pies is (And PLEASE comment below if you do!)
3. To explore the cultural significance of naked babies wearing (sometimes very peculiar) necklaces (And PLEASE comment below if you have insight!)
So please feel free to explore the photos. Compare with some of your own, if you recognize some of these faces, and help me learn about these Jeweled Babies in the Buff.
This Cutie pie above has both earrings and a crucifix, which, of all the necklaces, seems to be the most common, and least peculiar.
This fella, different from the others, has no jewelry and his baby bits are exposed as opposed to the others who are more covered.
Although the pendant of the necklace is covered, we can see he is still adorned with one, although no earrings are visible.
Another little one with his Crucifix visible.
This is one of the most peculiar of all the necklaces. It seems to have tentacles.
I've tried to get as close a look as I can, but all I can make out is... tentacles?
This babe's photo was taken at the same studio as the tentacled necklace baby above. You can see the drapings are the same, with the wicker chair underneath.
Again, the necklace is there, but I cannot see the pendant.
This one I tried to make as large as possible, so it may run off the page a bit, but I wanted to be able for you to get a close look at the necklace. A crucifix is present along with another piece I can't identify. Also, earrings again on this one.
This little sweetie has drop earrings, maybe a bracelet of some kind, and a necklace that has so far differed from everyone elses. A heart with *possibly* a cross in the middle?
Now, these are our non naked babies, but still unidentified and dazzled up in some jewelery.
This babe, a bit older. Same scruffy fluffy patch of whatever that it... could it be the same studio? Again, drop earrings and necklace, though pendant is hidden. Could it even be the same child, at a later date? Hmm....
This beauty, fully clothed has a large heart pendant. Possibly an older photo of one of the unidentified babies above? I've compared and seen some similarities with one, but I can't, of course, be sure.
This baby is neither bedazzled nor naked. But nonetheless, still unidentified.
I didn't want to leave him(her) out.
In most instances, these appear to be charms or amulets, some worn as protection from the "Evil Eye" or "Malocchio" The Crucifixes themselves were also worn to ward off evil spirits.
The photo with the baby that wore the "tentacle" necklace is very likely a chain full of "cuornuciellos" or little horns worn to protect against the evil eye. The amount of them on the chain makes me think the parents were either being extra protective, or a "test" had been preformed and the infant had been "afflicted" with the Evil Eye.
The Evil Eye, in Greece and Italy, according to Wiki:
Greece
The evil eye, known as
μάτι (
mati), "eye", as an
apotropaic
visual device, is known to have been a fixture in Greece dating back to
at least the 6th century BC, when it commonly appeared on drinking
vessels.
[24] In
Greece, the evil eye is cast away through the process of
xematiasma (
ξεμάτιασμα), whereby the "healer" silently recites a secret prayer passed over from an older relative of the opposite sex, usually a
grandparent. Such prayers are revealed only under specific circumstances, for according to
superstition
those who reveal them indiscriminately lose their ability to cast off
the evil eye. There are several regional versions of the prayer in
question, a common one being: "
Holy Virgin, Our Lady, if [insert name of the victim] is suffering of the evil eye, release him/her of it."
Evil repeated three times. According to
custom,
if one is indeed afflicted with the evil eye, both victim and "healer"
then start yawning profusely. The "healer" then performs the sign of the
cross three times, and emits spitting-like sounds in the air three
times. A very similar ritual can be found in neighboring
Bulgaria.
Another "test" used to check if the evil eye was cast is that of the
oil: under normal conditions,
olive oil floats in water, as it is less dense than water. The test of the
oil
is performed by placing one drop of olive oil in a glass of water,
typically holy water. If the drop floats, the test concludes there is no
evil eye involved. If the drop sinks, then it is asserted that the evil
eye is cast indeed. Another form of the
test
is to place two drops of olive oil into a glass of water. If the drops
remain separated, the test concludes there is no evil eye, but if they
merge, there is. There is also a third form where in a plate full of
water the "healer" places three or nine drops of oil. If the oil drops
become larger and eventually dissolve in the water there is evil eye. If
the drops remain separated from water in a form of a small circle there
isn't. The first drops are the most important and the number of drops
that dissolve in water indicate the strength of the evil eye.
There is another form of the "test" where the "healer" prepares a few
cloves by piercing each one with a pin. Then she lights a candle and
grabs a pinned clove with a pair of scissors. She then uses it to do the
sign of the cross over the afflicted whilst the afflicted is asked to
think of a person who may have given him the evil eye. Then the healer
holds the clove over the flame. If the clove burns silently, there is no
evil eye present; however, if the clove explodes or burns noisily, that
means the person in the thoughts of the afflicted is the one who has
cast the evil eye. As the clove explodes, the evil eye is released from
the afflicted. Cloves that burn with some noise are considered to be
λόγια - words - someone foul-mouthing you that you ought to be wary of.
The burned cloves are extinguished into a glass of water and are later
buried in the garden along with the pins as they are considered to be
contaminated. (So be careful if you are ever digging in a Greek garden!)
Greek people will also ward off the evil eye by saying φτου να μη σε
ματιάξω! which translates to "I spit so that I won't give you the evil
eye." The shortened version of this is ftoo, ftoo, ftoo. Contrary to
popular belief, the evil eye is not necessarily given by someone wishing
you ill, but it stems from admiration. Since it is technically possible
to give yourself the evil eye, it is advised to be humble.
The
Greek Fathers accepted the traditional belief in the evil eye, but attributed it to the
Devil and
envy. In Greek
theology, the evil eye or
vaskania (
βασκανία) is considered harmful for the one whose envy inflicts it on others as well as for the sufferer. The
Greek Church has an ancient prayer against vaskania from the
Megan Hieron Synekdemon (
Μέγαν Ιερόν Συνέκδημον) book of prayers.
Italy
The
cornicello,
"little horn", is also called the cornetto (little horn) or cornetti
(plural), is a long, gently twisted horn-shaped amulet. Cornicelli are
usually carved out of red coral or made from gold or silver. The type of
horn they are intended to copy is not a curled-over sheep horn or goat
horn but rather like the twisted horn of an African
eland or a chili pepper.
[25]
One idea that the
ribald suggestions made by sexual
symbols
distract the witch from the mental effort needed to successfully bestow
the curse. Another is that since the effect of the eye was to dry up
liquids, the drying of the phallus (resulting in male impotence) would
be averted by seeking refuge in the moist female genitals. Among the
ancient Romans and their cultural descendants in the Mediterranean
nations, those who were not fortified with phallic charms had to make
use of sexual
gestures to avoid the eye. Such gestures include
the fig sign;
a fist with the thumb pressed between the index and middle fingers,
representing the phallus within the vagina. In addition to the phallic
talismans,
statues of hands in these gestures, or covered with magical symbols, were carried by the Romans as talismans. In
Latin America, carvings of the fist with the thumb pressed between the index and middle fingers continue to be carried as good luck charms.
The wielder of the evil eye, the
jettatore, is described as
having a striking facial appearance, high arching brows with a stark
stare that leaps from his black eyes. He often has a reputation for
clandestine involvement with dark powers and is the object of gossip
about dealings in magic and other forbidden practices. Successful men
having tremendous personal magnetism quickly gain notoriety as
jettatori.
Pope Pius IV
was dreaded for his evil eye, and a whole cycle of stories about the
disasters that happened in his wake were current in Rome during the
latter decades of the 19th century. Public figures of every type, from
poets to gangsters, have had their specialized abilities attributed to
the power of their eyes.
[26]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_eye#Greece
If you have looked through the photos and read through the post and find anything to add that would help, or you have your own family experiences in this, feel free to comment! I would love your input!
