Original subtitles

[mysterious music]

- Tonight, tales of vengeance so powerful,

they've endured for centuries.

- It's a very old concept.

Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.

- From a band of loyal warriors.

- The Ronin plot their revenge for almost two years.

- They cut off his head, they bring it back to Ako domain,

and they place it on the grave of their deceased lord.

- To an ancient king's brutal code.

- It's not the officials

who actually carry out the punishment,

it's the wronged family.

- To a doll, strong enough to take out a rival.

- One day, Theophilus is rendered paralyzed.

None of his limbs will move.

- In a dream, he sees that someone has used

a cursed doll against him and hidden it in the sea.

- Now, the remarkable stories of acts

committed in the name of revenge.

[dramatic music]

The phrase "an eye for an eye"

is famous worldwide as a standard of retaliation.

But where the saying comes from might surprise you.

- It's a very old concept.

In the Jewish Torah

and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible,

it says, "Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye,

tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound."

- It's in the Book of Exodus along with the 10 Commandments,

which means that people have been

saying this phrase for millennia.

And for the longest time,

people thought that the Bible is the origin of this phrase.

- [Dennis] A discovery in 1901 upends that idea.

- A French expedition is digging in Susa,

the ancient capital city of Elam, in what is now Iran,

when Egyptologist, Gustav Jequier

and archeologist, Jacques de Morgan

unearthed fragments of a 7'5" tall stone pillar

with carvings all over it.

- Unfortunately, the pillar is broken into three pieces.

But they can see on the top part

is a carved depiction of King Hammurabi,

who was the sixth ruler of the first Babylonian dynasty,

which dates back to the 18th century BC.

And next to him is an image of Shamash,

the Babylonian god of justice.

- [Dennis] The broken pieces are shipped

to the Louvre Museum, where they're reassembled.

- When the pillar is reconstructed,

it reveals over 4,000 lines

of cuneiform text etched into it.

A priest named Jean-Vincent Scheil translates it,

and what he finds is amazing.

- It appears to be a code of laws,

which, if they date all the way back to Hammurabi,

would be some of the oldest laws ever written.

- [Dennis] Soon, the pillar and the text carved upon it

get a name.

Hammurabi's Code.

- According to the story of Hammurabi,

in 1760 BC, Hammurabi unites all of southern Mesopotamia

into one empire.

It's probably the first time

that a single ruler ruled over so many individuals.

And when you have so many people that you're ruling over,

it's important that you have a set of laws to govern them.

So Hammurabi wants to have all of his laws

set down in one place.

He has them carved into this giant pillar

and then placed in the town square for all to see.

- The lines on the pillar start

by citing Hammurabi's right to govern.

It then states Hammurabi's intentions

behind creating this code,

saying that he wants to have a righteous kingdom,

where the strong can't harm the weak

and any wicked evildoers will be punished.

- After that come 282 laws,

which detail consequences for all sorts of infractions,

from incest, marital infidelity, and cheating customers,

to stealing, kidnapping, and murder.

- Most of these laws are written in if/then format.

For example, if a son strikes his father,

then his hands will be hewn off.

- [Dennis] But one particular rule gets the most attention:

rule 196.

- As Scheil is translating along,

he reads a law that states,

"If a man put out the eye of another man,

his eye shall be put out."

A few lines later, rule 200 says,

"If a man knocks out the teeth of his equal,

his teeth shall be knocked out."

- To Scheil, who's a priest, this must be a huge deal.

This is pretty much exactly

what it says in the Bible's Book of Exodus.

"An eye for an eye" and "a tooth for a tooth,"

are both written into this ancient text.

- [Dennis] And there are other similarities.

- They both have laws against adultery, stealing,

coveting one's spouse or property, bearing false witness,

and of course, murder.

- But the pillar's date suggests

that it's older than the Bible.

This upends centuries of teachings

about the Old Testament

and the source of all these laws.

[compelling music]

- [Dennis] While we may never know which truly came first,

we do know how Hammurabi's Code was enforced.

- We have a few historical records

of the code being carried out.

For instance, there's a case where a man named Rish Nabiyum

is involved in the theft of a cow and a calf.

The owner of the animals presses charges,

and the court determines that Rish Nabiyum

must either return the stolen animals

or hand over his wife to their owner.

- There's another example, a really serious case,

in the town of Nippur, where three men are found guilty

of murdering a priest's son named Lu-Enana,

and this of course, is punished by death.

- What's interesting about this is it's not the officials

who actually carry out the punishment,

it's the wronged family.

So Lu-Enana's family would get

to kill the murderer themselves,

which takes the idea of a life for a life justice

to a much more personal level of revenge.

- Hammurabi's Code is an incredibly important

cultural innovation because before this time,

any laws are largely tribal

and could change depending on what territory you're in.

Having a set of established consistent laws

and punishments across the land

really is a revolutionary concept.

- [Dennis] It's a notion borrowed

by many other civilizations around the world.

- The ancient Greeks also used some

of Hammurabi's Code in their laws

and the Romans enact Lex Talionis,

or the Law of Retribution

Hammurabi's influence is felt

all the way to modern day America.

We've based our entire society

on the idea of having a structured and fair rule of law.

- Hammurabi is even immortalized in a marble frieze

on the south wall of the US Supreme Court chamber

alongside Moses.

It's a pretty outstanding tribute to give

to these two holy law givers,

both of whom continue to play a part

in modern justice to this day.

- Nearly 2,500 years after

Hammurabi sets his code in stone,

there's another created by a different group, the Samurai.

[dramatic music]

- Most Westerners view Samurai as what we see in movies.

They are fierce warriors, clad in intricate armor,

wielding a katana sword,

and fighting to the death for justice and honor.

There's definitely some truth to this image,

but it's not the whole truth.

- [Dennis] The first Samurai emerge in the 10th century

as part of a warrior class called Bushi.

- At this time, Japan has an emperor,

but much of the power is dispersed

to various lords who control large regions.

There are violent rivalries over territory,

between prominent families,

and Bushi are hired by nobles

to be their bodyguards against marauders.

- In 1192, a victor emerges in the clan wars,

Minamoto no Yoritomo.

Backed by the might of his most elite squad of Bushi,

he effectively takes control of Japan,

usurping the power of the emperor.

Minamoto becomes Japan's first Shogun,

or Supreme Military Commander.

- At this time, the term Samurai comes into use

to describe these elite warriors that serve the Shogun.

- [Dennis] As the power of the Shogunate grows,

so do the ranks of the Samurai.

- Now, not everyone can become Samurai.

It's a hereditary title, a kind of nobility.

You're born into the Samurai caste.

Boys begin training around age 10 in multiple disciplines

including martial arts, military strategy, and religion.

- Samurai beliefs actually combine multiple religions.

Lessons in Confucianism

emphasize piety, loyalty, duty, and honor.

The Zen Buddhist concept of reincarnation

helps the Samurai in overcoming a fear of death.

- From Shintoism, they learn about these spirits

called Kami, which inhabit things like rocks

and rivers and trees,

and the Samurai even believe that the Kami

inhabit their own swords,

making their swords sacred objects.

- [Dennis] All of these beliefs combine

to form a sacred way of life.

A code known as Bushido.

- Bushido translates to "The Way of the Warrior"

and it's kind of a ethical code of conduct.

It's a set of seven principles

that guides every aspect of the life of Samurai.

It's almost like that of the Bible or the Quran.

- [Dennis] The code is so important

that Samurai follow it at any cost,

even if it means breaking the law.

- The Bushido code is often associated

with honor, discipline, and selflessness.

But beneath its surface lies a brutal violent core.

- Bushido is certainly spiritual,

but it's also full of rules

surrounding the idea of vengeance.

There are specific responses dictated to certain offenses,

and they're very clearly laid out.

- For example, if Samurai is insulted or offended,

there is a tradition called kiri-sute gomen,

which means authorization to cut and leave.

- If at any time, a Samurai's honor

is compromised by someone while they're out and about,

this would of course be a major offense,

honor being the single most important principle of Bushido.

In this case, to restore honor,

they're allowed to strike the person down with a sword,

even potentially kill them.

- Bushido is such serious business

that if a Samurai himself breaks the code,

for example, by dishonoring his master,

he may be obliged to end his own life.

- Typically, this is done by disemboweling oneself

with a short sword.

It's an act known as seppuku.

This demonstrates his genuine remorse

and he regains his honor by slicing his abdomen,

which is the part of the body

the Samurai believe contains the soul.

- [Dennis] There are countless stories

of this type of revenge in feudal Japan,

the most iconic is the tale of the 47 Ronin.

- This is a true story

that the Japanese have been telling since the 1700s.

It's been told in countless modern books, movies,

and television shows.

- It starts in 1701, as Asano Naganori,

the leader of a small fiefdom called Ako,

prepares his people for the arrival of an imperial envoy.

The strict Japanese social codes

mandate that the VIPs must be given a reception

befitting their high status.

- A veteran official named Kira Yoshinaka

is supposed to show Asano the proper protocol.

Unfortunately, Lord Asano doesn't realize

that he is supposed to start by giving Kira a bribe.

And when he fails to do so, Kira insults him.

Enraged because his honor has been offended,

Asano pulls out a a dagger and slashes at Kira's face.

The injuries turn out to be minor,

but what Asano has done is really a shocking offense.

He has assaulted an official of the Shogun

in the Shogun's palace.

- As punishment, Asano's family loses their land

and he is ordered to take his own life by seppuku.

This puts Asano's loyal Samurai

into a pretty complicated position.

They're now branded Ronin, or leaderless,

and they have to make an impossible choice.

- Here's the problem.

To adhere to their end of the code,

the Ronin must avenge Asano's death by killing Kira,

but to do so is a grievous crime,

tantamount to treason to kill an imperial official.

So what do they do?

Do they avenge their fallen master's death,

or do they just let it go by?

- [Dennis] The Ronin choose to follow the code,

but decide revenge is a dish best served cold.

- The Ronin plot their revenge for almost two years.

And when the time comes,

they boldly storm into Kira's home, defeat his men,

and find him cowering in a hidden room.

- They cut off his head, they bring it back to Ako domain,

and they ceremoniously place it

on the grave of their deceased Lord.

They've broken the law but they've upheld their honor.

- With the Bushido code satisfied,

the Ronin are ready to face their fate.

They surrender to the emperor, who sentences them to death.

But their loyalty to Bushido

and to their master Asano impresses him.

So he offers them the option of suicide by seppuku.

This allows them to die as honorable men,

which is the greatest achievement they could hope for.

- [Sami] 46 of the Ronin performed seppuku.

It's said that the 47th Ronin is pardoned

because of his very young age.

- So the end result of this enlightened spiritual code

is that 46 out of 47 people end up dead.

But even though it sounds rough to us,

it's important to remember, this sense of honor and duty

must be upheld at all costs.

- Any story about violent revenge gets popular,

but in Japan, this one really speaks to

the soul and culture of the Japanese people.

This is why this becomes

one of the most beloved tales in Japan.

- [Dennis] One that continues to inspire them

during the Second World War.

- Bushido looms large in World War II.

Japanese authorities know that this gives them

an edge over Allied Forces,

and they weaponized this concept of dying for justice

just as the 47 Ronin did long before.

- The Japanese perform Banzai missions,

where they charge enemy lines,

some armed with antique Samurai swords,

and overpower the Allied lines

with the sheer number of human bodies hurling at them.

In naval battles, Japanese pilots

purposely crashed their planes into Allied ships.

These kamikaze pilots managed to sink

at least 47 Allied vessels and damage over 300 more.

- Both of these are suicide missions,

but they're seen as honorable and desirable ways to die.

They're an extension of the same eye for an eye

or life for life justice from the Samurai period.

- The Bible features many tales of retribution doled out by God,

like the 10 Plagues of Egypt, or Noah's Ark.

But in one famous story from the book of Judges,

vengeance is served not by God,

but by a powerful man.

- The Israelites become a monarchy

with the anointing of King Saul around 1000 BC,

but before that, they go through over a dozen leaders

that aren't kings.

They're called The Judges.

These people basically step in during times of crisis

to enforce the laws, guide the people,

or hand out God's justice to opposing forces.

- While most of The Judges aren't household names today,

there's one that most definitely is.

Samson.

- [Dennis] Samson's story begins with a miracle.

- Samson's mother had been unable

to conceive to this point.

Even before he was born,

the Lord let his parents know he was gonna be special.

Samson is gonna be different than the traditional Nazarite.

He is going to be someone who is favored by God.

- God demands that Samson follow certain strict rules,

like avoiding strong drink and certain foods,

and he must never cut his hair.

In return, God bestows upon him

the gift of superhuman strength.

He shows off this gift one day when he's attacked by a lion.

He tears the animal apart with his bare hands.

When Samson grows up, he plans to marry a woman

in the neighboring town of Timnah.

But there's one problem with that.

He's an Israelite and she's a Philistine.

- The two groups are dire enemies.

The Philistines had oppressed the Israelites for decades.

God doesn't take too kindly to this,

and so the Philistines are enemies of God as well.

- [Kavitha] To spite Samson, the Philistines

give his wife to another man,

and this sparks a revenge war.

Samson burns their crops and the Philistines burn his wife.

- And then God gives Samson even greater strength

so he can hand out even more deadly justice.

Samson slaughters 1,000 Philistines

using only the jawbone of a donkey.

- [Dennis] This is the last straw for the Philistines.

They're determined to strike back at Samson

once and for all.

- The angry Philistines enlist a woman

named Delilah to seduce Samson.

She tricks him into sharing the secret

behind his super strength.

It's his long hair.

- [Dennis] Upholding the vow he made to God

in order to keep his strength,

Samson has never cut his hair.

- Delilah convinces Samson to take a nap,

and while he's napping, his hair's cut off.

He loses all the strength that he had formally had.

- Now, the Philistines are finally able to capture Samson.

They drag him to the temple of their deity, Dagon.

Samson prays to God

to allow him one final act of retribution.

- God gives Samson his strength back

just long enough for him to position himself

between two pillars in the middle of the temple.

Samson knocks them over

and the entire structure crashes down,

killing Samson and the thousands of Philistines

that are inside.

When the dust settles, Samson's family recovers his body

and buries him near the tomb of his father, Manoah.

Samson dies a hero, having dealt a major defeat

to the enemy of the Israelites and God.

- [Dennis] Although many scholars

interpret this revenge story as a metaphor,

recent evidence Samson might have existed.

- In 2012, archeologists from Tel Aviv University

excavate an ancient house in Tel Beit Shemesh, Israel

near Timnah.

Remember, Timnah is where part of the Bible story happens.

It's where Samson's would-be wife lived.

The team uncovers a circular stone seal

with an image carved on it of a man fighting a lion.

- The seal itself was discovered

at a point in the excavation level

which correlates with the time Samson was alive.

If we're interpreting the seal correctly

and it is a depiction of the Samson story,

the seal itself then becomes

something of a secondary source

that helps corroborate the story of Samson.

- This is pretty compelling.

You have a secondary source outside of the Bible

that shows the same event,

so it is confirmation that there was a story going around

about a guy who defeated a lion,

in the alleged time of Samson,

in the area where Samson lived.

- [Dennis] But what about the temple Samson demolished

with his bare hands?

- Many scholars believe that whatever is left

of the Philistine temple of Dagon

is now underneath a mosque in Gaza city.

In the 3,000+ years since it stood,

that patch of land has been the site

of a Roman temple of Byzantine Christian Church

and ultimately, the Great Omari Mosque.

- That site has never been fully excavated,

and unfortunately, it's heavily damaged in December 2023

by an airstrike during conflict between Hamas and Israel.

So if there's any remaining evidence from Samson's time,

we may not find out for quite a while.

- [Dennis] However, there is a Philistine temple

built around the same time

that has been examined by archeologists.

- In the mid 1970s, Israeli archeologist,

Amihai Mazar of Hebrew University,

uncovers one in Tell Qasile north of Tel Aviv.

What's notable here is its design.

The structure was supported

by two central wooden pillars about six feet apart.

That's arm's reach of a large man standing between them,

someone like Samson.

- [Dennis] Unfortunately, there is no clear proof

at this site,

so experts turn their attention to another location.

- There's an archeological site called Tel Tzora,

the ruins of an ancient town in the Judean foothills.

In biblical times, it was known as Zorah

and it was Samson's birthplace.

At the top of a nearby mountain

is a site that locals say is the tomb of Samson.

- There's another possible location as well.

In 1334, a traveler named Isaac Chalo

writes about a site near Tel Beit Shemesh.

It's a Hume rock, said to mark the tombs

of Manoah and Samson.

And today, that site is also revered by many believers.

These landmarks haven't yet been analyzed by archeologists,

but whenever that happens,

if one of them holds the mortal remains of Samson,

we'll have definitive proof

that the Bible's ultimate revenge story is real.

[mysterious music]

- While the 47 Ronin and Samson took their revenge

through sword and might,

there are other ways to dole out justice,

some that work without using brute force.

- You've probably heard of Voodoo dolls,

these small effigies of real living people

made with cloth, clay, wax, or leather.

They're allegedly a supernatural way

to get revenge on someone.

The idea is that you do something bad to the doll

and it'll happen in real life to the person who wronged you.

- These dolls have become famous thanks to scary books,

horror movies, and New Orleans souvenir shops.

- In pop culture, these dolls are depicted

as being associated with a type of black magic called Voodoo

practiced by African based cultures

in Haiti, Louisiana, and the Caribbean.

- Now, there is a Voodoo religion,

but they don't just go around

sticking pins in dolls to get revenge.

This idea actually comes from a misinterpretation.

- Around the 15th century in Kongo in Africa,

European visitors report seeing

these small effigies among the locals.

The figures are called mean minkisi, or nkisi nkondi.

They're made of wood and have nails driven into them,

but these dolls don't represent individual people.

They're containers for otherworldly spirits to inhabit.

- A local ritual specialist, called an nganga,

drives the nail into the figure to invoke a spirit.

It might be for good intentions, like, to heal the sick.

It could also be to attract a lover or repel enemies.

Someone might ask the spirit

to witness an oath between people,

and the nail seals the contract.

A person licks a nail or wraps one of their hairs around it

to bind themselves to it, and then the nail is hammered in.

The implication is that a broken contract

will be avenged by the spirits against the transgressor.

- [Dennis] Around the 16th century,

the enslaved bring Voodoo with them

from Africa to the Americas.

- The minkisi remain part of

their folk traditions and rituals.

- The misconception that the dolls

are some kind of deadly dark magic

is purposely started during the Civil War in the 1860s.

People who are against the emancipation of slaves

use stories about creepy Voodoo rituals

to portray African Americans

as superstitious and dangerous people

who shouldn't be trusted with freedoms like voting

or holding a public office.

- [Dennis] Remarkably, the idea of dangerous dolls

doesn't start here.

It dates back much further.

- In the seventh century,

a Byzantine historian writes a book

that includes the story of Theophilus of Alexandria,

who was the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church

from 384 AD.

- One day, Theophilus is rendered paralyzed.

None of his limbs will move.

- In a dream, he sees that someone has used

a doll against him and hidden it in the sea.

He hires a fisherman to cast his nets

in the place he saw in the dream.

- The fisherman finds a small box

sealed with lead, with a bronze doll inside.

The doll has nails piercing each limb.

The doll was made by a group

of non-Christian enemies of the church

who envied Theophilus' exalted position.

They called on the goddess Hecate to "fetter his limbs."

It's brought to a holy place,

and as each nail is removed, Theophilus regains use

of his corresponding limb.

He recovers completely.

- [Dennis] In ancient Egypt,

another leader isn't quite as lucky.

- An Egyptian historical text

called the Judicial Papyrus of Turin

describes a sensational trial around the year 1155 BC.

One of pharaoh, Ramses III's wives, named Tiye,

is tried for attempting to overthrow him

and install her son as the new ruler.

- Several other texts, including the Rollin Papyrus

and the Lee Papyrus lay out the details

of the assassination plot,

which is now known as the Harem conspiracy.

And a key part of this plan is the use of cursed dolls.

- One of Tiye's co-conspirators, Pebekkamen,

gets a sorcerer to craft a set of wax dolls

of the Pharaoh's guards.

The idea is to use the dolls

to weaken and paralyze the guards

so that they can kill the Pharaoh.

- Ever since that papyrus was found in the 1800s,

we know that that assassination plot was attempted.

The perpetrators were caught, convicted, and sentenced,

but for many centuries,

experts thought that the dolls didn't work

and that the Pharaohs survived the attempt

because the scrolls describe Ramses III

actually choosing the trial judges himself.

- [Dennis] Then in 2012,

experts take a closer look at Ramses' body.

- A team of archeologists and radiologists

have performed a full CT scan of the Pharaoh's mummy,

and the results were revealing.

- Ramses's has a nearly three inch slash to his throat

just under his larynx,

severing his trachea, esophagus, and major blood vessels.

And interestingly, he's also got a severed left big toe.

His wounds were sealed by his embalmers with resin,

but the CT scan finds them.

- To scientists today, it's definitive proof

that Ramses did not survive the attack.

And there were multiple attackers,

possibly one from the front with an ax

and one in the back with a blade.

- The cursed dolls may have done their jobs after all,

and the last great Warrior King of Egypt

suffered the consequences.

- We've all heard the term "Evil Eye."

That look that causes bad luck or an injury.

But you might be surprised at how widespread that concept is

and how long that cold blue stare's been around.

- The Evil Eye isn't part of any one religious tradition.

It's feared by followers of nearly all faiths,

including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism,

Hinduism, and even Christianity.

- The Evil Eye is an intense stare

that becomes a magical curse.

Imagine a death stare, but literally.

It can bring misfortune and calamity

to the person on the receiving end.

The curse gets its power from negative energy

generated by feelings of vanity, jealousy,

or the need for revenge.

- For example, if you are having good fortune

and happen to show it to others,

then others might become envious of you or jealous,

and they will give you the Evil Eye

as a manifestation of that jealousy and envy,

and that will in turn generate some kind of curse

or misfortune for you.

- They don't even have to say any magic words,

it's just a look.

The Evil Eye is so easy to cast,

it can even be done inadvertently.

And once it's cast on you,

it can bring all types of trouble.

Sudden illness, a rash, your cows stop giving milk,

your crops die, you trip on the sidewalk,

your business fails,

or you might even get injured or die.

- The Evil Eye is one of the oldest forms of black magic.

It's so old that we really can't trace its origins.

- Greek scholars, including Pliny the Elder and Plato,

all have a lot to say about the Evil Eye.

In fact, Plato writes that his teacher, Socrates,

rebuffs praise of his famous debates,

telling people not to praise him too much

lest the Evil Eye cast its gaze upon him.

- [Dennis] Could a stare really cause so much harm?

- The Greek philosopher Plutarch

provided a kind of scientific explanation

of how the Evil Eye could work

on the basis of Extramission Theory,

which is the belief that since the eyes

are so close to the brain,

then there's a kind of transfer of mental energy

or mental waves into sight.

- Plutarch also claims that some people

have a stronger ability to cast the spell than others.

He describes cultures south of the Black Sea

that are especially proficient at wielding the Evil Eye.

- Those best at the Evil Eye are said to be blue-eyed,

probably because blue eyes are relatively rare

in the Mediterranean region.

- [Dennis] The Evil Eye is believed to be

an especially powerful tool for witches.

- Witches, often women but not always,

are accused of possessing the Evil Eye,

which they could cast either intentionally

or unintentionally,

along with other various magical curses

that could cause great harm or even death.

- The fear of witches leads to widespread persecution

in the 1500s and 1600s

across Europe and the American colonies.

This becomes one of the most highly charged times in history

when it comes to the Evil Eye curse.

Up until this point,

there have certainly been true believers

that feared the Evil Eye, but it was more of a niche belief.

All of that is about to change.

[dramatic music]

- Although the first known Evil Eye symbol

dates back to ancient Mesopotamia,

the concept takes on a whole new life in the 16th century.

- As witch trials begin happening all over Europe,

we start to see all these actual court records

that mention the Evil Eye.

This is a major change from something

that was originally more of a folk tale or rumor.

- Now, the Evil Eye is suddenly a mainstream fear,

popping up in legal proceedings thousands of times

over the course of several centuries of trials

in both Europe and the New World.

- [Dennis] Among the most famous

takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692.

- The deputy constable of Salem at this time,

the guy in charge of arresting witches,

is a man named John Willard.

According to a contemporary account,

Willard is completely on board

with arresting witches at first,

but then he changes his tune and starts protesting

that many of the people being charged are innocent.

After speaking out,

Willard himself is also accused of witchcraft.

- Willard seeks advice from his grandfather in-law,

a man named Bray Wilkins.

At some point during a dinner together,

which was attended by five other people,

Willard gives Bray Wilkins a cross look.

- Wilkins falls gravely ill

with a painful and mysterious gastric ailment.

He claims his malady started

when Willard gave him the Evil Eye at dinner that night.

- After that, Wilkins 17-year-old grandson,

Daniel, suddenly dies,

and this is also attributed to Willard's evil stare.

- Despite his denials, Willard is convicted

and ultimately hanged on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill.

And as a historical footnote,

two dogs are also accused of casting an Evil Eye

at the children of Salem.

Sadly, they too are convicted and hanged.

- [Dennis] Over the next centuries,

belief in the Evil Eye doesn't waver

as even the most pious are accused.

- In Italy in the mid 1800s,

Pope Pius IX is said to be a jettatore,

which is a Sicilian word for someone

who, maybe accidentally, is casting out the Evil Eye.

Apparently people that he blesses

end up having terrible things happen to them.

- There's a famous story

that he blesses a building work site

for a column dedicated to the Madonna

in the Piazza di Spagna,

and later that day, a worker falls to his death.

- In 1848, he blesses Roman troops

and then they're defeated by the Austrians.

Even after his death,

it said that every year after his memorial mass is held,

someone who is in attendance drops dead,

all due to the Pope's Evil Eye.

- [Dennis] Incredibly, even a branch of the US military

tries to harness the Evil Eye's power in 1943.

- At the height of World War II,

the US Office of Scientific Research and Development

devises a psychological weapon for use against the Japanese.

They call it Project Fantasia, and it will come in the form

of a large hydrogen filled balloon

in the shape of an Evil Eye.

It will be illuminated,

and as it floats over Japanese territory,

people who are already superstitiously inclined,

they'll see it.

- After about 15 minutes, the eye would incinerate

in an intimidating blaze of fireworks.

The thinking behind this is that

they would scare and demoralize the locals

who maintain this strong superstitious belief in the eye

and its power.

- It's an interesting idea, but it's deemed impractical

and it's shelved before it even gets off the ground.

- [Dennis] Thankfully, there's supposedly

many means of protection against the death stare.

- The most famous form of protection

is an amulet known as a nazar,

and it's this round, bright blue image of an eye

that you've probably seen in jewelry stores around

without really realizing where it comes from.

- There are plenty more where that came from.

The Greeks also pull down their lower eyelid

to ward it off in a gesture called "katascopia,"

or you can throw the horns or other hand gestures.

- Remember, the Evil Eye is thought to be brought on

by an envious gaze, so a lot of the protections

are designed to distract that gaze.

You give it something else to look at.

A distracting gesture or a distracting object or accessory.

You can also utter protective phrases.

Jewish people, for example, say "kenahora,"

meaning "no Evil Eye."

- Some Asian and African cultures

actually believe that you should only eat alone

or only with trusted family

because you're most susceptible to the Evil Eye

when your mouth is open.

- In India, carpenters leave small holes in new buildings

so that the Evil Eye will seep out of enclosed spaces.

Also, marriage ceremonies sometimes involve cross-dressing

to confuse the Evil Eye.

- Ultimately, I guess what the long history

of the Evil Eye proves is that people really have a tendency

to stick to their religious superstitions.

I mean, sure, maybe it's real and maybe it's not,

but you know what?

Better to be safe than sorry.

[mysterious music]

- From Voodoo dolls to Evil Eyes,

and even rogue Samurai,

sometimes the most powerful form of revenge

is the one its victims never see coming.

I'm Dennis Quaid, and thanks for watching Holy Marvels.