Evil Eye and Magic Plants in the Arribes del Duero (Salamanca-Zamora, Spain): A Review of the Literature

Abstract

We performed a review of the literature referring to the existence of plant remedies against the evil eye in the Arribes del Duero (western part of the provinces of Salamanca and Zamora, CW Spain), an area very isolated up to the mid-twentieth century. A total of 20 vascular plant species are mentioned. The preventive remedies are in particular associated with key moments in the religious calendar. On Palm Sunday, bunches made of olive tree, laurel and/or rosemary are blessed and then placed on window sills to protect people’s homes, and during the celebration of St. John’s Bonfire aromatic plants are burned. The traditional use of plants to repel witches, such as those plants being hung behind the doors of houses and stables, and the rituals for curing people, animals and even possessions were also compiled.