Pick whatever applies.
Kyra Ourania can diagnose you before she even opens the olive oil.
What are the signs of the evil eye in Greek tradition?
- A sudden headache, mostly in the forehead and temples, out of nowhere.
- Heaviness and tiredness with no obvious reason, a feeling of being off that you can’t explain.
- Constant yawning, even when you are not sleepy.
- Dizziness or a general queasiness.
- All of this shortly after a compliment. Someone called you beautiful, envied your job or admired your baby and didn’t say “ftou ftou”.
Babies and small children are said to catch the evil eye more easily, which is why they get a blue bead early on.
What does your quiz result mean?
| Symptoms | Kyra Ourania’s diagnosis |
|---|---|
| No symptoms | Pick whatever applies. Kyra Ourania can diagnose you before she even opens the olive oil. |
| 1 to 2 symptoms | A mild evil eye. Probably a neighbour. A quick xematiasma will sort it. |
| 3 to 4 symptoms | A proper evil eye. It needs oil, a prayer and a few good yawns. |
| 5 or more | A heavy evil eye. Kyra Ourania will be yawning for a while. Don’t leave it till tomorrow. |
The diagnosis is a joke. The quiz doesn’t reach any medical conclusion, and neither do we.
How do grandmothers check with oil?
The traditional test uses a plate of water and three drops of olive oil. If the drops spread and disappear, the person is considered jinxed. If they stay round, there is no evil eye. The full steps, and why the oil behaves the way it does, are in our guide What is xematiasma.
Evil eye or something else?
Headaches, tiredness and yawning have far more ordinary causes: too little sleep, stress, dehydration, too many hours in front of a screen. If the symptoms last for days or get worse, see a doctor. Xematiasma is tradition and fun, not treatment.
Lift my evil eye, on the house
See also: the evil eye prayer.