Cornicello
Cornicello, Italian for "little horn", is an amulet worn to protect against the evil eye. In the Southern Italian Dialects, it is called cuornuciello or variants thereof.
[edit] Origins and styles
The Cornicello is an Italian amulet of good luck used to protect the wearer from the evil-eye curse. It is a twisted horn-shaped charm often made of gold, silver, bone, or red coral.[1] Originally cornicelli resembled the twisted horn of an African eland, though over the years they have become stylized and less horn-like. A regionally popular amulet, they are primarily found in Italy and in America among descendents of Italian immigrants. According to some Calabrese traditions, the horn was once modeled after a chili pepper, due to its abundance in the region. This was confirmed on Lidia's Italy.
[edit] See also
Related to the corno is the mano cornuta or "horned hand." This is an Italian hand-gesture (or an amulet imitative of the gesture) that can be used to indicate that a man has been cuckolded ("wears the horns") and also to ward off the evil eye. Mano means "hand" and corno means "horn."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Maberry, Jonathan and Janice Gable Bashman (September 2010). Wanted Undead Or Alive: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil. New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corp. pp. 165–166. ISBN 0-8065-2821-4.
