Fact·Ancient Greece·Classical Greece
Spitting to Ward Off Evil
In ancient Athens, someone compliments your baby—so you spit three times on the ground.
Achilles Painter — "Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)" (445-435 BCE), public domain
Spit for Safety, Not Rudeness
In ancient Greece, if someone praised your child or your looks, the polite response wasn’t just 'thank you.' You’d lean over and dramatically spit three times—right on the ground at your feet.
Superstition in Everyday Life
This wasn’t just old wives’ magic. Greek writers like Theocritus mention spitting to avert the evil eye. Compliments could tempt jealous spirits, so a quick spit acted as a protective shield—especially for babies or the newly married.
Greeks believed that a sudden compliment could attract jealousy or evil spirits, so they spat for protection.
