Belief in the evil eye has existed since prehistory, with ancient humans considering a curse brought about by a malevolent glare — intentional or otherwise — to have the ability to bring bad luck, misfortune, and illness. According to Pliny the Elder, the “power of fascination with the eyes can even kill those on whom they fix their gaze”. In this way, amulets designed to break such fascination and repel the evil eye are as old as belief in the curse itself.

This British-found example of an evil eye amulet dates to the Anglo-Saxon period. Displaying five circular “eye” designs meant to repel the malignant force of the evil eye, it may be that the cross positioning of the circle and dot motif correlates to the X-shaped Futhorc rune, “Gyfu”. Used in Anglo-Saxon Britain, this rune meant “gift”, and might therefore indicate that this ring was given to someone as a protective present. Alternatively, the five-pointed design, similar to a swastika in that it forms an equal-armed cross with each arm continued at a right angle, may correlate to the rune “Fylfot”, once again used in Anglo-Saxon Britain and meaning “good luck”.