The three-pupiled eye, or what we’ll refer to as the three irises, is somewhat common in folklore, specifically Irish and sometimes Chinese mythology. However, its meaning is not wholly singular and may vary amongst sources.

In the Togail Bruidne Da Derga (The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel), the three-pupiled eye is known as an “evil eye,” bringing destruction upon those who gaze upon it, or through the gaze of its beholder:

A man ungentle, huge, fearful, uncouth was Ingcél. A single eye in his head, as broad as an oxhide, as black as a chafer, with three pupils therein.

….

When he was swiftest, I beheld him at the feat, and as I looked, they uttered a cry about him and they were all on the house-floor. Then the Prince who is in the house said to the juggler: ‘We have come together since thou wast a little boy, and till to-night thy juggling never failed thee.’’

‘Alas, alas, fair master Conaire, good cause have I. A keen, angry eye looked at me: a man with the third of a pupil which sees the going of the nine bands. Not much to him is that keen, wrathful sight! Battles are fought with it,’ saith he. ‘It should be known till doomsday that there is evil in front of the Hostel.’

Ingcél Cáech, a ferocious pirate who appeared in Irish folklore, had a single eye with three pupils, which he used to cast baleful looks at his foes, soon to end in their destruction.

In an article written on Irish folklore, it states, “ The Evil Eye was essentially a curse or malediction that could be placed on a person or animal by a person possessing the power to do so. This was done when the said person “glared” or stared intently at the intended victim. This is often referred to as being ‘overlooked’. “

Alternatively, however, it can also be more positively depicted as a sight of beauty, of clairvoyance, and foresight:

The version that Ingcél has seven pupils in his eye has a parallel in descriptions of Cormac mac Airt and Cú Chulainn: they are said to have seven pupils in each eye. In both cases, this is explictly qualified as a sign of beauty. In Táin Bó Cúailnge Recension I, two of Cú Chulainn’s pupils are described as squinting, but the text supplies the comment that this was more an adornment than a disfigurement. The tradition of three pupils in Ingcél’s eye could be compared with another instance in Táin Bó Cúailnge Recension I: after the description of the poetess and prophetess Fedelm as a beautiful woman, it is said that she carries a weaver’s beam and has three pupils in each eye. There is no explanation offered of this characteristic: it could be a sign of beauty and it could be a sign of her supernatural sight. The latter is more probable, because the characteristic is separated from the description of her looks by the mention of the weaver’s beam. The weaver’s beam has been interpreted as a supernatural tool for prophesy. The triple pupils could, therefore, very well be a symbol of her clairvoyance.

However, this concept is rare, and still tied to the over arching theme of the “evil eye,” which possesses a multitude of destructive abilities, in which foresight is a more positive attribute.

Why is this important?

Because Martin has “IRIS” written on his book, uses multiple depictions of eyes when we look through it, and now the revelation of this:

A three-pupiled eye as the logo for I.R.I.S., a research facility meant to study the “impossible sciences.”

And who has it set its gaze on?

Well.

Just something to think about.

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