A spliced eye makes a permanent loop in a rope, or attaches it for good to something like an anchor chain or a fire bucket. In this video I splice an eye into three-strand rope, with the ends of the strands dyed different colours to make them easier to follow. It's not hard to learn, though all those strands can leave you a bit cross-eyed!

There are several ways to stop the end of a rope fraying: electrical tape, heat shrink, whipping it with twine, or a back splice, which tucks the strands back into the rope like the eye splice above.