A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, commination, hex, or jinx) is any expressed
wish that some form of
adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object.[1] In particular, "curse" may refer to such a wish or pronouncement made effective by a
supernatural or
spiritual power, such as a
god or gods, a
spirit, or a
natural force, or else as a kind of
spell by
magic or
witchcraft. In many belief systems, the curse itself (or accompanying
ritual) is considered to have some causative force in the result. To reverse or eliminate a curse is sometimes called "removal" or "breaking", as the
spell has to be dispelled, and is often requiring elaborate rituals or prayers.[2]
Types
Ancient Greek curse written on a lead sheet, 4th century BC,
Kerameikos Archaeological Museum,
Athens.
The study of the forms of curses comprise a significant proportion of the study of both
folk religion and
folklore. The deliberate attempt to levy curses is often part of the practice of
magic. In
Hinduculture the Sage or
Rishi is believed to have the power to
bless (Āshirvada or Vara) and curse (Shrapa). Examples include the curse placed by Rishi Bhrigu on king Nahusha[3] and the one placed by Rishi Devala.[4]
Special names for specific types of curses can be found in various cultures:
African Americanhoodoo presents us with the
jinx and crossed conditions, as well as a form of foot track magic which was used by Ramandeep, whereby cursed objects are laid in the paths of victims and activated when walked over.
Middle Eastern and
Mediterranean culture is the source of the belief in the
evil eye, which may be the result of envy but or, more rarely, is said to be the result of a deliberate curse. In order to be protected from the evil eye, a protection item is made from dark blue circular glass, with a circle of white around the black dot in the middle, which is reminiscent of a human eye. The size of the protective eye item may vary.
German people, including the
Pennsylvania Dutch speak in terms of
hexing (from hexen, the German word for doing witchcraft), and a common hex in days past was that laid by a stable-witch who caused milk cows to go dry and horses to go lame.
Kuru curse is a
Prion infection caused by
Cannibalism (eating one's own species), and does not involve any bacteria or virus. This curse effects the violator and his/her decedents. Animals feasting on their own species will also be victims of this curse, such as cow eating other cows will get infected with
mad cow disease.
There is a broad popular belief in curses being associated with the violation of the tombs of
mummified corpses, or of the mummies themselves. The idea became so widespread as to become a pop-culture mainstay, especially in
horror films (though originally the curse was invisible, a series of mysterious deaths, rather than the walking-dead mummies of later fiction). The "
Curse of the Pharaohs" is supposed to have haunted the
archeologists who excavated the tomb of
PharaohTutankhamun, whereby an imprecation was supposedly pronounced from the grave by the
ancient Egyptian priests, on anyone who violated its precincts. Similar dubious suspicions have surrounded the excavation and examination of the (natural, not embalmed)
Alpine mummy, "
Ötzi the Iceman". While such curses are generally considered to have been popularized and sensationalized by British journalists of the 19th century, ancient Egyptians were in fact known to place curse inscriptions on markers protecting temple or tomb goods or property.
Objects
Ancient Greek cursed object against enemies in a trial, written on a lead figurine put in a lead box, 420-410 BC,
Kerameikos Archaeological Museum,
Athens.
Cursed objects are generally supposed to have been stolen from their rightful owners or looted from a sanctuary. The
Hope Diamond is supposed to bear such a curse, and bring misfortune to its owner. The stories behind why these items are cursed vary, but they usually are said to bring bad luck or to manifest unusual phenomena related to their presence.
Busby's stoop chair was reportedly cursed by the murderer Thomas Busby shortly before his execution so that everyone who would sit in it would die.
As plot devices
Curses have also been used as
plot devices in literature and theater. When used as a plot device they involve one character placing a curse or hex over another character. This is distinguished from adverse spells and premonitions and other such plot devices. Examples of the curse as a plot device are the following:
Rigoletto— Count Monterone places a curse on Rigoletto. Rigoletto blames the climactic death of his daughter on the curse.
Romeo and Juliet— A dying
Mercutio curses the Montagues and Capulets with "A plague 'o both your houses." (Often quoted as "a pox on both your houses.")
The
Curse of the Billy Goat was used to explain the failures of the
Chicago Cubs baseball team, who did not win a World Series championship between 1908 and 2016, and a National League pennant between 1945 and 2016.
There was a famous curse called the
Curse of the Bambino on the
Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team. After the Red Sox sold
Babe Ruth, who had won 3 of the 5 Red Sox World Series titles at the time, to the
New York Yankees where he won his final 4 titles, it took the Red Sox 86 years to win another World Series (1918-2004). In 2004 the Red Sox made history in the
American League Championship Series (ALCS) coming back from 0 games to 3, winning 4 games in a row against their archrivals the New York Yankees blowing out game 7 in the Bronx 10 to 3, this is cited as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. The Red Sox secured the AL Pennant and then went on to sweep the
St. Louis Cardinals in the
2004 World Series, 4 games to 0 ending the curse once and for all. Three years later they would win sweep again in the
2007 World Series against the
Colorado Rockies, and in
2013 they added a third championship by defeating the Cardinals 4 games to 2.
The Krukow Kurse was used to explain the
San Francisco Giants' failure to ever win the
World Series until 2010. It is attributed to
Mike Krukow (a former
pitcher for the Giants and a current
broadcaster for the team) based upon his yearly
pre-season predictions that the Giants "have a chance" to win the World Series. Once Krukow stops making such predictions—says the
legend—the Giants will, in fact, win the World Series. However, the Giants went on to win the World Series in 2010. It was during the same year that Krukow's partner, Giants broadcaster, Duane Kuiper stated "Giants baseball, it's torture!", due to the large amount of close games that they played. This phrase was adopted by fans and became a rallying cry throughout the second half of the season and the playoff run.
Marketing experts have highlighted the curse of
Gillette, given the mishaps that happen to sports stars associated with the brand.[7][8]
William Henry Harrison was elected president in 1840, but he died in 1841, just a month after being sworn in. Ripley's Believe It or Not! claimed to note a pattern in 1931 and again in 1948,[9] claiming that a president elected in a year ending in zero would die in office. They termed it the Curse of Tippecanoe. The name is derived from the
Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, when Harrison negotiated the 1809
Treaty of Fort Wayne, in which the Indians ceded large tracts of land to the government.[10] The treaty further angered
Shawnee leader
Tecumseh and brought government soldiers and Indians to the brink of war in a period known as
Tecumseh's War. Tecumseh and his brother organized a
group of Indian tribes to resist the westward expansion of the United States.
In 1811, Tecumseh's forces attacked Harrison's army in the Battle of Tippecanoe, earning Harrison fame and the nickname "Old Tippecanoe".[10] In an account of the aftermath of the battle, Tecumseh's brother
Tenskwatawa supposedly set a curse against Harrison. This is the basis of the curse legend, even though it was
Richard Mentor Johnson who was said to be the man who killed Tecumseh.[11]
^Randi Henderson and Tom Nugent, "The Zero Curse: More than just a coincidence?" (reprinted from the Baltimore Sun), November 2, 1980, in Syracuse Herald-American, p C-3
Further reading
Curse tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager
ISBN0-19-506226-4
Maledicta: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression ISSN US 0363-3659
Supernatural Hawaii by Margaret Stone. Copyright 1979 by Aloha Graphics and Sales.
ISBN0-941351-03-3
The Secret Obake Casebook Tales from the Darkside of the Cabinet by Glen Grant. Copyright 1997 by Glen Grant.
ISBN1-56647-183-4
External links
Look up sandbox in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.