Curse 244774 225565597 2008-07-14T09:55:48Z 193.188.105.20 /* Folk use */ {{Nofootnotes|date=February 2008}} {{wiktionary}} {{Otheruses}} A '''curse''' is the effective action of some power, distinguished solely by the quality of [[adversity]] that it brings. A curse may also be said to result from a [[spell (paranormal)|spell]] or [[prayer]], imprecation or execration, or other imposition by [[magic (paranormal)|magick]] or [[witchcraft]], asking that a [[god]], natural force, or [[spiritual being|spirit]] bring misfortune to someone. The forms of curses found in various cultures comprise a significant proportion of the study of both [[folk religion]] and [[folklore]]. ==Folk use== The deliberate levying of curses is often part of the practice of [[magic (paranormal)|magic]], taking place at the boundary between organized [[religion]] and folkloric customs. The curse makes effective part in the Hindu culture (The [[Fakir]] has the bless and curse power). Special names for specific types of curses can be found in various cultures: * [[African American]] [[voodoo]] presents us with the [[jinx/haitians]] and crossed conditions, as well as a form of foot track magic, whereby cursed objects are laid in the paths of victims and activated when walked over. * [[Middle-East|Middle Eastern]] and [[Mediterranean]] culture is the source of the belief in the [[evil eye]], which may be the result of envy but, more rarely, is said to be the result of a deliberate curse. * [[Germany|German]] people, including the [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] speak in terms of [[Pow-wow (folk magic)|hexing]] (from the German word for 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. * [[India]]n people, use the word Shaap in Hindi and Marathi ==Ancient Greek and Roman curses== [[Greek people|Greek]] and [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] curses were somewhat formal and official. Called ''katadesmoi'' by the Greeks and ''[[Curse tablet|tabulae defixiones]]'' by the Romans, they were written on lead tablets or other materials, generally invoked the aid of a [[spirit]] (a deity, a [[demon]], or one of the dead) to accomplish their aim, and were placed in some place considered effective for their activation, such as in a tomb, cemetery, or sacred spring or well. In the text of ''katadesmoi'' and ''defixiones'', the petitioner uttered a prayer or formula that the enemy would suffer injury in some specific way, along with the reason therefore, such as theft or loss of respect. The Romans, [[Etruscans]], and Greeks in Italy all practiced this custom. They buried the curses so well that today we have a body of curse inscriptions to tell us how they did it. ==Celtic curses== In the [[Celts|Celtic]] world there were also many different forms of curses. Some of the most well known from Ireland are Curse stones, [[egg (biology)|Egg]] curses, [[New Year]] curses and [[Milk]] curses. [[Curse stones]] generally involved particle stones with the power to curse. One example involved turning a stone three times and saying the name of the person you wanted to curse. [[Egg curses]] are a fertility curse. If you buried/hid eggs on someone else's land it was believed you could steal their land's [[fertility]] and therefore their [[luck]]. There are also some well documented methods believed to break these curses. [[New year curses]] are like egg curses. If you took something from someone on the new year you took their luck for the year. People used to not clean their house or throw out water for this reason. In [[Munster]] you can see a similar form in the [[may bush]] and the [[stealing]] of may bushes. Stealing back the item or bush is believed to return the luck. Milk curses were curses put on a household where the milk from others cows went to yours. '''Curses in the Bible''' The first curse in the Bible is put on the [[Snake|serpent]] by God, "You are cursed more than all cattle," ([[Genesis]] 3:14). As a result of [[Adam and Eve]] disobeying God, the ground is also cursed: "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life." (3:17). [[Cain]] is cursed from the earth, "So now you are cursed from the earth," (4:11). In the [[New Testament]] [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] sees curses as central to the meaning of Jesus's [[crucifixion]]. In [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]] 3:13 he says: "[[Christ]] redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...". He refers to Deuteronomy: " anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse." (21:23 RAEDM) Some passages in the [[Hebrew Bible|Tanakh]] treat curses as being effective techniques; they see a curse as an objective reality with real power. However, most sections of the [[Bible]] conceive a curse to be merely a wish, to be fulfilled by God only when just and deserved. According to the [[Book of Proverbs]], an undeserved curse has no effect (Proverbs 26:2), but may fall back upon the head of him who utters it ([[Genesis]] 12:3; [[Sirach]] 21:27), or may be turned by God into a blessing, as in the case of [[Balaam]] ([[Deuteronomy]] 23:5). The declaration of punishments (Gen. 3:14, 17; 4:11), the utterance of threats ([[Jeremiah]] 11:3, 17:5; [[Malachi]] i. 14), and the proclamation of laws (Deut. 11:26-28, 27:15 et seq.) received added solemnity and force when conditioned by a curse. In the Bible, cursing is generally characteristic of the godless (Ps. 10:7), but may serve as a weapon in the mouth of the wronged, the oppressed, and those who are zealous for God and righteousness ([[Judges]] 9:57; Prov. 11:26, 30:10). A righteous curse, especially when uttered by persons in authority, was believed to be unfailing in its effect (Gen. 9:25, 27:12; [[II Kings]] 2:24; Ecclus. [[Sirach]] 3:11). One who had received exemplary punishment at the hands of God was frequently held up, in cursing, as a terrifying object-lesson (Jer. 23: 22), and such a person was said to be, or to have become, a curse (II Kings 22:19; Jer. 24:9, 25: 18; [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 8:13). An elaborate [[trial by ordeal]] for a woman suspected by her husband of [[adultery]] is set forth in [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 5:11-30; this involved drinking a "bitter water that brings a curse"; if the woman were guilty, she would suffer [[miscarriage]] and [[infertility]]. It is especially forbidden to curse God ([[Exodus]] 22:28), parents (Ex. 21:17; [[Leviticus]] 20:9; Prov. 20:20, 30: 11), the authorities (Ex. 22:28; Eccl. 10:20), and the helpless deaf (Lev. 19:14). ==Curses in Rabbinic literature== A number of sections of the [[Talmud]] show a belief in the power of curses (Berachot 19a, 56a.) In some cases, a curse is described as related to the nature of a prayer (Ta'an. 23b); an undeserved curse is described as ineffective (Makkot 11a) and falls back upon the head of him who utters it (Sanhedrin 49a). Not only is a curse uttered by a [[scholar]] unfailing in its effect, even if undeserved (Mak. 11a), but one should not regard lightly even the curse uttered by an ignorant man (Meg. 15a). The Biblical prohibitions of cursing are legally elaborated, and extended to self-cursing (Shebu. 35a). A woman that curses her husband's parents in his presence is divorced and loses her [[dowry]] (Ket. 72a). Cursing may be permissible when prompted by [[religion|religious]] motives. For instance, a curse is uttered against those who mislead the people by calculating, on the basis of Biblical passages, when the [[Messiah]] will come (Sanhedrin 97b). Cursed are those who are guilty of actions which, though not forbidden, are considered reprehensible. According to legend, some rabbinic scholars cursed sometimes not only with their mouths, but also with an angry, fixed look. The consequence of such a look was either immediate death or poverty (Sotah 46b, and parallel passages). (See [[Evil eye]]) ==Cursed places== Certain landmarks or locales are said to be cursed. Various lakes, rivers and mountains have been called cursed, as has the [[Sargasso Sea]]. However even when there is a tradition of a place "taking someone" every number of years it is not always considered cursed. For example, someone is said to drown in [[Lough Gur]] in [[Limerick, Ireland]] every seven years but the lake is not considered "cursed" by the locals. The alleged [[Bermuda Triangle]] effect is believed by some to be some form of curse (and by others to be some unexplained natural phenomena). '''Babinda's Boulders''', [[Babinda]] township, near [[Cairns]], [[Queensland]] on [[Australia|Australia's]] mid-north coast, is a place known for the [[Devil's Pool, Australia|Devil's Pool]], a group of waterholes known to be dangerous to young male travellers, but never claiming the lives of locals or females. There is some dispute about the dangers, that the geography of the place is naturally risky with the rocks and fast moving currents &em; yet an Aboriginal legend exists giving it the context of a historic curse. <ref name=babinda>'[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] television broadcast transcript' [http://www.abc.net.au/message/tv/ms/s1381165.htm] </ref> ==Curse to the United States presidency== [[Tecumseh's curse]] was reputed to cause the deaths in office of [[President of the United States|Presidents of the United States]] elected in years divisible by 20, beginning in 1840. This alleged curse appears to have fallen dormant, since [[Ronald Reagan]], (elected in 1980) survived an assassination attempt. ==Sports-related curses== {{mainarticle|Sports-related curses}} A number of curses are used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams, players, or even cities. For example: * The [[Curse of the Billy Goat]] is used to explain the failures of the [[Chicago Cubs]] baseball team, who have not won a World Series championship since 1908, and a National League pennant since 1945. * There was the [[Curse of the Bambino]], on the [[Boston Red Sox]] major league baseball team, who had not won a World Series since 1918 until the [[2004 World Series]], when the Sox defeated the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], 4 games to 0. * The "Krukow Kurse" is used to explain the [[San Francisco Giants]]' failure to ever win the [[World Series]]. It is attributed to [[Mike Krukow]] (a former [[pitcher]] for the [[Giants]] and a current [[Presenter|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]]. * Players who appear on the covers of either the ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' [[magazine]] or the ''[[Madden NFL]]'' [[video game]] have tended to, coincidentally, suffer setbacks or injuries, immediately after appearing on either cover. * Some think that the NHL's [[St. Louis Blues (hockey)|St. Louis Blues]], [[Toronto Maple Leafs]], and the [[Los Angeles Kings]] are cursed. Each team has not won a [[Stanley Cup]] championship, since 1967. For the Blues and Kings, 1967 was the season that each team joined the [[NHL]], meaning that each team has never won the Stanley Cup. * There was the [[Curse of 1940]], which was placed on the [[New York Rangers]] for 54 years. But that curse was broken in the [[1994 Stanley Cup Finals]], with a 4 games to 3 victory against the [[Vancouver Canucks]]. *[[Nippon Professional Baseball|Japanese baseball]] team [[Hanshin Tigers]] is said to suffer from the [[Curse of the Colonel]]. * In 1958 [[Bobby Layne]] was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is rumored that he cursed the Lions by saying, "They won't win again for 50 years" The Lions have had only 1 playoff win since 1958. * The [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] have won one World Series in all their time in New York, while the [[New York Baseball Giants]] have won five World Series. Since both teams moved to [[California]], the Dodgers have won five, while the Giants have not won a title despite three NL pennants in 1962, 1989, and 2002. The Dodgers, however, have not won a [[NLCS]] since 1988, the last time they won a [[World Series]]. * There was an alleged curse placed on the [[Los Angeles Lakers]], whenever they played the [[Boston Celtics]] in the [[NBA Finals]], especially at the old [[Boston Garden]]. Los Angeles lost to Boston 6 times in the Finals in the 1960s ('62, '63, '65, '66, '68, '69), and in the [[1984 NBA Finals]]. In several matchups, infamous incidents have seemed to have favored the Celtics, and in series-clinching wins for Boston, legendary coach [[Red Auerbach]] was said to have pulled his famous "victory cigar," and puffed it in front of the Lakers' bench. But the "leprechaun jinx" ended, with the Lakers' 4 games to 2 victory over the Celtics, in the [[1985 NBA Finals]]. The Lakers' celebration was at Boston Garden, which would be the only time in the garden's history that a team other than the Celtics won the NBA championship in that building. *All of the sports teams of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] have been characterized as being under a curse since the mid 1980s; fans blame this on the [[Curse of Billy Penn]]. *All sports teams based in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] have been characterized as being under a curse or experiencing bad luck when being close to a championship since the 1960’s. This bad luck ended in the mid-90s with two consecutive NBA championship wins by the [[Houston Rockets]]. Although due to recent failures of Houston teams some say their curse may have returned. *[[San Diego]] is among the most cursed cities in sports in that not one professional team from the city or county has won a championship since the [[San Diego Chargers]] winning the AFL Championship in [[American_Football_League_playoffs#1963_Championship|1963]]. Additionally, other teams that have played in [[San Diego]], such as the [[San Diego Rockets|Rockets]] and [[San Diego Clippers|Clippers]] have not won any championships (at least while located there). Both NBA teams have lasted a short time and have since moved to Houston and Los Angeles, respectively. *The City of [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] has been said to be under a curse that prevents them from winning a championship since the [[Cleveland Browns]] last won it in [[NFL Championship Game, 1964|1964]]. [[ESPN]] had even once named Cleveland as America's Most Tortured Sports City.<ref>[http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tortured/cleveland Mistakes by the lake]</ref> ==The Curse of 27== The Curse of 27 is the belief that 27 is an unlucky number due to the number of famous musicians and entertainers who have died at the age. [[Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson]], [[Jim Morrison]], [[Brian Jones]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Ron "Pigpen" McKernan]], [[Janis Joplin]], [[Jonathan Brandis]] and [[Kurt Cobain]] are all believed to have been affected by the curse of 27. This is also known as the [[27 Club]]. ==Cursed objects== 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. The idea has broad pop-culture appeal, from [[eponym]]ous object in the 1902 horror short story "[[The Monkey's Paw]]", to the ancient Greek story of ''[[Pandora's Box]]'' to the "Lament Configuration" [[puzzle box]] in the modern ''[[Hellraiser]]'' movie series. The television show [[Friday the 13th: The Series]] dealt with a hoard of cursed antiques sold by an evil man that gave their owners various powers in return for killing. Once cursed, the objects were indestructible and had to be stored in a special vault. This is an example of placing a new curse onto an otherwise neutral object which was then used as a cursed object to purportedly bring a curse to a person or place. This is similar to the practice of recording a spoken curse onto a media such as a [[cassette tape]] (sometimes then known as "[[witch's tape]]") or [[recordable CD]] which is then left at the area to be cursed. ==Egyptian curses and mummies== [[Image:Donation stele with curse inscription.jpg|right|thumb|[[Limestone]] donation-[[stele]] from [[Mendes]], [[Third Intermediate Period of Egypt|3rd Intermediate Period]], [[Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt|Dynasty XXII]]. The inscription celebrates a donation of land to an Egyptian temple, and places a curse on anyone who would misuse or appropriate the land.]] There is a broad popular belief in curses being associated with the violation of the tombs of [[mummy|mummified]] corpses, or of the mummies themselves. The idea became so widespread as to become a pop-culture mainstay, especially in [[horror film]]s (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 [[archaeologist]]s who excavated the tomb of [[Pharaoh]] [[Tutankhamun]], whereby an imprecation was supposedly pronounced from the grave by the [[ancient Egypt]]ian priests, on anyone who violated its precincts. Similar dubious suspicions have surrounded the excavation and examination of the (natural, not embalmed) [[Ötztal Alps|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. ==See also== * [[Book curse]] * [[Kennedy curse]] * [[Motif of harmful sensation]] * [[Nocebo]]: see "Ambiguity of Anthropological Usage". * [[Sports-related curses]] * [[Superman curse]] * [[Tecumseh's curse]] * [[The cursed videotape]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{wikiquote}} * ''Curse tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World'' by John G. Gager ISBN 0-19-506226-4 * ''[[Maledicta]]: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression'' ISSN US 0363-3659 ==External links== * [http://www.rotten.com/library/occult/hexes/ Rotten Library] Article on Hexes * [http://www.skepticworld.com/paranormal/curses.asp Skeptic World Article - Curses] [[Category:Mysticism]] [[Category:Curses| ]] [[cs:Kletba]] [[da:Forbandelse]] [[de:Fluch]] [[es:Maldición]] [[eo:Malbeno]] [[fr:Malédiction]] [[he:קללה]] [[nl:Vloek (onheilsbezwering)]] [[ja:呪い]] [[pt:Maldição]] [[qu:Ñakay]] [[ru:Проклятие]] [[sq:Mallkimi]] [[simple:Curse]] [[th:คำสาป]]