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For other uses, see Curse (disambiguation).

A curse is the effective action of some power, distinguished solely by the quality of adversity that it brings. SpecialShortpages.-- A curse may also be said to result from a spell or prayer, imprecation or execration, or other imposition by magick or witchcraft, asking that a god, natural force, or spirit bring misfortune to someone. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath

The forms of curses found in various cultures comprise a significant proportion of the study of both folk religion and folklore. Folk religion consists of Beliefs Superstitions and Rituals transmitted from generation to generation in a specific Culture. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological

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Folk use

The deliberate levying of curses is often part of the practice of magic, taking place at the boundary between organized religion and folkloric customs. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The curse makes effective part in the Hindu culture (The Fakir has the bless and curse power). A fakir or faqir is a Sufi, especially one who Performs feats of Endurance or apparent magic.

Special names for specific types of curses can be found in various cultures:

Ancient Greek and Roman curses

Greek and Roman curses were somewhat formal and official. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Called katadesmoi by the Greeks and 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. A curse tablet or binding spell ( defixio in Latin, κατάδεσμος katadesmos in Greek) is a type of Curse found The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath

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. Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy 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 Celtic world there were also many different forms of curses. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Some of the most well known from Ireland are Curse stones, Egg curses, New Year curses and Milk curses. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. The New Year is an event that happens when a Culture celebrates the end of one Year and the beginning of the next year Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes.

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. Fertility is the natural capability of giving life As a measure "Fertility Rate" is the number of children born per couple person or population Luck (also called fortunity) is a chance happening, or that which happens beyond a person's control. 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. Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given 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 serpent by God, "You are cursed more than all cattle," (Genesis 3:14). A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. 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. Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living " (3:17). Cain is cursed from the earth, "So now you are cursed from the earth," (4:11).

In the New Testament Paul sees curses as central to the meaning of Jesus's crucifixion. Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from In Galatians 3:13 he says: "Christ redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. The Epistle to the Galatians is a book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of early Christian communities in the Roman province of Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " . . ". He refers to Deuteronomy: " anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. " (21:23 RAEDM)

Some passages in the Tanakh treat curses as being effective techniques; they see a curse as an objective reality with real power. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic However, most sections of the Bible conceive a curse to be merely a wish, to be fulfilled by God only when just and deserved. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

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 Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. Sirach, by Ben Sira, also known as The Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, The Wisdom of Ben Sira, or Ecclesiasticus Balaam ( Hebrew: בִּלְעָם, Standard Bilʻam Tiberian Bilʻām) is a Prophet Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law" is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament

The declaration of punishments (Gen. 3:14, 17; 4:11), the utterance of threats (Jeremiah 11:3, 17:5; Malachi i. Jeremiah ( jirmɛ'jahu; Septuagint Greek: Ἰερεμίας was one of the 'greater prophets ' of the Hebrew Bible. Malachi or Mal'achi ( was a Prophet in the Bible, the Christian Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. 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. A judge, or justice, is an Official who presides over a Court of law 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. The Books of Kings ( Sefer Melachim, ספר מלכים are a part of Judaism 's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. Sirach 3:11). Sirach, by Ben Sira, also known as The Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, The Wisdom of Ben Sira, or Ecclesiasticus 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; Zechariah 8:13). The Book of Zechariah is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh attributed to the Prophet Zechariah. An elaborate trial by ordeal for a woman suspected by her husband of adultery is set forth in 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. Adultery is the voluntary Sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not his or her Spouse, though in many places it is The Book of Numbers, ( Bamidbar, meaning in the wilderness) is the fourth book of the Torah, the Tanakh, and the Old Testament. Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a Pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving generally defined Female infertility|Male infertility Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a Man or a Woman to contribute to conception.

It is especially forbidden to curse God (Exodus 22:28), parents (Ex. Exodus ( Greek: έξοδος eksodos = "departure" is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. 21:17; Leviticus 20:9; Prov. Leviticus (from Greek Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites " 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. The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history ) 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. Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as 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. A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher) is the money goods or estate that a woman brings to her soon to be husband in marriage 72a).

Cursing may be permissible when prompted by religious motives. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos 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). This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions 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. The evil eye is a belief that the Envy elicited by the good Luck of fortunate people may result in their misfortune Various lakes, rivers and mountains have been called cursed, as has the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea is an elongated region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean surrounded by Ocean currents. 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. Lough Gur, Loch Gair in Irish, is a Lake in County Limerick, Ireland near the town of Bruff. Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster The alleged Bermuda Triangle effect is believed by some to be some form of curse (and by others to be some unexplained natural phenomena). The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in which a number of Aircraft and surface

Babinda's Boulders, Babinda township, near Cairns, Queensland on Australia's mid-north coast, is a place known for the Devil's Pool, a group of waterholes known to be dangerous to young male travellers, but never claiming the lives of locals or females. Babinda is a small town located 60 km south of Cairns and 1649 km north-west of Brisbane in the Australian state of Queensland. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Devil's Pool near Babinda in Far North Queensland is known in Aboriginal legend as a cursed place. 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. [1]

Curse to the United States presidency

Tecumseh's curse was reputed to cause the deaths in office of Presidents of the United States elected in years divisible by 20, beginning in 1840. The term Curse of Tippecanoe (also known as Tecumseh's curse, the presidential curse, zero-year curse, or the twenty-year curse) is sometimes The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year This alleged curse appears to have fallen dormant, since Ronald Reagan, (elected in 1980) survived an assassination attempt. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

Sports-related curses

Main article: Sports-related curses

A number of curses are used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams, players, or even cities. A sports-related curse is the effective action of some power or evil that is used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams players or even cities For example:

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, 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. Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians James Douglas Morrison (December 8 1943—July 3 1971 was an American Poet, Singer, Songwriter, Writer, and Film director Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969 was a founding member and Guitarist of the English Rock group The Rolling Stones. James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Ronald C "Pigpen" McKernan ( September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973) was a founding member of the band Grateful Dead. Janis Lyn Joplin ( January 19, 1943  – October 4, 1970) was an American singer songwriter and music arranger from Jonathan Gregory Brandis ( April 13, 1976 — November 12, 2003) was an American Actor, director, and Screenwriter Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20 1967 – c April 5 1994 was an American musician who served as lead singer, Guitarist, and songwriter for the Seattle This is also known as the 27 Club. The 27 Club, also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club, is a Popular culture name for a group of influential rock and blues musicians who

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. French Blue redirects here For the color see Blue. The Hope Diamond is a large 45 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 eponymous 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. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting WikipediaWikiProject Novels or WikipediaWikiProject Books --> " The Monkey's Paw " is a horror Short story by author In Greek mythology, Pandora's box is the large jar (πιθος pithos) carried by Pandora (Πανδώρα that contained all the evils of mankind&mdash such A puzzle box (also called a secret or trick box) is a box that can only be opened through some obscure and sometimes complicated series of manipulations Hellraiser is a 1987 British Horror film exploring the themes of Sadomasochism, pain as a source of pleasure and morality under duress and fear 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. Friday the 13th The Series is a television series that ran for three seasons from September 28, 1987 to May 26, 1990 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. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound A CD-R ( C ompact D isc- R ecordable is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony.

Egyptian curses and mummies

Limestone donation-stele from Mendes, 3rd Intermediate Period, 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.
Limestone donation-stele from Mendes, 3rd Intermediate Period, Dynasty XXII. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 A stele (from Greek:, stēlē, ˈstiːli plural stelae,, stēlai, ˈstiːlaɪ also found Latinised singular stela Mendes ( the Greek name of the Ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in Ancient Egypt as Per - Banebdjedet ("The The Third Intermediate Period refers to the time in Ancient Egypt from the death of Pharaoh Ramesses XI in 1070 BC to the foundation of the The Twenty-First Twenty-Second, Twenty-Third Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title Third Intermediate 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 mummified corpses, or of the mummies themselves. A mummy is a Corpse whose Skin and Flesh have been preserved by either intentional or Incidental exposure to Chemicals extreme 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). Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers The "Curse of the Pharaohs" is supposed to have haunted the archaeologists who excavated the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, whereby an imprecation was supposedly pronounced from the grave by the ancient Egyptian priests, on anyone who violated its precincts. Pharaoh's Curse is a Computer game for the Commodore 64, published in 1983. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now Similar dubious suspicions have surrounded the excavation and examination of the (natural, not embalmed) Alpine mummy, "Ötzi the Iceman". The Ötztal Alps ( Ötztaler Alpen in German) are a Mountain range in the central Alps of Europe, part of the Central Eastern Ötzi the Iceman ( pronounced) Frozen Fritz, and Similaun Man are modern nicknames of a well-preserved natural Mummy of a man 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

References

  1. ^ 'Australian Broadcasting Corporation television broadcast transcript' [1]

External links

Maledicta, "The Journal The World Swears By" is a Scholarly journal dedicated to the study of offensive and negatively-valued words and expressions

Dictionary

curse

-noun

  1. A supernatural detriment or hindrance.
  2. A vulgar epithet.
  3. (UK, slang) A woman's monthly period.

-verb

  1. (transitive) To place a curse upon (a person or object).
  2. (transitive) To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet at someone or something.
  3. (intransitive) To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.
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