I just read an old story by Somerset Maughm, entitled “P&O” (ca 1930). In it, he relates how his native common-law wife curses an Irish rubber planter (in what is now Malaysia). The man decided to sell everything and return to his native Ireland, leaving his native wife. She had cursed him, and told him."”Before you see land again, you will die…"” As the ship leaves Singapore, he begins to waste away-nothing the ship’s doctor can do can help him. His friend even has a native Malay shaman on the ship, perform and exorcism (which involves sacrificing a rooster). Finally, the captain decides to put in to Aden, to bring the man to hospital-all in vain-he dies just as land is sighted.
This got me to thinking-there are many well-documented cases of people form mostly non-western cultures, dying as the result of a curse. However, have any Europeans ever been victims? I just read an old story by Somerset Maughm, entitled “P&O” ()ca 1930). In it, he relates how his native common-law wife curses an Irish rubber planter (in what is now Malaysia). The man decided to sell everything and return to his native Ireland, leaving his native wife. She had cursed him, and told hime…"”before you see land again, you will die…"” As the ship leaves Singapore, he begins to waste away-nothing the ship’s doctor can do can help him. His friend even has a native malay shaman on the ship, perform and excorcism (which involves sacrificing a rooster). Finally, the captain decides to put in to Aden, to bring the man to hospital-all in vain-he dies just as land is sighted.
This got me to thinking-there are many well-documented cases of people from mostly non-western cultures, dying as the result of a curse. However, have any europeans ever been victims? Understand that Maughm was primarily a storyteller-but he spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia, so he might well have heard of such an incident? Can someone die because of a curse?
I’ve heard of people dying of curses, but in the cases I’m aware of, both the curser and cursee were of the same culture. This leads me to speculate about the belief component; to wit: if you have a deep subconcious belief in curses, you kill yourself through the power of suggestion, logically in the manner you were cursed.
If you like reading about that stuff, read Stephen Kings’ Thinner.
VB
Remember, you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish!
I don’t know about that, but the double-paste curse I put on you seems to be working…
Really? Show me just one well-documented case of this.
I think curses worked better in the past, if you go back 100 years the curses worked, all the cursed people are dead. Proof that psychic powers are on the decline.
Snoopy: “Curse you, Red Baron!”
Richthofen, Manfred, Freiherr von:
d. April 21, 1918, Vaux-sur-Somme, Fr.
Q.E.D.
Very funny, Mr. Kilocher. Now stop that.
May you become itchy in a naughty place.
(I’ll see if that works first.)
Stop using all caps in your topics, dude.
VB makes a good point. Belief. People who have psychosomatic illnesses have physical symptoms. The mind is powerful. A person who has no doubt about the effectiveness of curses could very likely suffer ill effects.
Can you die from a curse?
Well, I’m sure that somewhere, sometime, some grouchy old man must have seen some children on his lawn, gone outside, yelled “Get off my lawn, you goddamn-”, then suffered a sudden heart attack and expired.
Does this answer your question?
An infinite number of rednecks in an infinite number of pickup trucks shooting an infinite number of shotguns at an infinite number of road signs will eventually produce all the world’s great works of literature in Braille.
I happens in Haiti all the time. It came up in the news lately in regards to some Haitian refugees to Miami.
C’mon people. I’m asking for evidence. All I see is, “It happens,” and nebulous references. Give me some meat.
Again, I ask for evidence. Vague anecdotes don’t cut it.
UncleBeer: Be careful of what you ask for… You might just get it. 
I am therefor I be
The Curse of the Alchemist has just transmuted Beer into. . .voilà!. . .:
http://www.tsoft.net/~raych/meat.jpg
Ray (cheaper by the twelve-pack)
Roadkill:
http://www.imotorhead.com/gallery/r101.htm
Ray (attempting to become more cursive. . .Ah!. . .<font face=“Lynda Cursive”>RAYMOND</font>)
According to witch trial records from 16th and 17th century England, the answer is definitely yes. Some examples:
Source: Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic
Observe the snow. It fornicates.
But seriously, folks, what would be acceptable “proof” of a curse working?
Let’s say I curse X, and X breaks her leg. How can you prove cause and effect?
I can’t think of a historical case that can prove the effectiveness of curses. What you would need is a repeatable, measurable experiment. e.g. Take a person adept at curses, have them curse N people chosen from a random sample, and see what happens to the N people (of course the control group should be unaware that they’ve been cursed.)
>>>I can’t think of a historical case that can prove the effectiveness of curses. What you would need is a repeatable, measurable experiment. e.g. Take a person adept at curses, have them curse N people chosen from a random sample, and see what happens to the N people (of course the control group should be unaware that they’ve been cursed.)<<<
Uh … am I the only one who has a moral problem with this?
You know, if DavidB saw this thread, he’d tear his hair out.