Nobody Thought These Relics Carried Terrifying Curses...Until Somebody Stole Them And Paid The Price
A Stolen Egyptian Carving Leads To Cancer
Photo: Jon Parise / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0Stealing artifacts is a terrible thing to do, curse or no curse, but sometimes these artifacts will exact their own revenge. In 2007, a man reportedly returned a carving that had been stolen by his stepfather along with a note explaining that terrible things had come from the theft. According to the note, which remains anonymous, the man who stole the carving suffered severe health problems, including fevers and paralysis, before ultimately succumbing to cancer. His stepson returned the carving to atone for his stepfather's stealing it, but also to end the curse that he believed lay on his family as a result of the theft.
An Entire Town That Desecrated Native American Sites Faces The Consequences
Photo: Brooklyn Museum / Wikimedia CommonsThe case of Blanding, UT, may be less the result of a curse and more a case of police involvement, but it's hard to deny that the ongoing theft of Native American, specifically Anasazi, relics hasn't hurt the town. After years of collecting pottery and arrowheads from local Anasazi sites, many members of the town turned to outright grave robbing, selling the artifacts online to turn a profit. A subsequent FBI investigation (which many claim was poorly handled by the organization in question) reportedly led to three suicides and multiple arrests, rocking the little town to its core. With countless sites destroyed by rampant looting and many Anasazi artifacts ruined or lost forever, punishment is certainly in order, though the three lives lost to the investigation color the entire situation with a decidedly dark overtone.
Stolen Stones Returned With A Warning For Future Thieves
Photo: Wolfgang Sauber / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0The ancient city of Gamla was once a city ravaged by war and was the site of a siege that marked the beginning of the First Jewish-Roman War in 66 CE. One of the go-to weapons of this period was the ballista ball, which the Romans would shoot into the Jewish city to keep people away long enough to then hit them with a battering ram. Two ballista balls were stolen in 1995 and were then returned in 2015, with a warning stating that no good had come from stealing them. The full note read:
These are two Roman ballista balls from Gamla, from a residential quarter at the foot of the summit. I stole them in July 1995, and since then they have brought me nothing but trouble. Please, do not steal antiquities!
A Cursed Vase Brings Death Upon Every Owner
Photo: Jastrow / Wikimedia CommonsLegend has it that an Italian bride once received a beautiful silver vase as a wedding gift, but on the night of her wedding she was found dying on her bedroom floor clutching the vase. With her last words, she swore to return and have vengeance while holding the vase. Since then, the cursed vase is said to have caused the deaths of every subsequent owner, including the bride's family members and an unfortunate archaeologist. Apparently museums even refuse to take in the artifact because of the curse, and it's instead been buried, hopefully never to be dug up again.
A Cursed Mirror Shows The Spirits Of The Deceased
Photo: Corey Balazowich / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0In the 19th century, it was common to cover up mirrors when there had been a death in the household, lest the spirit become trapped in the mirror for eternity. The Myrtles's home, commonly cited as one of America's most haunted properties, seems to reinforce this superstition. According to legend, one mirror was forgotten about during this death ritual, causing the spirits of some of the deceased family members to become trapped and leave hand prints on a mirror that still hangs on the premises to this day. Though the many legends told about this property include some outright falsehoods, many people claim to have seen strange shapes appear in the mirror, certainly indicating that there's something supernatural at work.
Belcourt Castle Plays Host To Numerous Haunted Artifacts
Photo: Frank H. Child / Wikimedia CommonsA spooky old castle with a bunch of ancient artifacts sounds like the beginning of a horror movie, and in the case of Belcourt Castle, it might as well be. Built in 1891, the castle was intended to house Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont's collection of rare artifacts, most of which related to his love of horses. But those artifacts have taken on a reputation of their own -namely, that a few of them are definitely cursed. There are haunted chairs that reportedly wont allow people to sit in them, and even a suit of armor that screams at the time of its owner's death each year.
Robert The Doll Haunts A Museum In Key West
Robert the Doll gained a reputation for mischief early in his life. Created as a simulacrum of his owner, Robert Eugene Otto, the doll has often been blamed for misdeeds and trouble in the house. While Otto went on to become a famous artist, his doll certainly made a name for himself as well. Since Otto's death, the doll has found a home at the Fort East Martello Museum where cameras have reportedly malfunctioned in his presence, and his threatening aura has reportedly caused people to write letters to him begging for his forgiveness. The reason? Nobody's completely sure, but it's rumored that Robert was actually created by a vengeful family servant upset with the way the Ottos treated their employees.
A Cursed Chair Causes Death To All Who Sit In It
Photo: The Ghost Watch / YouTubeThomas Busby was known for being a drunkard, a thief, and a liar. But in 1702, he also became a murderer, reportedly killing his father for sitting in his favorite chair. Busby was found out and promptly sentenced to death, and, as the story goes, he requested that his final meal be served while he sat in his favorite chair. As he left for the gallows, it's said that he cursed the chair to kill anybody who sat in it after him. And, according to legend, it worked - some sixty people are said to have died after sitting in the chair, and the museum that currently houses it has placed it up on a wall to prevent anybody else from falling victim to its curse.
The Cursed "Dybbuk Box" Causes Harm Wherever It Goes
Photo: Marika Martinelli16 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0When Kevin Mannis purchased a fancy wine box at an estate sale, he didn't expect to find a malevolent spirit awaiting him inside. The box is said to be haunted by a type of spirit called a dybbuk, which, according to Mannis and the other owners who have come into contact with it, causes sudden illnesses, strange shadows, and terrifying nightmares. The box has since been sealed away by its current owner, who believes it's an artifact deserving of study...provided it stops causing harm first.
A Haunted Wedding Dress Moves On Its Own
Photo: U.S. Department of Defence / Wikimedia CommonsA wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days of a couple's life, but Anna Baker's wedding day never came. According to legend, Anna fell in love with a man of lower status, but her father prohibited them from getting married. As punishment, he passed the extravagant gown that she'd chosen for herself on to another woman who then viciously mocked Anna for being a spinster. Today, Anna's dress is on display at the Baker Mansion, and has been said to move on its own within its glass case, perhaps because Anna's spirit is still angry at having been denied the opportunity to wear it.
