Cursing and harm
Curses, hexes and sorcery as people describe and fear them, with the counter-magic against them.
Cursing and harm are the part of magic that societies fear most. This page describes curses and sorcery as beliefs, and the social role of fear and accusation, and does not give instructions. The evil eye, the curse tablets of the Greek and Roman world, Hebrew and Arabic writings on harmful magic, sorcery in Melanesia and Africa, and the European witch are all part of this subject. Most of the harm recorded is that done to people accused.
What is believed
Many cultures hold that envy, anger or hostile ritual can bring illness, loss or death to a victim. The beliefs differ: in the Mediterranean, the evil eye needs no intent. In Azande society, studied by Evans-Pritchard, witchcraft was an inherited substance that explained why misfortune struck one person and not another. Greek and Roman lead curse tablets, often addressed to gods of the underworld, show the belief was written down in antiquity.
Accusation as social force
Where harm is feared, accusation follows. Anthropologists have shown that charges of witchcraft often follow tension inside a family or village, such as inheritance, jealousy or a sudden death. Accusers are usually in conflict with the accused, who is more likely to be old, poor, widowed or marginal. The belief can enforce norms and also destroy people. People also fear being accused, since an accusation can arrive without warning and can follow a family for generations.
Persecution and its present
European and colonial American witch trials, from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, put tens of thousands to death, including the Salem trials of 1692. The practice has not ended. Mobs and families still attack accused people in parts of Africa, India, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere, and Saudi Arabia has executed people for sorcery. Albino people have been killed for body parts in East Africa. Several states are drafting or enforcing laws against accusation itself.
Counter-magic and scholarship
Where harm is feared, so is protection: amulets, cleansing, and a specialist who can say who sent it. Scholars see curses as a language of grievance, and psychologists have documented the nocebo effect, in which belief in harm can bring on real distress. A person who is afraid should seek medical and social help, and talk to someone they trust. People who believe they have been cursed should be helped to find practical support, including from health services, and not left alone with fear.
Cursing and harm on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 5 moreEvil eye
A curse caused by an envious look and the charms used to block itBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreKrampus
A horned Alpine figure who punishes misbehaving children on KrampusnachtFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreFig sign
A hand gesture used to ward off the evil eye or as an insult in many culturesBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚙馃嚞 Bulgaria and 5 moreKukeri泻褍泻械褉懈
A costumed ritual in Bulgaria to chase away evil spirits and welcome springRite 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 5 moreDuende
A humanoid spirit of Iberian and Latin American folklore, ranging from household pranksters to forest guardians.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilBoitat谩
A fiery serpent of Brazilian folklore that guards forests or frightens childrenBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 6 moreBurning of Judas
An Easter rite where an effigy of the betrayer is destroyed by fire or other meansRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 5 moreMolybdomancy
A divination method using molten metal poured into water to read omensRite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaNyi Roro KidulRatu Laut Selatan
The spirit queen of Java's southern coast and guardian of the Indian OceanBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 5 moreMugwort褔芯褉薪芯斜懈谢褜 (chorn贸byl')
An aromatic herb used in folk medicine, cooking, and magical protection across Eurasia.Substance 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesTikbalang
A horse-headed spirit of Philippine forests that leads travelers astrayBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreStraw bearStrohb盲r
A carnival figure wrapped in straw that visits homes for gifts and marks the turning of seasons.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal and 5 moreCocoCoca
A monster used to frighten children into obedience across the Iberian world and Latin America.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreBogeyman
A mythical creature used across cultures to frighten children into obedienceFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚡馃嚨 JapanKodama鏈ㄩ湂
A tree spirit in Japanese folklore that brings misfortune if the host tree is harmedBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBloody Mary
A mirror ritual to summon a spirit that reveals the future or brings harmBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyBadaliscBadalisch
A mythical goat-headed creature from the Italian Alps, captured and mocked during Epiphany celebrations.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreJinx
A curse or attribute believed to attract bad luckBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚡馃嚨 JapanMisaki寰″厛
Japanese spirit-like entities that serve gods or possess humans with illness and calamityBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition that a specific calendar alignment brings misfortuneBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚬馃嚟 Thailand and 5 moreKrasue喔佮福喔班釜喔粪腑
A floating head with trailing organs from Southeast Asian folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal and 1 moreCabra cabriola
A fire-breathing goat bogeyman used to frighten children in Portuguese and Brazilian folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesTiyanak
A vampiric creature in Philippine mythology that mimics a baby to lure travelers.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 4 moreJumbee
A shadowy spirit of the dead in Caribbean folklore, often linked to evil deeds.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚤 Poland and 4 moreMorana袦芯褉械薪邪
A Slavic goddess of winter and death, whose effigy is drowned to welcome springFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Gazu Hyakki Yagy艒: Toriyama Sekien, Public domain, source
- Krampus: Naturpuur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Badalisc: Luca Giarelli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Coco: Francisco de Goya, CC0, source
- Bogeyman: Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Fig sign: Harald the Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kukeri: Nenko Lazarov, CC BY 2.5, source
- Duende: Ren茅 Mayorga, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Boitat谩: The ponta cabe莽a, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Burning of Judas: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Molybdomancy: Micha L. Rieser, Attribution, source
- Krasue: Xavier Romero-Frias, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nyi Roro Kidul: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mugwort: Prahlad balaji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tikbalang: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
- Morana: Marta Malina Moraczewska, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Straw bear: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source