The sinister curse of the cursed sarcophagus Curses have long been a subject of fascination and fear throughout history. Legends and tales of ancient curses have captured the imaginations of people for centuries. One such cursed object that continues to intrigue is the cursed sarcophagus. A sarcophagus is a stone coffin used in ancient Egypt to house the bodies of the deceased. They were intricately carved and often decorated with symbols and images of gods and goddesses. These coffins were believed to provide a safe resting place for the dead, ensuring their journey to the afterlife.
Source: wikimedia. Yup’ik “medicine man exorcising evil spirits from a sick boy” in Nushagak, Alaska, 1890s.
In Navajo culture, witches are those who have been corrupted by dark magic while training to be medicine men or women, eventually performing twisted ceremonies in a perversive way to gain more magical power. No one sure why they can turn or possess animals, mainly because of how discretive the Najavo toward those don t trust - Stop looking at me that way Matt Wright to Diana Black.
These coffins were believed to provide a safe resting place for the dead, ensuring their journey to the afterlife. However, not all sarcophagi were simply resting places for the deceased. Some were cursed, believed to bring misfortune and even death to those who encountered them.
Native American Skinwalkers
In the American Southwest, the Navajo, Hopi, Utes, and other tribes each have their own version of the Skinwalker, but each boils down to the same thing --- a malevolent witch capable of transforming itself into a wolf, coyote, bear, bird, or any other animal. When the transformation is complete, the human witch inherits the speed, strength, or cunning of the animal whose shape it has taken.
Quite rare, this is a Hopi Kachina of a skinwalkerSkin walkers are purely evil in intent. I'm no expert on it, but the general view is that skinwalkers do all sorts of terrible things --- they make people sick, they commit murders.
--- Dan Benyshek, anthropologist
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
For the Navajo and other tribes of the southwest, the tales of skinwalkers are not mere legend. Rather, the belief is strongly held, particularly in the Navajo nation.
Anthropologist David Zimmerman of the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department explains, "Skinwalkers are folks that possess knowledge of medicine, both practical (e.g., healing the sick) and spiritual (e.g., to maintain harmony), and they are both wrapped together in ways that are nearly impossible to untangle."
In the Navajo world---where witchcraft is important, where daily behavior is patterned to avoid it, prevent it, and cure it---there are as many words for its various forms as there are words for different types of snow among the Eskimos.
We know from personal experience that it is extremely difficult to get Native Americans to discuss skinwalkers, even in the most general terms. Practitioners of adishgash---or witchcraft---are considered to be a very real presence in the Navajo world.
Few Navajo want to cross paths with naagloshii, otherwise known as a skinwalker. The cautious Navajo will not speak openly about skinwalkers---especially with strangers---because to do so might invite the attention of an evil witch. After all, a stranger who asks questions about skinwalkers just might be one himself, looking for his next victim.
Skinwalkers are not boogiemen and they aren't the figures made up to scare children. Unlike Anglo stories of werewolves and witches, they don't lose control and kill everything in their path or maliciously curse people for no reason.
Like humans, they do kill, and like humans, they have motivations for those acts of aggression. Power and revenge fuel their murderous intent, but such things cannot occupy the brain of a rational creature all the time, and skinwalkers do not make murder part of their daily routine.
Other than their origin story, legends of skinwalkers rarely include death or any kind of mauling. Instead, common stories include skinwalkers in their animal form running alongside a vehicle and matching their speed, even as the driver accelerates. Eventually, they get bored with this routine and simply disappear into the surrounding wilderness. In some respects, it seems rather playful, like a dog chasing a car that passes on the street.
In other instances, people report seeing or hearing skinwalkers outside their homes at night. Rarely, however, does the skinwalker enter the dwelling.
Skinwalkers have been reported by both Native and non-Native people, including a popular story here in New Mexico of skinwalkers being seen by State police on a stretch of roadway on Navajo territory.
In Navajo thinking, all good things in life result from respect for the harmony of the universe, known as hozho. An orderly balance governs the actions and thoughts of all living things.
Like any other ideal state, this can be difficult to maintain. Whether conscious or unconscious---or the result of a skinwalker---a transgression can result in illness, misfortune, or even disaster and can be remedied only with a prescribed ceremony to the offended diety. Unlike Western medicine, Navajo cures are targeted at body, mind, and spirit, calling on the patient and divine people to restore his harmony with the world.
A skinwalker is tied up with the Navajo concept of good and evil. The Navajo's believe that life is a kind of wind blowing through you. Some people have a dark wind, and they tend to be evil. How do you tell? People who have more money than they need and aren't helping their kinfolk -- that's one symptom of it.
Along with this tendency toward evil, if they're initiated into a witchcraft cult, they get a lot of powers. Depending on the circumstances, they can turn into a dog; they can fly; they can disappear.
A lot of Navajo's will tell me emphatically, especially when they don't know me very well, that they don't believe in all that stuff. And then when you get to be a friend, they'll start telling you about the first time they ever saw one.
--- Author, Tony Hillerman
So are they real? Who can say. In some respects, the tale of skinwalkers is like that of UFO sightings; too bizarre to picture being true, while being too numerous to dismiss.
Regardless, the tale or legend of skinwalkers is prevalent and meaningful to Native peoples in New Mexico. It is rooted in their history and tradition, and like many other things we don't always understand about different cultures, it does command our respect.
Skinwalkers are most frequently seen as coyotes, wolves, foxes, eagles, owls or crows and are not creatures to be trusted. Some Navajo believe that skinwalkers have the ability to steal the face of a person, and some believe that if one ever locks eyes with a skinwalker they can absorb themselves into a person's body, or that one's body might freeze up with fear, allowing a skinwalker to channel that fear to gain power and energy.
These cursed sarcophagi were thought to be imbued with supernatural powers, designed to punish those who disturbed the resting place of the dead. The exact origins of the curses placed on these sarcophagi are largely unknown. Some believe that they were a means of protecting the tomb and its treasures from looters, while others attribute the curses to the belief in magic and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian culture. Regardless of their origins, the curses associated with cursed sarcophagi were believed to be powerful and deadly. It was believed that anyone who disturbed the sarcophagus would be subject to a series of unfortunate events, including illness, accidents, and even death. These curses were said to affect not only the person who disturbed the sarcophagus but also their family and loved ones. The curses associated with cursed sarcophagi were often seen as a form of divine punishment, with the gods themselves delivering justice to those who dared to disturb the resting place of the dead. The curses were seen as a way of maintaining the balance between the living and the dead, ensuring that the spirits of the deceased were not disturbed or harmed. The belief in the curses of cursed sarcophagi persists to this day. Despite advances in science and skepticism towards the supernatural, many people still fear the potential consequences of disturbing an ancient burial site. Archaeologists and museum curators alike take precautions when dealing with sarcophagi, respecting the potential power of these ancient curses. In conclusion, the cursed sarcophagus represents an enduring fascination with the supernatural and the mysteries of the past. Whether one believes in the power of the curse or not, the tales surrounding these haunted coffins continue to captivate our imaginations and remind us of the deep reverence ancient civilizations had for the dead. It is a reminder that the mysteries of the past are not easily explained and that some curses are not to be taken lightly..
Reviews for "The Cursed Sarcophagus: A Petri Dish of Evil Energies"
1. Robert - 2 stars - I was really excited to read "The Sinister Curse of the Cursed Sarcophagus," but I was ultimately disappointed. The plot felt disjointed and rushed, with many loose ends left unresolved. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to connect with them. Additionally, the dialogue was unconvincing and felt forced. Overall, I found the book to be underwhelming and lacking the captivating storytelling I was hoping for.
2. Emma - 1 star - I found "The Sinister Curse of the Cursed Sarcophagus" to be a tedious read. The pacing was incredibly slow, with repetitive descriptions that added no value to the story. The supposed twists were predictable and failed to engage me as a reader. The writing style felt amateurish and lacked sophistication. I regret wasting my time on this book, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting and well-crafted mystery novel.
3. Mark - 2 stars - I was looking forward to a thrilling and suspenseful read, but "The Sinister Curse of the Cursed Sarcophagus" fell short of my expectations. The plotline lacked originality and was filled with clichés, leaving me uninterested and uninvested in the story. The protagonist's actions often felt illogical and forced, making it difficult to empathize or root for them. Additionally, the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying, leaving many unanswered questions. Overall, I found this book to be a disappointment in terms of both plot and character development.
4. Sarah - 3 stars - "The Sinister Curse of the Cursed Sarcophagus" had potential, but it missed the mark for me. The writing style was decent, and the author showed glimpses of creativity. However, the pacing was inconsistent, with long stretches of slow development followed by rushed and unresolved conclusions. The characters were underdeveloped, lacking depth and making it hard for me to care about their fates. While there were some intriguing elements, the overall execution left me unsatisfied as a reader.