List of Cursed Objects
1. Annabelle Doll
The Anabelle doll is among the most renowned haunted objects globally, whether you're familiar with the fictional character from The Conjuring films or the real-life Warren sisters, Ed and Lorraine. This doll first came to light in 1970, when a woman gave it to her daughter as a birthday present from an antique store. Unusual occurrences involving the doll began to manifest themselves in the home not long after its arrival. Famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were consulted by the family, who in turn determined that the doll had the soul of a girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had been cruelly killed when she was seven years old. Currently, the doll can be found in Connecticut's Occult Museum. Annabelle is a Raggedy Ann doll, not the one from the movie, and legend has it that she is haunted. In 1971, the doll was acquired by Ed and Lorraine Warren from a student nurse and her roommate who had informed them of Annabelle's malevolent actions. After claiming the doll was possessed by a demon, the Warrens put it in a glass cabinet. To discourage anyone from opening it, there are caution notices posted outside.
2. Robert the Doll
In Key West, Florida, you may find Robert the Doll in the East Martello Museum. It was purchased in 1904 by Robert Eugene Otto's grandfather when he was in Germany. Following Robert's death in 1974, the doll remained in the possession of his wife until her own passing two years later. After its 1994 donation, the doll quickly became a popular attraction at the East Martello Museum. People who insult the doll at the museum claim to have bad luck; rumors have it that the doll can walk around, change its facial expressions, and even make giggling noises. To break their curse, some have even sent letters of apologies to Robert the Doll.
3. Hope Diamond
From its acquisition in 1666 under the Tavernier Blue name to its sale to King Louis XIV, recutting, and 1839 resale under the Hope name, the Hope Diamond has been through a lot. Legend has it that a French merchant stole this 115-carat blue diamond from a Hindu idol's eye in 1653, and from that day on, everyone in possession of the jewel has been cursed with ill fortune. Before being bequeathed to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in 1958, the diamond passed through multiple additional hands. There has been no proof that the diamond brings bad luck to its possessor, but rumor has it that it does. An 1888 New Zealand newspaper story was the first source of information regarding the diamond's curse. After being acquired by the Smithsonian, the Hope Diamond's curse seems to have ceased to be active.
4. Dybbuk Box
In 2001, after Kevin Mannis bought a wine cabinet and began experiencing horrific dreams, the Dybbuk Box was brought to light. His mother had a stroke the day she got the cabinet, which is why he decided to give it to her as a present. Not only that, but every single individual who has ever had that wine cabinet in their possession has described terrible things happening. Jason Haxton, the final owner of the cabinet, learned that it houses the soul of a malevolent Jewish monster named Dybbuk, who can torment and possess the living.
5. The Terracotta Army
Ceramic Warrior Figures
Burial grounds are well-known to be haunted places. The site of the Terracotta Army, so the story goes, is one such locale. Legend has it that the artisans were buried with their creations in the Terracotta Army, which houses some 6,000 to 8,000 life-sized figures. The story has not been proven, but it is believed that to keep its location a secret, the individuals who worked in the army and the tomb around were forbidden to leave. Given that building started in 246 BCE and the chamber was finally formally founded in 1974, they accomplished an impressive feat! The seven farmers who discovered the site initially had a rough go of it, which added credence to the curse of the Terracotta Army legends. Tragically, three of the seven men didn't make it, and the other four got nothing out of the find. The government quickly appropriated their lands and destroyed their houses to build display halls and gift shops after the discovery.
6. Letta the Doll
"Letta Me Out" is a playful way of saying "Letta" that any doll would be proud to wear. In 1972, Kerry Walton made the initial discovery of Letta in an abandoned building in Wagga Wagga, Australia. Kerry claimed to have heard the doll say "Let me out" from inside the trunk it was kept in, which is how the doll got its name. Letta is a human hair doll crafted from wood that dates back about 200 years. Rumor has it that a Romanian father made a doll for his little boy Letta by hand. Worst case scenario: the little lad drowned while tinkering with the doll, and his soul became stuck within. The man ultimately chose to give the doll to the worker's son. The youngster insisted the doll communicated with him, while subsequent owners said the doll made them cry uncontrollably and induce a profound sense of loss whenever they were in its presence. Even though the doll has become notorious as one of Australia's most haunted objects, Walton continues to own it. According to him, Letta can move around the house on her own, and there are visible scuff marks on the doll's feet that prove it moves unnaturally. Letta has his own Instagram account and makes occasional appearances alongside its owner.
7. Koh-i-Noor Diamond
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond's contentious past is an interesting tale in and of itself. With an estimated value of €140–€400 million, it is among the most precious diamonds in the world and one of the biggest cut diamonds in the world. It is believed that the diamond originated in India, although little is known about its origins prior to the 1740s (that's $150–$435 million!). Several people in South and West Asia came into possession of the diamond after Nader Shah plundering Northern India during his invasion in the 1740s. It was subsequently inherited by Queen Victoria and is now preserved as one of the Crown Jewels. Britain, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan are all claiming ownership of the diamond, but nobody can agree on who the rightful owner is. Given the brutal battles fought for this gem, the story goes that men would either lose power or die trying to own the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. (It is true that women display some resistance, though!)
8. "The Mirror of Bela Lugosi"
As one of the most renowned actors in horror films, Bela Lugosi is unrivaled. But were you aware that he had a secret fascination with the supernatural? One of his clairvoyant practices was peering intently into inanimate items in order to decipher messages from the afterlife. Bela Lugosi's mirror in his Hollywood Hills mansion was one of the targets of these clairvoyance experiments. Frank Saletri, who was murdered in his own home, bought Bela's house. After Frank Saletri's niece bequeathed the mirror to a museum in Las Vegas dedicated to haunted artifacts, it was formerly owned by Bela Lugosi. After the niece got her hands on the mirror—and started feeling bites on her neck and saw shadowy figures mirrored in it—she said that the paranormal activity in her house intensified.
9. Arshile Gorky Paintings
It is said that Arshile Gorky's entire body of work is cursed, yet there are specific works that are said to be haunted. (I suppose that's one way to leave a lasting impression!) Arshile Gorky and his sisters and mother escaped the Armenian genocide when he was a little boy. After his mother passed away a few years down the road, Arshile moved in with his dad. He went on to become a famous abstract painter known for his lyrical works. Unfortunately, he was involved in a string of misfortunes, such as a car accident that briefly incapacitated him in the late 1940s and the fire that destroyed his studio barn, which contained numerous works. A horrible death befell him later on. Some of Arshile Gorky's paintings have been alleged to have fallen off walls, caught fire, or even been involved in a tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of those on board.
10. James Dean’s Car
When it comes to legendary cars, James Dean and his silver sports car are hard to beat. Even though they were among the most nimble sports vehicles ever made, Porsche 550 Spyders were known for their extreme impulsiveness. When they were involved in a collision, they would collapse like a can of metal, just like James Dean's 1955 vehicle in Salinas. Many people have claimed fires, accidents, and unexplained injuries after purchasing portions of James Dean's automobile at auction. What remained of the vehicle continued to tour, encountering numerous accidents in the process. But in 1960, during a Miami display, both the towing van and James Dean's automobile vanished.
11. Black Prince’s Ruby
Extremely valuable jewels seem to be attracting troublesome people, who are known to be greedy and envious. Ruby, the Black Prince's jewel, has a similar history. The story behind it begins in the fourteenth century, when an Arab prince was murdered and his wealth looted by Don Pedro. Don Pedro took the ruby as payment for his assistance in putting down a rebellion by the son of Edward III, sometimes known as the Black Prince. As the royal owners were severely injured or slain, the ruby was eventually worn down and almost lost in a few of English war helmets. The Imperial State Crown, where the jewel now resides, is on exhibit at the Jewel House of the Tower of London. The ruby is said to be cursed and bring bad luck to its owners. Who can determine for sure if the jewel is to blame when one is continually pursuing money and power like the British monarchy?
12. The Great Ware Bed
The Great Bed of Ware, one of the largest beds in British history, was probably constructed as a tourist attraction for an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire. Even Shakespeare and Lord Byron were captivated by its enormous diameter; it became legendary for all that! Its size was nearly double that of other beds from the Elizabethan era. The bed, like many other public restrooms and roadside attractions, was covered in graffiti and wax seals from tourists and couples. Stories of naughtiness and mischief ensued due to the bed's enormous size, as one would expect from a bed big enough to accommodate four people. The bed, however, became notoriously haunted as nighttime sleepers began to report unexplained injuries and a generalized sense of being scratched and battered. What makes for a fantastic story, though, is that no one knows for sure why these things happened.
13. The Chair of Busby
Because of their associations with criminals and killers, a certain type of cursed object has risen to the heights of notoriety. Thomas Busby's stoop chair is one example of such an item. Thomas Busby and his father-in-law were involved in currency counterfeiting. In 1702, during a business dispute, Busby killed Daniel Auty. Before his execution by hanging, Busby asked to eat at his favorite local tavern. After he finished eating, he got up and proclaimed, "May sudden death come to anyone who dares sit on my chair." Ever since then, sixty-three individuals who dared to sit on the chair have met horrifying and premature ends. Since then, the chair has a reputation for inflicting terrible harm or even death to anybody brave enough to sit upon it. The Thirsk Museum presently has Busby's stoop chair, which is displayed on display so no one may sit on it.
14. The Bronze Goddess
Along with Ichabod Crane, The Bronze Lady comes from Sleepy Hollow, New York. The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is home to her statue. After serving as a general in the Civil War, Samual Thomas went on to become a prosperous businessman. Ann, his wife, had a mausoleum and a bronze sculpture commissioned for him upon his death in 1903. The story goes that once sculptor Andrew O'Connor Jr. completed the piece, Ann was not thrilled with how gloomy it looked. As a result, Andrew sculpted a brighter new skull and presented it to her. She preferred it, but he allegedly shattered it on the floor before her and said he would never get a new statue head. Among the younger residents of the area, the Bronze Lady gained legendary status. From sitting on her lap and looking through the mausoleum's keyhole to touching the face of the monument, the curses vary throughout time. As a fantastic urban legend for naughty kids, they are all said to be inviting disaster.
15. Myrtles Plantation Mirror
Despite its reputation for warmth and generosity, the American South has a troubled past that includes slavery, superstition, and plantations. There were 10 alleged killings that took place at the Myrtles plantation, which was a well-known estate. (Although records only show one, that of William Winter.) The house is said to be haunted, but we'll be examining a specific item—the plantation mirror—that is said to be haunted. There are a lot of superstitions around mirrors. The locals say that the mirror is haunted by the souls of Sara Woodruff and her two children, who perished in the hands of their slave Chloe's poison. The Myrtles Plantation lacked the customary practice of covering mirrors with cloths following a person's passing. Although yellow fever was the actual cause of death, the urban legend has it that they choked to death after eating poisoned cake.
16. The Crying Boy Painting
In the 1950s, Italian artist Giovanni Bragolini created a series of works featuring children with tears in their eyes, one of which was The Crying Boy. Many households in the 1950s and beyond had prints of the photographs, which proved immensely popular. But the link to the paintings being haunted wasn't established until 1985. British tabloid The Sun spoke with a firefighter who said that he often found unharmed reproductions of The Crying Boy paintings among the debris of destroyed buildings. A large number of unwelcome prints were burned on Halloween night when readers started bringing them to The Sun. Then came accounts from families who said that The Crying Boy picture had some strange occurrences. But it seems the UK is where this phenomenon is most concentrated.
17. Anna Baker’s Wedding Dress
Without a fabled spectral artifact, what good is an old house? Located in Pennsylvania, the Baker Mansion was constructed by the affluent ironmaster Elias Baker. Most people associate the Baker Mansion with the fabled bridal gown of Anna Baker. Anna was seeing a low-income steel worker, but her father had no idea. A majority of the wedding preparations had already been done, and she had even purchased a dress. Her fiancée was forced to look for employment elsewhere after her father Elias discovered the news and bought the steel company where she worked. From that point on, Anna's father was unable to get her to accept any marriage proposals. Rather, she supposedly remained in her room until her death in 1914, clutching the bridal dress. Following her passing, additional relatives of the Bakers claimed to have seen the garment in various locations throughout the home. with the spectre of Anna donning her never-worn bridal gown.
18. The Unlucky Mummy
Movies featuring treasure hunters, such as Indiana Jones, make you wonder if ancient relics aren't best left alone. An example of such an artifact is the Unlucky Mummy. Although this artifact has been referred to be a mummy board or inner coffin lid, it is not actually a wrapped mummy. Dated to between 950 and 900 BCE, this lid was most likely fashioned for a female burial, though we don't know for sure. The object was given to the British Museum in 1889, and much of its history prior to that year is unknown. Several unverified reports of ill luck and even deaths have been attributed to the mummy-board, which was probably owned by a private collector. Reporter Bertram Fletcher Robinson was involved in one such incident while investigating the Unlucky Mummy. He strangely passed away at the age of 36 three years later, despite his firm belief in the coffin lid's evil powers.
19. The Chairs of Belcourt Castle
Belcourt is the name of a Newport, Rhode Island, mansion that has been known as "Belcourt Castle" and "Belcourt of Newport" over the years. Originally constructed in 1894, this mansion has seen many owners and eras of taste. Its peculiarities include a ground-floor collection of carriages and horses, rooms decorated in a gothic style with stained-glass windows, a past life as a possible site for the Newport Jazz Festival, and a scrapped plan to become an antique auto museum. Eventually, it became a museum that houses a large number of antiquities that had been owned by previous owners, with further items added to the collection after they had already been acquired. Even though their past is mostly shrouded in mystery, the ghostly chairs are well-known inhabitants of Belcourt. Some chairs, so the story goes, will not let you sit down and will even kick out any unwelcome visitors. Standing close to the seats at Belcourt Castle has reportedly given some people the willies or a shiver down their spines. Infatuated with the eerie Belcourt? Ghost tours are also available.
20. The Anguished Man: When a Painting Screams Back
Step right up to The Anguished Man, a disturbing artwork depicting a man's mutilated face that carries with it an air of mystique and terror. According to urban legend, the artist committed suicide soon after finishing the painting, as if he had been engulfed by the picture's gloomy subject matter. After inheriting it from his grandmother, Sean Robinson hung "The Anguished Man Painting" on the wall of his house, captivated by its attractiveness. But the true nightmare occurred when owner Sean Robinson said he began to hear eerie sounds after he brought the artwork into his home, including cries, groans, and faint footsteps that resounded throughout the house during the night. Additionally, those who have visited Robinson's home have claimed to feel an overpowering feeling of fear whenever they are in the vicinity of the artwork or to have seen dark creatures lurking nearby. Following her husband Sean's lead, the artist's wife learned that the artist had mingled his own blood with the paint he used to create the picture before taking his own life. After finding out, the Cumbrian couple concealed the artwork in the basement. Could there be anything else than oil and canvas in this terrifying portrait?
21. Ancient Artifacts and Modern Misery: Ballista Balls
Envision your life completely upended after pilfering an artifact from a Roman archeological site. That is precisely what occurred with the Ballista Balls, which were enormous stone missiles employed by the ancient Romans in battle. Years of financial devastation and family breakdowns followed the thief's abduction from an excavation site close to the border between Israel and Syria. "I stole them in July 1995, and since then they have brought me nothing but trouble." The thief returned the balls to an Israeli museum with an anonymous apology, realizing they might be cursed. The Ballista Balls have since gained notoriety for their supposedly cursed reputation. It serves as a sobering reminder that history is better left undisturbed from time to time.
22. Memorabilia from Pompeii That Will Always Remain a Haunt
More than just a tourist attraction, the ancient Roman city of Pompeii stands as a testament to the power of volcanic eruptions. What makes it even more remarkable is the presence of objects that some believe bear curses. Tourists who take a piece of Pompeii home as a memento every year usually end up giving it back, along with notes describing all the bad things that happened to them after they stole it. In the wake of several misfortunes—from health problems to financial collapses—the so-called "Pompeii Curse" has forced the return of countless antiques to Italy, accompanied by fervent requests for pardon. Those courageous (or naive) enough to seize a fragment of history are nevertheless haunted by the curse, even though scientists have attributed these tales to guilt-induced coincidences.
23. The Mummified Monk
The discovery of a self-mummified monk concealed under a Buddha statue that is nine hundred years old ranks among the most peculiar findings of the past several decades. Scanning the statue in 2014 led to the discovery of the preserved body of a Buddhist monk who had self-mummified. This old method of keeping one's body from deteriorating required years of rigorous fasting and deep meditation. The story doesn't stop there, though; additional examination of the monk's remains revealed old scrolls with cryptic messages. Curious about the extent to which humans will try to attain spiritual immortality, researchers are perplexed by the odd preservation of his body and the mysteries it contains.
24. Screaming Skull
The screaming skull, a terrifying paranormal artifact, resides in England's Burton Agnes Hall. It is thought that the wailing skull belongs to Katherine Anne Griffith, who perished in the very same house in 1620 as a result of a bullying incident. Those who have attempted to remove the skull have been frightened every night by the spectral figure that haunts it, which is said to make a deafening racket.
25. Painting Titled "The Hand Resist Him"
Bill Stoneham's "Hand Resist Him" is among the most eerie paintings in existence. This painting, the artist claims, depicts the portal that links this world with the afterlife. The painting's owners assert that the figures within it appear to shift or vanish during the night.
26. A piece of Uluru
The massive sandstone formation known as Uluru can be found in Australia's southern Northern Territory. This location holds great religious significance for the indigenous inhabitants of the region; it is also called Ayers Rock. This is why they specifically ask that site visitors not steal anything. Bad luck, serious disease, awful breakups, and even death befell several tourists who transported little pieces of the sculpture home.
27. Bulgarian Contact Information
After 10 years of service, the Bulgarian phone number +359 888 888 888 is no longer in use. The deactivation of the number is a result of the three individuals who utilized it passing away. No sooner was the number registered in anyone's name than each of its previous owners passed away. Two owners were assassinated for no apparent reason, while the first one succumbed to cancer.
28. Elmo Knows Your Name
The beloved Sesame Street character Elmo had a doll that could remember its owner's name introduced to the market. On his tenth birthday, James Bowman's mom decided to get him an Elmo plush since her son was such a fan. In contrast, Elmo started chanting "Kill James" nonstop a few days down the road. Because of this, his mother finally threw out the cursed toy. Sometime later, further Elmo doll-related scandals surfaced.
29. Lemb Statue of a Woman
The Women From Lemb is a striking limestone artifact that was unearthed in Cyprus in 1878. According to legend, the four families who supposedly held the statue all perished shortly after taking possession of it. The sole survivor of the last family gave the lifeless sculpture to Scotland's Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh out of sheer terror at its bloody past. But that wasn't the end of it. A few days later, the statue's custodian, a museum curator, was assassinated for reasons that remain unclear.
30. Vase of Basano
Another piece that should not be handled is the Basano Vase, which was created by an Italian bride on her wedding night in the 15th century and given as a present to her husband. According to the locals, she was found dead that night holding the vase. As a result of the tragic losses experienced by each family, the vase was subsequently passed down through the generations. Several museums were approached with the offer in 1988, but they all turned it down due to the curse. Nobody knows for sure where it is at the moment, although rumour has it that it is in an inaccessible location, sealed in a lead coffin.
31. The Iceman
In 1991, in the Otzal Alps of Italy, the mummy of Otzi, also known as the Iceman, was discovered. Since the glacier encased his corpse when he died, scientists think the Iceman lived around 3000 BCE. Tragic accidents involving his colleagues started happening shortly after his discovery. Tragic accidents claimed the lives of forensic scientist Rainer Henn, mountaineer Kurt Fritz, and hiker Helmut Simon, respectively. Fritz perished in an avalanche and Simon fell from a perilous concealed trail. The discovery of Iceman is supposedly a curse that might wipe humans off the face of the earth.
32. The Mysterious Tomb of the Polish King
In 1973, a team of archaeologists from Kraków, Poland, unearthed the grave of King Casimir IV Jagiellon, a Polish monarch from the fifteenth century. Reportedly, the experts involved joked that they were jeopardizing a curse on the tomb if they opened it, and the European media inflated the event to the same extent as the unveiling of King Tut's tomb fifty years prior. Speculation in the media about a curse developed when several team members started dying soon after. The presence of toxic fungus, which can cause lung diseases if inhaled, was later found by specialists to be present inside the tomb. They met their ends because of this.
33. King Tutankhamun
When archaeologist Howard Carter found Tutankhamun's tomb in 1923, it caused quite a stir because it had remained undisturbed and preserved all of the artifacts and ceremonial elements associated with a pharaoh's burial. Regrettably, it also meant that they were the pioneers in violating the site. Death, fires, and floods befell several members of Carter's excavating crew in the years that followed. The mummy's curse was widely believed to be the cause of these calamities.
34. A Runestone from Bjorketorp
Various ancient runestones in Scandinavia bear inscriptions of various kinds, including curse words. The Swedish Bjorketorp Runestone is one of the best-known examples of this type. At about fourteen feet in height, the Bjorketorp runestone dates back to the sixth century ACE. The statement "I see Perdition" is written on one side of the rune, while the other side contains a transliteration that praises the might of the rune's maker. The runestone is a curse that forbids evil and devastation to befall anybody who tampers with it. The runestone is in perfect condition, thus it will take time to determine whether this curse is real or not.
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