The Curse of the Pharaohs: why did many people die in strange circumstances?
Why did many people who had contact with mummies from Egypt die in strange circumstances? They are perhaps all victims of the Curse of the Pharaohs.
The beginning of the Legend
On the night between 4 and 5 April 1923, a man is delirious in a hotel room in Cairo. His face is distorted, his eyes are wide open and a very high fever is exhausting him. He babbles incomprehensible words, until he says clearly:
<< It's over, I heard the call and I'm getting ready >>
At the same time, the entire city of Cairo is plunged into darkness. When the nurse attending to that man arrived in her room, she realized that her care was not necessary. At the same time in London, a dog howls at the moon, as if sensing the death of his master several kilometers away, and then collapses to the ground lifeless, for no explainable reason. The man who died in such mysterious circumstances was: George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnavon. The name by which he was best known was simply Lord Carnavon, the financier, supporter and tireless seeker of Tutankhamun's Tomb. In the search for him, the Lord, was aided by a another great man of archaeology: Howard Carter.
The events that led to the discovery of the only almost intact tomb, dating back to Pharaonic Egypt, are outside the topic we intend to delve into; it is enough for us to know that the tomb was discovered on November 4, 1922, but was officially opened on February 18, 1923. Over the entrance to the tomb, there was an inscription in hieroglyphics which read:
<<death will touch with its wings the one who disturbs the pharaoh...>>
thus the legend was born.
First manifestations of the Curse
It didn't take long to manifest itself, in a blatantly sinister way. The opening of the tomb had attracted many interested parties, among them some fashion houses who wanted to create a line inspired by the finds, the negotiations which began with no results, ended with the launch of a new line in London in March of 1924. Those who followed Lord Carnavon during the negotiations remember him as nervous, gloomy and unusually absent; he often complained about an insect bite that made him so itchy that he couldn't rest. Shortly afterwards, a sore formed on his neck and became infected, forcing him to retreat to Cairo, where on the night between 4 and 5 April he died in the circumstances we have mentioned.
It is obvious that skeptics will object that there is no mystery, since it is natural that in hot places like the desert, an insect bite can become infected and degenerate. Among other things, Lord Carnavon's state of health was not good at all, he had always been frail and his respiratory system was rather poor. Yet the mystery is there... Is it a coincidence that Lord Carnavon's death occurred shortly after the official discovery of the tomb? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time that similar stories gave rise to a whole series of superstitions.
One of these is worth remembering, if only for the source from which it comes.
The writer said that the son of a certain Sir Ingram, during excavations, found an Egyptian mummy with an amulet bearing the non-reassuring threat:
<< whoever touches me will be condemned to a near death and his body will never be buried >>
Well, the story continues with the death of young Ingram during a hunting trip, and, more surprisingly, his body was swept away never to be found again by a sudden and unexpected flood of a nearby river.
Returning to the death of Lord Carnavon, a detail not to be overlooked is the sudden blackout that involved the entire city of Cairo; an investigation opened by the Egyptian electricity agency found no explanation for the event... as, indeed, for the similar event in New York in 1965 for which the "Martians" were called into question. So mystery lovers began to weave a thick web of extraordinary coincidences: many small events that had gone unnoticed re-emerged with sinister singularity, enriching the myth of the curse. Remember Lord Carnavon's canary, which, placed near the first door of the tomb, was suddenly devoured by a cobra which slipped between the bars of the cage (n.b. the cobra is the symbol of the spirit protecting the guinea fowl's body). Then it was the turn of Lord Carnavon's dog, the victim of an almost inexplicable death, since after countless hours spent howling at the moon, on the night between 4 and 5 April 1923, he collapsed to the ground at the very moment his master expired.
A coincidence? Dog and owner were more than 2,000 km apart. The only one who didn't seem to be afraid of the curse was Howard Carter. But what are the other more or less mysterious deaths linked to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb?
More deaths attributed to the Curse
Almost three years after the discovery of the tomb, just when even the mystics (=those who believed in the curse) were decreasing, the curse made its dark presence felt. Here are the main deaths of that time:
six months after Lord Carnavon, his younger brother died;
shortly afterwards the nurse who had cared for him at the Cairo Hotel;
some time later Richard Bethell dies suffering from fulminating TB;
then it was the turn of Lord Westbury who committed suicide at the age of seventy for no apparent reason;
Evely White, who worked with Carter on the inventory of the tomb, was progressively struck by a depression that pushed him to suicide; he left only a note that read:
<< I succumb to a curse that forces me to disappear >>
Archibald Douglas Reed, died suddenly after x-raying Tutankhamun's mummy;
Arthur Mace died of TB shortly after the sarcophagi were opened;
Benedite, the curator of the Louvre museum died in 1926 apparently following congestion;
La Fleur, a relative of Carter's died shortly after visiting the Valley of the Kings;
an Egyptian minister, whose name was withheld, died of never clarified causes after visiting the tomb.
The war events of the Second World War silenced the mystics, but the curse of the pharaohs once again made headlines in 1959, when Mohamed Zacharia Groncim committed suicide after discovering the pyramid of Saqqara. In light of everything, of course, it is not easy to talk about a curse, since Carter himself died 17 years after the famous discovery, but whether true or false, it is right and proper to report the various theories that attempted to shed light on the mystery of curse.
A minor theory: combustion of psychic residues
This original theory was brought forward by an Egyptian Khalid Messiah. According to his studies, mummies are not completely dead, but have some vital energy within them, which is irremediably negative for modern man. This Egyptian was also a dowser,exploiting this science he carried out several experiments. During these he was able to observe that every time he used the pendulum on a mummy, a profound tiredness took over him; once he was even found in a coma-like state and remained there for several days. He also cites the case of one of his compatriots who, upon opening a tomb, was struck by a serious illness which manifested itself in coughing, fever and sneezing.
Messiah attributed these events
<< to the combustion of psychic residues imprisoned in the tomb, of stagnant energies that automatically repeat the rhythms of life that they have recorded >>
This statement is the basis of the first Grand Theory aimed at explaining the Curse of the Pharaohs.
First Theory: Radioactivity
Other occultists believe Radioactivity is responsible for the curse. These begin the explanation of their theory starting from two pieces of evidence, in their opinion, conclusive and without fear of contradiction. This evidence comes from two mysterious shipwrecks, which occurred about a century apart from each other.
The first shipwreck: January 1823
In 1821, a Prussian named Von Minutoli is in Egypt with the Italian Segato, to explore the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, that of King Joser. Walking through the narrow corridors, he manages to collect a large quantity of funerary objects, amulets and various furnishings. The most important discovery, however, dates back to 7 October 1822, when he discovered a broken sarcophagus with an as yet unidentified mummy inside. It's a great coup, and the Prussian general Von Minutoli decides to load everything onto a ship and set sail from Egypt. The Egyptian authorities try to dissuade him, not wanting to lose such important finds. One of the Egyptian leaders said:
<<You are in serious danger. Several accidents have already occurred: all those who transported mummies have had serious misfortunes>>
Von Minutoli, obviously, does not believe in what he defines as superstitions and on January 3, 1823, the ship with its load of finds and the mummified body sets sail. On 10 January 1823, Von Minutoli, who had remained in Egypt to continue his research, learned that the ship had mysteriously disappeared off the coast of Malta, in normal sea conditions. The cargo and the body were never recovered.
The second shipwreck: TITANIC, 14 April 1912
On April 14, 1912, the Titanic, on its first voyage from London to New York, hit an iceberg and sank along with approximately 1,700 people. Many open investigations, but none have managed to explain Captain Smith's strange behavior. He was an expert seaman, the London New York route had no particular secrets for him. Yet his behavior that day revealed a nervousness beyond limits, as if it were conditioned by some mysterious force or a premonition. Not finding plausible explanations, journalists eager for copies began to weave a surprising plot.
At the time of the sinking the Titanic was carrying over 2200 passengers, and numerous quantities of food of all kinds, also an Egyptian mummy. This mummy belonged to the English collection of Lord Canterville, who transported it to New York for an exhibition of Egyptian treasures.
It was a mummy of a seer, covered with numerous amulets, including an amulet depicting the god Osiris, with the following inscription:
<< Wake up from the sleep you fell into; the look of your eyes will triumph over everything that is undertaken against you >>
Furthermore, given the immense value of the find, it was decided not to place it in the hold. It was placed in a wooden trunk and placed just behind the command bridge. In this regard, and in reference to the similar shipwreck of about a century earlier, the theory of radioactivity advanced by a journalist John Newbargton was born:
<< It was this mummy that caused Captain Smith to go mad. Undoubtedly equipped with a protection system based on radioactive radiation, it also damaged all the instruments of the Titanic >>
The same journalist claims that the Egyptians, since the times of Ancient Egypt, were very skilled in the extraction, processing and use of uranium. This extravagant hypothesis is also stated by a Spanish physicist who believed that the ancient Egyptians had discovered the powers of Uranium and used it to protect their temples, pyramids and the like. According to him they covered the floors with uranium plates, or applied some of these plates to the walls, to cause - even today - either death or serious physiological injuries.
Did the Egyptians know Uranium?
According to supporters of the theory of Radioactivity, the Egyptians knew Uranium well for a simple reason: uranium is sometimes found in the same rocks in which gold is found; the Egyptians were very large gold extractors, so there is nothing to prevent us from thinking that along with gold they also extracted uranium. There are numerous papyri, including one preserved in the Turin museum, which attest to the presence of gold mines in the Egyptian territory. Some time ago some gold tablets were found which, upon careful examination, were defined as letters, in which the quantity of gold to build an entire temple was requested.
The second theory: Viral Infection
A second thesis is undoubtedly more widespread. It attributes the disastrous results of the curse to the action of a virus. It starts from the observation that all the scientists, archaeologists, doctors or professors who participated directly or indirectly in the exhumation of the mummy of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, were affected by rather similar symptoms: itching, skin irritation, burning throat, infection of the respiratory tract so widespread that it sometimes affects the larynx and bronchi.
Carter also suffered from it, although his rather strong physique was not fatally affected. The doctors consulted at the time, unable to distinguish what it was, spoke of Coopta Disease. In 1962 two Egyptian doctors, while examining the remains of a Coopt mummy, isolated a still alive virus and attributed the causes of the strange deaths to it. But another scientist had an opposite opinion, stating that the deaths were attributable to Q-fever, frequent in closed and dusty environments and that it was unlikely that viruses could have remained alive for all those millennia. What is certain is only that all those who had to deal with tombs, mummies and similar discoveries, within a short time suffered the same ailments, but few of them died. Death apparently occurred in those who had a rather fragile physique, like that of Lord Carnavon.
The third theory: Histoplamosis
A third theory, of South African origin, involves bats. The history of this theory began in 1955, the year in which a company commissioned a speleologist to carry out some surveys in a cave, in search of bat guano believed to be an excellent fertiliser. The speleologist entered the cave for several days, completing his work. When he was preparing to join his family, throughout the train journey, he began to feel a general malaise. Shortly afterwards, he felt a strong burning sensation in his chest, oppression of the bronchi resulting in difficulty breathing. He arrived home almost unable to stand, he was supported up to the bed and shortly thereafter his condition worsened to the point of reaching a pre-comatose state. Many doctors were consulted, but none of them were able to frame the clinical case within the framework of the diseases known until then.
Until a doctor had an intuition.
He remembered a disease he had learned about during a conference, this disease called HISTOPLASMOSIS, which seemed to affect speleologists without excessive frequency. The doctor took the appropriate samples and sent the samples to an analysis center, requesting a response. The response was positive: it was HISTOPLASMOSIS, and the patient recovered with penicillin. At this point the doctor, evaluating the cases of the alleged curse in relation to the symptoms of HISTOPLASMOSIS, noticed that many of the deaths attributed to the curse were instead caused by the disease. This disease, however, was transmitted or caused by bats and, after all, in the ancient tombs there was everything but not even the shadow of bats. Mushrooms were implicated as carriers, more or less, of the same disease, but the theory lost its appeal and died out shortly afterwards.
Which theory tells the truth?
At this point, it is not known exactly which theory really hit the mark. Those inclined to mystical and mysterious visions will certainly be attracted by the one that attributes the knowledge of radioactivity to the Egyptians or by the one relating to the psychic powers of mummies. Those who, on the other hand, have a soul more inclined towards plausible explanations will swing towards those theories that involve viruses, bacteria and fungi. But what if the truth was different? What if the truth was purely occult? What if it was imbued with strong magical ancestry? Maybe. There was someone who stated that mummies carry within them a sort of <<primordial secret>>. Ra-Mak-Hotep, an adept of the mysteries of Osiris. During an interview given in 1939, he speaks of a secret sect of which he is proud to be part, which instructs initiates in the secrets of Osiris: <<This sect will not end until humanity itself ends>>.
The mysteries of Osiris
He speaks of a long initiation process divided into 7 degrees which leads to the <<threshold of knowledge>>. First of all there is a fast of a few weeks which is a prelude to the first degree of initiation. In this degree the candidate is exhorted, through various tests, to meditate on the god of life and death. Having passed this test, in which the candidate must demonstrate his devotion, he is sent towards another fast, to lead him to the second degree. In the second degree, the candidate must demonstrate that he resists the temptations of the flesh, remaining indifferent to the caresses of beautiful women. The third degree consists in the introduction of the adept into the death chamber where he is indoctrinated by the master embalmers. He will stay with them for about two years, after which he will have to pass the fourth degree, which consists of the <<battle of the shadows>>. The fifth degree consists of a theatrical representation, in which the importance and danger of fire as a primordial element is described. the sixth degree consists of the candidate's initiation into the mysteries of astronomy, during this degree the list of all the adepts scattered around the world is revealed to the candidate. Thus we arrive at the seventh degree, which consists in the incorporation of the adept into the order and in revealing every secret to him, the most important among these: the key to understanding the book of sarcophagi and mummies.
"The Book of Sarcophagi and Mummies" and "The Curse of the Pharaohs"
Also during the interview given by Ra-Mak-Hotep, he is asked if he is aware of particular elements that could shed light on the curse. Ra-Mak-Hotep responded indirectly by saying,
"Those who opened the tombs of ancient Egypt"
he says
"released dangerous forces upon the world. Archaeologists, like the raiders of the past, have unintentionally brought to light the tombs of people who dedicated themselves to black magic"
He continues by telling the degeneration of customs that occurred in Egypt, then adds other details to his story.
<< [...] certain mummies are still guarded by evil spirits [...] this is why archaeologists who open the tombs do so at their own risk. [...] it is a danger that weighs on the whole of humanity [...] these evil spirits, created artificially, have been released during this century in such numbers as to terrorize the world >>
He then explained that initially only beneficial powers were created, in relation to the tombs of the great pharaohs, then - with the decadence of Egyptian customs - the magicians became ambitious and greedy for power and began to distort their knowledge, creating these evil spirits, which caused , to an ever greater extent, also to protect tombs. Ra-Mak-Hotep's revelations continue, apparently moving away from the topic of the curse of the pharaohs.
The undead in some inaccessible Egyptian tombs
According to Ra-Mak-Hotep, some adepts who lived in ancient Egypt were still alive in a trance-like state, in some inaccessible tombs scattered across Egypt. These adepts would have a double perception of reality: as men and as spirits. At first glance they appear to be embalmed, but in reality no internal organs have been removed from them. I'm waiting for the right time to come back to life. But can such a statement be true? Is there any evidence of this? Ra-Mak-Hotep he claims that there are many followers who, in a similar state of trance, work for the good of humanity; there are even some who have been in this state for about 10,000.
The only certain thing nowadays is that by using certain techniques such as yoga, self-hypnosis or ingesting drugs, it is possible to remain buried for a few weeks, only to be miraculously brought back to life. In 1946 an experiment of this kind was carried out - with a fakir. The fakir remained underground for 17 days (the time established by him). When he was exhumed he looked like a corpse, but after having performed some rites on his body - as he himself left in writing - he woke up perfectly normal, without suffering any physical or physiological damage. But 17 days are a small amount of time compared to the 10,000 years that Ra-Mak-Hotep tells us about.
Towards a conclusion?
The curse still remains without explanations or - from another point of view - offers many and varied ones, almost as if it wants to satisfy all tastes. There remains, perhaps, only one point to analyze: the mummies. Why did the Egyptians practice this ancient funerary art? Was it just the way to guarantee eternal life to the illustrious deceased or was it the legacy of the encounter with an ancient culture, older than the history of the world itself? Perhaps, it is an occult force, lost in time, forgotten by history and yet so discreetly the light, which is the basis of this great rite, which truly consigns the mysterious protagonists of these events to immortality. Men, sacred animals, priests, all united by a single thread:
Mummification and Atlantis
According to some German, Russian, French or American scholars, the art of embalming was introduced to Egypt by some survivors of the Atlantis massacre. According to these scholars it is possible to explain this - fascinating - theory starting from some observations. Both the Egyptians, the Mayans and the Incas have always embalmed their dead despite these three civilizations being on opposite sides of the ocean. These scholars - to demonstrate their theses - bring to the table a series of surprising similarities. First of all, the writings of these civilizations, based on hieroglyphs, of which about thirteen are practically similar in form and apparently in meaning. Religion in some respects - but perhaps this is a stretch - shows recurring myths in said civilizations. Even the cult for some symbols is identical: the scarab is often encountered both in Egypt and in Mayan territory. According to these scholars, these similarities cannot be the result of pure chance, but reveal a common trace, that is, an identical cultural embryo.
The end of the race
Here we are at the finish line, but without any certainty. The curse remains only an idea, which can be proven and disproved at the same time, with the same elements. Whatever the truth, an important fact remains: that the fascination of the unknown, the inexplicable, the mysterious which, regardless of what one believes, permeates this whole story, stimulates the minds more inclined to research and less tied to academic canons , and who knows if one day this continuous research, this continuous digging to look for something, will not bring us the one true and only solution, either endorsing one of the theories already exposed or finally explaining another definitive one. Who knows, so...
