Mythology of Curses
Where did the idea of curses first come from?
The history of curses is long and old, but in writing the first documented curse would be the curse set upon Adam, Eve, and humanity. The curse would condemn man to a lifetime of hard labor followed by death, the woman to the pain of childbirth and to subordination to her husband. This was in response to Adam and Eve eating an apple from the tree of knowledge, disobeying gods command.
The next curse would be the Curse of Cain, that being the Earth had become poisoned as soon as Abel's blood had hit the ground. The second part of the curse would be the Cain would be cursed to walk the earth being protected from an early death, bearing the mark of the wanderer.
As you can see the modern idea of curses came from the stories of the bible, but there are other instances all across the world.
Curses throughout the world
In every country, culture, religion, and cult there is a curse of some kind to lay upon an enemy or someone who has done you wrong. The Nordic Vikings had blood and bone rituals to lay famine and weakness on their enemy. Native Americans had used animal spirits and the nature around them to empower their words and bring misfortune to those they targeted. Multiple African Tribes had long histories of Vodun and HooDoo, using spirits and other ethereal forces to force their will into reality, both gaining favor of the gods and giving misfortune to those they wished to hurt.
