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Hector Barbossa under the Aztec Curse.

"No fear have ye of evil curses, says you? Arrrgh... Properly warned ye be, says I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure?"
―Unknown[src]

A curse was any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune would befall or attach to some other entity, one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, "curse" may refer to a wish that harm or hurt will be inflicted by any supernatural powers, such as a spell, a prayer, an imprecation, an execration, magic, witchcraft, God, a natural force, or a spirit. In many belief systems, the curse itself (or accompanying ritual) is considered to have some causative force in the result.

History[]

Jack Torrents

Captain Torrents was cursed by the heathen gods to be followed by storms and rain everywhere.

"The Trident can break any curse at sea. My father is trapped by such a curse."
"You’re aware of the fact that curses are not supported by science?
"
Henry Turner and Carina Smyth[src]

Mexico's Aztec rulers used a stone chest of 882 pieces of Aztec gold to bribe Hernán Cortés to stop him looting their country. But the heathen gods placed a curse upon the gold, due to Cortés' greed. At first, Hector Barbossa's crew laughed at stories that it was cursed, with Barbossa himself believing it to be a ridiculous superstition. But by the time they learned the truth, it was too late.[1] Barbossa's crew were unable to feel, and turned into undead skeletons in the moonlight. After ten years of searching, the Aztec curse was lifted, though Jack the Monkey would become cursed afterwards.[2][3][4]

Constance Magliore once had a bad encounter with the Voodoo priestess Tia Dalma. For some reason, Tia Dalma put a curse on the girl, transforming her into a cat. Constance lived several years as a cat, following her brother Jean Magliore on several adventures, including the quest for the Sword of Cortés.[5] By the time of the quest for the Shadow Gold the curse was undone and Constance became a normal human being again.[6]

When the figurehead of the notorious pirate ship the Nemesis washed up on the shores of Opawy Wato, the natives mistook it for a goddess, putting it in place of their sacred golden idol. Their foolish action angered the idol, which placed a terrible curse on the natives, mutating many of them into crab-like monsters.[7]

According to the story of Davy Jones and Calypso, the sea goddess Calypso charged a great sailor named Davy Jones with the sacred task of ferrying souls who died at sea, only being able to set foot on dry land once every ten years, and if this love was true to him, his task would be complete and a new captain of the Flying Dutchman would be found.[8] But Jones corrupted himself by his choice to abandon his duty. He carved out his heart and put a geis on it, that if someone killed his heart, their heart must take its place. Davy Jones became a nightmarish creature; half human, half sea beast, a crab claw for an arm, and a beard made of octopus tentacles. The Flying Dutchman became draped in seaweed, its sails glowing like fire. As the legendary ruler of the ocean depths, Davy Jones offered drowning mariners the chance to live by joining his crew—a fate worse than death as they become a terrifying barnacled crew of a ghostly ship. Coral-covered, weed-wrapped, polyp-pimpled grotesques under the curse of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones' crew were more loyal members of the Dutchman that cannot be killed, and therefore, they know no fear.[9][3][4] When he was cursed with the Black Spot, Jack Sparrow fled to Cannibal Island,[10] partly to avoid this Faustian pact, in which he was to be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation in the service of Jones.[3][11]

Will Turner later stabbed the heart of Davy Jones, thereby becoming the new captain of the Flying Dutchman,[4] though carried the burden of being cursed to the ship. But Will's son, Henry, spent years of his life studying the myths of the sea, knowing every legend and every curse. To save his father, Henry searched for the Trident of Poseidon, which he believed could break any curse at sea. Although she didn't believe in such things, Carina Smyth helped Henry break the Trident, thereby breaking every curse at sea. However, Davy Jones mysteriously reappeared in his cursed form.[12]

At some point prior to the search for the Trident of Poseidon, Captain Barbossa made a deal with the sea witch Shansa. He saved her from the gallows, and in exchange she cursed his enemies.[12]

Behind the scenes[]

"And he's got Old Bill's courage. A curse on him, and you!"
Pintel to Will Turner[src] (early screenplay draft)
  • The curse placed upon the Treasure of Cortés in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was based on the talk of a curse from the original ride, particularly from the line, "No fear have ye of evil curses, says you? Arrrgh... Properly warned ye be, says I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure?" That line as well as the skeletons that appeared during the curse's mentioning inspired the skeletal effect of the Aztec curse.
    • The nature of the cursed Aztec coins was further explored in the non-canon video game Kingdom Hearts II. Luxord explains that darkness of men's hearts is drawn to the medallions, which he is able to use to create a "Grim Reaper" Heartless from. The Heartless created from the curse had the ability to curse those who had no contact with the medallions.
  • According to creature designer Crash McCreery, one of the first things director Gore Verbinski said was they had to come up with a new curse for Dead Man's Chest, which resulted in a crew that was "living on the bottom of the ocean all this time."[13] This resulted in Davy Jones and his barnacled crew under the curse of the Flying Dutchman.
  • There was some controversy over Will Turner's final fate in At World's End. Writer Terry Rossio posted on a forum that after ten years Will was able to leave the Flying Dutchman, as Elizabeth had remained faithful to him. He also stated that this was why Jones could not escape, as Calypso had abandoned him.[14][15] However, a leaflet inside the At World's End DVD said that Will was bound to the Flying Dutchman for all eternity.[16] The fifth film in the series, Dead Men Tell No Tales, written by Jeff Nathanson, confirmed that Will was cursed to sail the seas as captain of the Dutchman forever. Rossio later said he was not involved in the decision to disregard his explanation.[17]
  • In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Curse is a low damaging voodoo doll hex that places a curse on a player's enemy. In addition, a curse similar to the Aztec curse inhabits the treasure at Devil's Anvil.

Appearances[]

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Notes and references[]

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