A couple of weeks ago I explored some of the legends underlying the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. As you may recall, the cursed Aztec gold is currently in Utah, and the curse seems to consist mainly of just killing people off if they try to retrieve it. So was the curse of the Black Pearl a complete myth? Read on to find out!
In PotC: Curse of the Black Pearl, the curse in question consisted of several parts:
- Live forever/can’t die
- Can’t eat delicious things—technically can’t eat anything
- Can’t drink delicious things—technically can’t drink anything
- Can’t enjoy earthly pleasures—technically can’t suffer discomfort either
- 1-4 continue as long as the cursed Aztec gold remains scattered across the world
So how does this relate to the modern-day curse of randomly dying? The answer is: it doesn’t. But as you’ll also recall from the original post—and to quote Captain Jack Sparrow—there IS a curse.
The curse of the Black Pearl most closely resembles the curse placed on the Greek king Tantalus. There are many different versions about how he came to be cursed to live forever, unable to eat the delicious food just within reach or drink the sparkling, clear water that retreated every time he tried to take a sip.
One of the many retellings is now in Short and Sweet’s very own Database of Demons and Death Gods.
You’ll find chapters one through three in the database—chapter four is coming next week. But if you can’t wait to know what happens next, don’t worry! There is a spoiler in the latest sticker in the Short and Sweet Redbubble store.
Finished: 2.5.20
Posted: 2.6.20
Short and Sweet WTF 