| A curse is the expression of a wish for bad things to happen to the person against whom it is directed (the accursed). A curse is also an explicit appeal to God to cause something bad to happen to the accursed. In certain mystical spheres, great weight is attributed to it. In everyday language, a curse is also a swear word, a blasphemy.
A curse is the opposite of a blessing or benediction
There are people who believe that blessings and curses have a magical effect, regardless of the intention of the blesser or curser. Blessings and curses are like prayers - the person making the blessing is in fact asking for help, and the curser is in fact asking for someone to be harmed. The curse is intended to bring down a disaster.
People who believe in the effect of the curse will do anything possible to prevent it from spreading. For example:
In India, a young man married a dog in order to exorcise a curse after causing the death of two dogs. The man`s life became an ongoing torment after stoning two dogs and hanging their bodies from a tree 15 years earlier. After this act, his arms and legs became paralyzed and he lost his hearing in one ear.
In rural areas of India, where people cling to many superstitions, it is not unusual to see marriage ceremonies with animals.
In the literary world, many curses can be found - for example, in the Harry Potter books:
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Expelliarmus – the "disarming" spell is a curse that neutralizes the enemy`s weapon. The curse causes a kind of shock wave that throws the wand from the hand of the wizard against whom it is directed, but in certain cases it also throws him back, as demonstrated by Severus Snape again Gilderoy Lockhart in Book II, a phenomenon which is repeated later when Harry disarms Lockhart.
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Densaugeo - a curse causing the front teeth to grow at a very rapid rate, without stopping. The curse is mentioned when Draco Malfoy duals with Harry in the torture dungeons before a potions lesson, when the curse aimed at Harry hits Hermione.
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Tarantallegra - causes the victim`s feet to dance and leap by themselves.
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And many more
But it is important to remember that as yet there is no way of proving the direct effect of curses on people.
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