The Curse of Otzi the Iceman

AnthropologyFSU

New member
So this makes for an interesting story...

Otzi the Iceman - A well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC, found in 1991 in a glacier of the Otztal Alps, near the border between Austria and Italy. The nickname comes from the valley of discovery. He rivals the Egyptian "Ginger" as the oldest known human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view on the habits of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) Europeans.

The Curse - The allegation centers around the deaths of several main people connected to the discovery, recovery and subsequent examination of Ötzi. It is alleged that they have died under mysterious circumstances. To date, the deaths of seven people, of which four were the result of some violence in the form of accidents, have been attributed to the alleged curse.

The List:

1.) Dr. Rainer Henn, 64: a forensic pathologist, Dr. Henn was the first victim of the ?curse?. He was the head of the forensic team that examined Otzi?s body, and once picked up the cadaver with his bare hands to place it in a body bag. His death came as a result of a head-on collision with another vehicle in 1992? while he was driving to a conference where he was scheduled to present new research on Otzi.

2.) Kurt Fritz: shortly after Henn?s death, the second victim was an experienced mountain climber who had led Henn and his team to the iceman?s body. He was the only member of his party to be stuck by falling rocks during an avalanche in a region he was supposedly familiar with.

3.) Rainer Hoelzl, 47: the third victim, Hoelzl was an Austrian journalist who had filmed an exclusive documentary of the body?s removal from the ice, which was broadcast internationally. A few months later, he developed a mysterious illness ? speculated to have been a brain tumor ? and perished in extreme pain shortly thereafter.

4.) Helmut Simon, 67: a German tourist, it was Mr. Simon who had been hiking through the alps with his wife when he happened upon Otzi?s body in 1991. He returned to the region on an unaccompanied hike in 2004, and when he did not return as scheduled, rescue teams were dispatched? only to find that the weather had shifted suddenly to blizzard conditions, causing Simon to fall 100 metres into a deep ravine. His body was found eight days later, covered in ice much like the mummy.

5.) Dieter Warnecke, 45: head of the mountain rescue team that searched for Simon, Warnecke died of a heart attack ? although according to his family, he was in perfect health. What is more, this occurred less than an hour after Simon?s burial.

6.) Konrad Spindler, 66: Spindler was the leading expert on Otzi before his death. Spindler suffered from a pre-existing chronic condition known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and it was in 2005 that complications with the condition arose which claimed his life. Before his death, he was quoted as being dismissive of the ?Otzi?s curse? theory, saying: ?I think it?s a load of rubbish. It is all a media hype. The next thing you will be saying I will be next.?

7.) Dr. Tom Loy, 63: Dr. Loy died just prior to completing a book about Otzi, and had also on several occasions been in close physical contact with the mummy. His death came as a surprise to his family, though there is a possibility that Loy may have suffered from a pre-existing medical condition.
 
I take it you're an Anthropology student?

Just finished an intro course myself. But we had to read this book called Frauds, Myths and Mysteries by Kenneth Feder.

Great chapter about this sorta bunk.


Any rate... it's interesting that the body was preserved... as for curses... meh.
 

AnthropologyFSU

New member
ResidentAlien said:
as for curses... meh.

Agreed... It was just a fun side note in one of my classes, after our professor told us about the curse story she showed a picture of herself with the body of the iceman doing research on him and said she hoped she wasn't next and we all had a good laugh... lol...
 

kongisking

Active member
Would make for a kick-ass Mummy 4...:cool: :cool: :cool: Hell, I should write my own adventure tale based on this legend! Thanks for the intriguing info, Anthro. :hat:
 
Top