Jinx

A jinx is a continual or repeated bad luck, usually due to a fatal accident. A jinx is not the same as a Curse, which is deliberate. Objects such as cars, ships, or personal possessions can become jinxed when they are involved in tragic deaths. The jinx affects other people who come into contact with or ownership of the objects.

Jewels and precious stones, long reputed to have supernatural properties and powers, and some famous jewels have been associated with jinxes. For example, the Hope Diamond became jinxed in the 17th century when its owner, Madame de Montespan, the mistress of France’s king Louis XIV, was said to conduct black masses. A century later, King Louis XVI gave the diamond to Marie Antoinette, who loaned it to her friend, Princesse de Lamballe. Both were executed during the French Revolution. Subsequent owners also suffered tragic or untimely death. The jewel acquired its name from an English banker, Henry Thomas Hope. His descendant Lord Thomas Hope inherited it. When his marriage failed, his wife—who died in poverty—prophesied that everyone who owned the diamond would have bad luck.

FURTHER READING:

• Gordon, Stuart. The Book of Curses: True Tales of Voodoo, Hoodoo and Hex. London: Brockhampton Press, 1994.

SOURCE:

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright © 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.