We’ve already written two posts on the story of the Bolzano Iceman and the museum that houses him. However, there is still one important topic which remains to be discussed – his curse. Another part of the story which enriches it further and makes it all the more fascinating, it’s another reason why you should consider finding a holiday rental in Trentino Alto Adige and visiting the Iceman in Bolzano. Whether you believe in such things or not, the stories which follow certainly are rather creepy and do make you wonder just what is happening to make tragedy follow the mummy so very closely.
Claims have long been made that Otzi is cursed. Such things often surround mummies as evidenced by the "Curse of the pharaohs" and the media theme of cursed mummies. This allegation has been encouraged by the deaths of several people connected to the discovery, recovery and subsequent examination of Otzi. It is said that they have all died under mysterious circumstances.
To date there have been nine deaths, four of which were the result of some violence in the form of accidents, which have been attributed to the alleged curse. However, of the hundreds of people who have been involved with the Iceman, this seems a rather small number, in reality. The fact that such a small percentage of them have died over the years has not been shown to be statistically significant.
It all began in 1992 with the death of Dr. Rainer Henn, aged 64, who was the head of the forensic team that examined the body. He died in a crash on his way to give a talk about Otzi. Next was mountaineer Kurt Fritz, who led Dr. Henn and the others to the iceman's body and later gave tours to the site. He later died in an avalanche. Austrian journalist Rainer Hoelzl, who exclusively covered the removal of the body as part of a one-hour documentary, developed a mystery illness a few months after the programme was shown and died. While German tourist Helmut Simon, who found the body, died in a blizzard when he fell into a deep ravine.
The fifth attributed victim, Dieter Warnecke, seems a bit of a stretch, however. He was the head of the mountain rescue team that searched for Helmut Simon and died of a heart attack less than an hour after Simon was buried. This seems unfortunate but hardly a bizarre twist of events that could be ascribed to a curse. As is the case with the 6th victim, archaeologist Konrad Spindler, who died in 2005 of a pre-existing chronic condition. However, what is unfortunate is that he was the curse’s greatest skeptic and was quoted as saying, “I think it's a load of rubbish. It is all media hype. The next thing you will be saying I will be next.”
The other “victims” include 63-year old Dr Tom Loy who died prior to finishing a book on Otzi, Innsbruck professor Friedrich Tiefenbrunner who died during open-heart surgery and was part of Spindler's team and Tom Loy, who had analysed DNA found on Otzi, died in unclear circumstances. Even if you, like us, are prone to brushing off the notion of this curse, you’ve got to admit that it’s a little creepy. Yet, it does make a visit to the Ötzi Museum and Trentino Alto Adige all the more interesting!
Claims have long been made that Otzi is cursed. Such things often surround mummies as evidenced by the "Curse of the pharaohs" and the media theme of cursed mummies. This allegation has been encouraged by the deaths of several people connected to the discovery, recovery and subsequent examination of Otzi. It is said that they have all died under mysterious circumstances.
To date there have been nine deaths, four of which were the result of some violence in the form of accidents, which have been attributed to the alleged curse. However, of the hundreds of people who have been involved with the Iceman, this seems a rather small number, in reality. The fact that such a small percentage of them have died over the years has not been shown to be statistically significant.
It all began in 1992 with the death of Dr. Rainer Henn, aged 64, who was the head of the forensic team that examined the body. He died in a crash on his way to give a talk about Otzi. Next was mountaineer Kurt Fritz, who led Dr. Henn and the others to the iceman's body and later gave tours to the site. He later died in an avalanche. Austrian journalist Rainer Hoelzl, who exclusively covered the removal of the body as part of a one-hour documentary, developed a mystery illness a few months after the programme was shown and died. While German tourist Helmut Simon, who found the body, died in a blizzard when he fell into a deep ravine.
The fifth attributed victim, Dieter Warnecke, seems a bit of a stretch, however. He was the head of the mountain rescue team that searched for Helmut Simon and died of a heart attack less than an hour after Simon was buried. This seems unfortunate but hardly a bizarre twist of events that could be ascribed to a curse. As is the case with the 6th victim, archaeologist Konrad Spindler, who died in 2005 of a pre-existing chronic condition. However, what is unfortunate is that he was the curse’s greatest skeptic and was quoted as saying, “I think it's a load of rubbish. It is all media hype. The next thing you will be saying I will be next.”
The other “victims” include 63-year old Dr Tom Loy who died prior to finishing a book on Otzi, Innsbruck professor Friedrich Tiefenbrunner who died during open-heart surgery and was part of Spindler's team and Tom Loy, who had analysed DNA found on Otzi, died in unclear circumstances. Even if you, like us, are prone to brushing off the notion of this curse, you’ve got to admit that it’s a little creepy. Yet, it does make a visit to the Ötzi Museum and Trentino Alto Adige all the more interesting!
Photo credit: Thilo Parg / CC BY-SA 3.0