the urban legend behind the titanic
"The cursed mummy"
By Thomas J. Craughwell, "Urban Legends"
For educational porpuses
Let's start
"Vocabulary"
well-to-do: (adjective) wealthy; prosperous."a well-to-do family" sarcophagus: (noun) a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece. eager: (adjective) moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest. warehouse: (noun) a large building where raw materials or manufactured goods may be stored before their export or distribution for sale. inlaid: (adjective) a decorative material or design curse: (noun) a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something. voyage: (noun) go on a long journey, typically by sea or in space.
well-to-do
warehouse
sarcophagus
eager
inlaid
curse
voyage
"Vocabulary"
investments: (noun) the action or process of investing money for profit or material result. tear up: (phrasal verb) To damage, destroy, or rip apart. second thoughts: (noun) a change of opinion or resolve reached after considering something again. superstitions: (noun) excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings. frantic hammering: (noun) the sound or action of hammering something. sobbings: (noun) noisy crying. quirks: an unusual habit or part of someone's personality, or something that is strange and unexpected
investments
tear up
superstitions
hammering
second thoughts
sobbings
quirks
"In Egypt, the urban legend begins"
In the lates 1890 a party of four well-to-do young English gentlemen made an extended tour of archaeological excavations in Egypt. One evening in the bar of their hotel in Luxor, they met an antiquities dealer who engaged them in a lively conversation about archaeology and some of the artifacts he had acquired over the years. In fact, said the dealer, I´ve just purchased an exquisite sarcophagus that contains the intact mummy of a princess of the Thirteenth Dynasty. It is the crown jewel of my collections. Would you like to see it? The young gentlemen said they were very eager to see the sarcophagus. Please come to my warehouse tomorrow morning about nine, the dealer said.
It was eight feet tall and inlaid with gold and semiprecious stones. On the lid was a portrait of the princess herself, her face serene and lovely, and her eyes wide open as if she were still alive.
At exactly nine o´clock the next morning, the dealer met the four travelers on the narrow street outside his warehouse.
The dealer led the young men through a labyrinth of wooden crates to a room at the rear of the building. Inside, standing upright in the middle of the small room, was the princess's sarcophagus.
For the next hour, the five men examined the sarcophagus closely. The dealer read the inscriptions for them and even opened the lid so his visitors could examine the mummy of the princess.
Then one of the Englishmen cleared his throat and said, "Would you...have you...considered selling the sarcophagus?
The sarcophagus"
The curse
The gentlemen smiled; and one said, Thank you. But none of us is superstitious As three of the gentlemen met in the bar for drinks before dinner, they saw the fourth member of their party walking out toward the desert. They waited for him all that evening and looked for him the next morning. At last they went to the British consulate to report their friend missing. They notified the Luxor police, but a thorough investigation turned up no trace of the missing Englishman. He was never seen again.
Negotiation
The dealer seemed taken aback by the suggestion. After some negotation, the men settled on a price of ten thousand pounds sterling. Then, they asked him to have the sarcophagus packed up and sent to their hotel that evening as they were planning to begin their journey home to England the next day. Before we conclude our arrangement, the dealer said, I should warn you that the mummy is said to be cursed. If you are having second thoughts, I will tear up the checks now without any hard feelings.
From that moment, troubled seemed to haunt the young travelers. One was shot accidentally in the right arm as his servant packed his hunting rifles.
The third man in the foursome found on his return home that bad investments had destroyed his family's fortune.
The fourth man was struck down by an illness which no doctor in England could diagnose or cure.
Remembering the dealer´s warning of a curse, the surviving travelers put the sarcophagus up for sale. Some days later, the Times reported that the British Museum had received a super sarcophagus from an anonymous donor.
Now the princess's curse fell upon the British Museum. Night watchmen heard the sound of frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin.
By now, the newspapers had heard of the strange occurrences surrounding the princess's sarcophagus. A photographer who took a picture of the sarcophagus for his newspaper found when he developed the film that the serene image of the princess was replaced by a grotesque, horrifying face. The photographer hurried home, locked himself in his room and shot himself in the head. A private collector with an interest in the occult purchased the sarcophagus from the British Museum and then invited the renowned spiritualist Madame Helena to perform an exorcise. After spending a few moments in the princess's presence, however, Madame Helena hurried out of the room, saying, "No one can overcome such evil".
For 12 years, the sarcophagus passed from one owner to the next, leaving behind a trail of disasters and tragedies. Then an American archaeologist purchased the sarcophagus. The curse did not frighten him; he attributed all the misfortunes of the previous owners to the quirks of circumstances. In early April 1912, he arranged for the sarcophagus to be shipped to America and booked a stateroom for himself aboard the same ship, a luxurious new cruise ship of the White Star line that was making its maiden voyage to New York.
The name of that ship transporting the sarcophagus was "titanic"!
What do you think?
¡Thank you for watching!
Inglés con Tere
Clikc to subscribe to my social media
Teressacademy
Urban legen "Mummy"
TERE OREGEL
Created on September 1, 2023
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Vaporwave presentation
View
Animated Sketch Presentation
View
Memories Presentation
View
Pechakucha Presentation
View
Decades Presentation
View
Color and Shapes Presentation
View
Historical Presentation
Explore all templates
Transcript
the urban legend behind the titanic
"The cursed mummy"
By Thomas J. Craughwell, "Urban Legends"
For educational porpuses
Let's start
"Vocabulary"
well-to-do: (adjective) wealthy; prosperous."a well-to-do family" sarcophagus: (noun) a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece. eager: (adjective) moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest. warehouse: (noun) a large building where raw materials or manufactured goods may be stored before their export or distribution for sale. inlaid: (adjective) a decorative material or design curse: (noun) a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something. voyage: (noun) go on a long journey, typically by sea or in space.
well-to-do
warehouse
sarcophagus
eager
inlaid
curse
voyage
"Vocabulary"
investments: (noun) the action or process of investing money for profit or material result. tear up: (phrasal verb) To damage, destroy, or rip apart. second thoughts: (noun) a change of opinion or resolve reached after considering something again. superstitions: (noun) excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings. frantic hammering: (noun) the sound or action of hammering something. sobbings: (noun) noisy crying. quirks: an unusual habit or part of someone's personality, or something that is strange and unexpected
investments
tear up
superstitions
hammering
second thoughts
sobbings
quirks
"In Egypt, the urban legend begins"
In the lates 1890 a party of four well-to-do young English gentlemen made an extended tour of archaeological excavations in Egypt. One evening in the bar of their hotel in Luxor, they met an antiquities dealer who engaged them in a lively conversation about archaeology and some of the artifacts he had acquired over the years. In fact, said the dealer, I´ve just purchased an exquisite sarcophagus that contains the intact mummy of a princess of the Thirteenth Dynasty. It is the crown jewel of my collections. Would you like to see it? The young gentlemen said they were very eager to see the sarcophagus. Please come to my warehouse tomorrow morning about nine, the dealer said.
It was eight feet tall and inlaid with gold and semiprecious stones. On the lid was a portrait of the princess herself, her face serene and lovely, and her eyes wide open as if she were still alive.
At exactly nine o´clock the next morning, the dealer met the four travelers on the narrow street outside his warehouse.
The dealer led the young men through a labyrinth of wooden crates to a room at the rear of the building. Inside, standing upright in the middle of the small room, was the princess's sarcophagus.
For the next hour, the five men examined the sarcophagus closely. The dealer read the inscriptions for them and even opened the lid so his visitors could examine the mummy of the princess.
Then one of the Englishmen cleared his throat and said, "Would you...have you...considered selling the sarcophagus?
The sarcophagus"
The curse
The gentlemen smiled; and one said, Thank you. But none of us is superstitious As three of the gentlemen met in the bar for drinks before dinner, they saw the fourth member of their party walking out toward the desert. They waited for him all that evening and looked for him the next morning. At last they went to the British consulate to report their friend missing. They notified the Luxor police, but a thorough investigation turned up no trace of the missing Englishman. He was never seen again.
Negotiation
The dealer seemed taken aback by the suggestion. After some negotation, the men settled on a price of ten thousand pounds sterling. Then, they asked him to have the sarcophagus packed up and sent to their hotel that evening as they were planning to begin their journey home to England the next day. Before we conclude our arrangement, the dealer said, I should warn you that the mummy is said to be cursed. If you are having second thoughts, I will tear up the checks now without any hard feelings.
From that moment, troubled seemed to haunt the young travelers. One was shot accidentally in the right arm as his servant packed his hunting rifles.
The third man in the foursome found on his return home that bad investments had destroyed his family's fortune.
The fourth man was struck down by an illness which no doctor in England could diagnose or cure.
Remembering the dealer´s warning of a curse, the surviving travelers put the sarcophagus up for sale. Some days later, the Times reported that the British Museum had received a super sarcophagus from an anonymous donor.
Now the princess's curse fell upon the British Museum. Night watchmen heard the sound of frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin.
By now, the newspapers had heard of the strange occurrences surrounding the princess's sarcophagus. A photographer who took a picture of the sarcophagus for his newspaper found when he developed the film that the serene image of the princess was replaced by a grotesque, horrifying face. The photographer hurried home, locked himself in his room and shot himself in the head. A private collector with an interest in the occult purchased the sarcophagus from the British Museum and then invited the renowned spiritualist Madame Helena to perform an exorcise. After spending a few moments in the princess's presence, however, Madame Helena hurried out of the room, saying, "No one can overcome such evil".
For 12 years, the sarcophagus passed from one owner to the next, leaving behind a trail of disasters and tragedies. Then an American archaeologist purchased the sarcophagus. The curse did not frighten him; he attributed all the misfortunes of the previous owners to the quirks of circumstances. In early April 1912, he arranged for the sarcophagus to be shipped to America and booked a stateroom for himself aboard the same ship, a luxurious new cruise ship of the White Star line that was making its maiden voyage to New York.
The name of that ship transporting the sarcophagus was "titanic"!
What do you think?
¡Thank you for watching!
Inglés con Tere
Clikc to subscribe to my social media
Teressacademy