Buzz
Threatening someone with the gallows for stealing a book might seem excessive, but it’s just one example from the rich tradition of book curses. Before the advent of movable type in the West, the cost of producing a single book was astronomical. As medieval scholar Eric Kwakkel explained in 2015, taking a book back then was comparable to stealing a car today. While modern vehicles are protected by alarms, medieval books were secured with chains, locked chests, and, of course, curses. These curses, especially popular during Europe’s Middle Ages, often included vivid, Dante-esque depictions of hellish punishments.
The origins of these curses trace back to the 7th century BCE. They were written in Latin, various European vernaculars, Arabic, Greek, and other languages. Although they persisted into the age of printed books, their use declined as books became more affordable. Below are nine examples that illustrate this peculiar tradition.
1. “May He Be Fried in a Pan”
The Arnstein Bible, housed in the British Library and created in Germany around 1172, includes a particularly gruesome curse for anyone who dares to steal it: “Should anyone take this book: may they perish, may they be fried in a pan, may they suffer seizures and fevers, may they be broken on the wheel, and may they meet their end by hanging. Amen.”
2. “A Fate Worse Than Death”
A 15th-century French curse, highlighted by Marc Drogin in his book Anathema! Medieval Scribes and the History of Book Curses, follows a repetitive, cumulative structure reminiscent of “The House That Jack Built”:
“Whoever steals this bookShall hang from a gallows in Paris,And if he escapes hanging, he shall drown,And if he avoids drowning, he shall burn,And if he evades the flames, a far grimmer fate awaits him.”
3. “The Holiest Martyr Shall Accuse”
A curse from the Historia scholastica. | Yale Beinecke Library // Public DomainIn The Medieval Book, Barbara A. Shailor documents a 12th-century curse from Northeastern France, found in the Historia scholastica: “Peter, the humblest of monks, gifted this book to the revered martyr, Saint Quentin. Should anyone dare to steal it, be warned that on Judgment Day, the saint himself will stand as the accuser against the thief before the Lord Jesus Christ.”
4. “Blind Him”
Drogin also highlights a 13th-century curse from a manuscript housed in the Vatican Library, as Medievalists.net mentions. The curse intensifies swiftly.
“Here lies the finished book, complete;Judge not this scribe, though small and meek.Whoever dares to take this tome,May he never see Christ’s holy throne.Should anyone attempt to steal,May they meet a fate most cruel.And if they try to snatch this prize,Out with their eyes, out with their eyes!”
5. “Eternally Damned and Cursed”
A curse from an 11th-century lectionary. | Yale Beinecke Library // Public DomainAn 11th-century curse from an Italian church, noted by Kwakkel, warns potential thieves with a chance for redemption: “Should anyone take, steal, or wrongfully remove this book from the Church of St. Caecilia, may they be eternally damned and cursed—unless they return it or seek atonement.”
6. “You Brought This Misery Upon Yourself”
This curse, written in a mix of Latin and German, as documented by Drogin, warns:
“Should you attempt to steal this book,By the throat, you’ll be hung high to look.Then ravens will gather, circling near,To pluck your eyes, filling you with fear.As you scream in agony, ‘oh, oh, oh!’Know that you deserved this sorrow and woe.”
7. “Cursed by the Voice of God”
An 18th-century curse from a manuscript discovered in Saint Mark’s Monastery, Jerusalem, is inscribed in Arabic: “This belongs to the Syrian monastery in revered Jerusalem. Whoever steals or removes it from its rightful place shall be cursed by the voice of God! May the Almighty (exalted be He) unleash His wrath upon them! Amen.”
8. “May She Drown”
A 17th-century cookbook manuscript, now housed at the New York Academy of Medicine, bears this warning: “This book belongs to Jean Gembel, and may anyone who steals it meet a watery end.”
9. “The Gallows Awaits”
A 1632 London-printed book, as noted by the Rochester Institute of Technology, features an inscription with a well-known theme:
“Do not steal this book, my friend,For the gallows may bring your life to an end.When you face the Lord on Judgment Day,He’ll ask, ‘Where’s the book you took away?’”
BONUS: The Book Curse That’s Too Incredible to Believe
One of the most intricate book curses circulating online reads: “Should anyone steal a book from this library, may it transform into a serpent in their grasp, tearing them apart. May they be struck with palsy, their limbs withered. May they suffer endlessly, crying for mercy, with no relief until they perish. May bookworms devour their innards as a sign of the eternal worm, and when they face their final judgment, may the fires of hell consume them forevermore.”
Unfortunately, this curse—often mistaken as genuine—was actually part of a 1909 prank by librarian and mystery author Edmund Pearson. He included it in his fabricated Old Librarian’s Almanack, which he claimed was the work of a notoriously grumpy 18th-century librarian. In reality, it was entirely the product of Pearson’s vivid imagination.
