THE CURSE OF ÖTZI THE ICEMAN
ÖTZI THE ICEMAN IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND GREATEST MUMMY SPECIMENS IN THE WORLD. SO WELL PRESERVED, PERHAPS, THAT HE IS STILL MAKING HIS MARK ON THE LIVES OF THOSE TRYING TO TELL HIS STORY…
While working on my final draft of my upcoming novel—Otzi’s Odyssey, I incurred an injury under my right shoulder blade causing me sharp pain and restless nights. The significance of this affliction didn’t occur to me until I reread a passage I wrote:
I soon realized where the arrow struck Otzi, is in the same location of my injury, on my back, directly under my right shoulder. Below is a photo of the location of the arrowhead discovered during a CT scan.
It was during my research for my novel that I learned of the curse of Otzi, and wondered if my writing has reawakened this five-thousand year old soul once again., leaving me to ponder—Have I been cursed?
Below is an article from Ripley’s Believe it or Not on the subject:
High in a remote area of the Ötztal Alps in northern Italy some 5,300 years ago, Ötzi the Iceman was shot in the back with an arrow. Struck in a main artery, he likely bled to death within minutes and was near-perfectly preserved in the ice. Ötzi has become one of the oldest and greatest mummy specimens in the world. So well preserved, perhaps, that he is still making his mark on the lives of those trying to tell his story…
The question: Is the Iceman cursed?
Ötzi was first discovered in 1991 and quickly became a fascination for researchers, archeologists, and scientists. As research began, a shocking amount of people related to the finding of the famous mummy began to die premature deaths. The first: Rainer Henn in 1992. Head of the forensic team examining Ötzi, Henn was one of the first people to make close contact with the Iceman — picking up the cadaver with his bare hands to place it in a body bag. Henn died in a car crash on his way to give a lecture about his findings.
This is just the beginning of the alleged curse…
Not long after, Kurt Fritz, the mountaineer who led Henn to Ötzi’s body, died in an avalanche. An experienced climber who knew the area well, Fritz was the only member of his party to be struck.
A few months after Fritz’s passing, the only man granted access to film Otzi’s removal from the mountain, Austrian journalist Rainer Hoelzl, died at age 47 of a brain tumor — only months after releasing an hour-long documentary of the excavation.
But perhaps the creepiest death of all was that of Helmut Simon.
Simon was one of the German tourists who originally found Ötzi in 1991 — he was also found dead, frozen in ice near the same spot in 2004. He had fallen to his death during a freak blizzard. Within an hour of Simon’s funeral, Dieter Warnecke, the head of the mountain rescue team sent to find him, died of a heart attack.
The following year, archeologist Konrad Spindler, who first inspected Ötzi’s remains and publicly scoffed at the curse — declaring, “It is all a media hype. The next thing you will be saying I will be next.” — died of complications from multiple sclerosis.
Lastly, Dr. Tom Loy. Loy carried out a DNA analysis on Ötzi, piecing together the Stone Age story of his death and debunking the theory that he died alone thanks to trace elements of human blood found on his clothes. The discovery was groundbreaking, and Loy was on the cusp of finishing a book about it when he was found dead in his Brisbane home at the age of 63. Loy did not believe in the curse either — taking a very scientific approach to a peculiar pattern, much like his colleagues. But at 63, in fair health, and one of seven, it’s fair to raise an eyebrow.
However, the truth is, it’s easy to create patterns when you are looking for them. Many other scientists, journalists, photographers, and others have studied Ötzi and gone on to live full lives.
Alas, the legend continues and these days, Ötzi the Iceman rests in a refrigerated room at the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum in Bolzano, Italy. He attracts about 300,000 visitors a year
Ötzi's Odyssey - The Troubled Soul of a Neolithic Iceman is a metaphysical-fantasy thriller. It embraces these genres in a manner that will intrigue and delight readers looking for something refreshingly action-packed, employing a different flavor in timelines that move from modern to prehistoric eras and back again.
Ötzi the caveman's mummified body is found trapped in ice, in 1991. What isn't trapped is his soul, which awakens from its long sleep to find itself in a strange new world.
In an effort to uncover answers to many questions about his life and reincarnation, Ötzi journeys from present to past. This brings readers into his perception of caveman conflicts and daily life and the conundrums his journey poses not only to that world, but present-day events.
Imagine waking up to see your frozen body. Neil Perry Gordon paints a vivid picture of Ötzi's awakening:
As he struggles to answer haunting questions of how his soul remains connected to his body, and what the purpose of his reincarnation serves, readers follow him a journey that brings him to Jolly Jane, who joins him and others in this strange state of being half-alive.
Jane was known as a murderess, committing others to death because it "helped her cope." Ötzi sold his soul to the devil in a bargain which has apparently landed him in this position. Both find themselves undertaking a journey through tortured souls, guided by a Voice that seems to inject a higher purpose to their conditions and present-day dilemmas.
Gordon's story is thought-provoking, action-packed, and thoroughly unpredictable. Spiritual wisdom and guidance juxtapose nicely with the adventure component to keep readers both entertained and enlightened.
As memories of past life and loved ones are channeled in unexpected ways, Ötzi must find the courage to follow his calling through past lives and into a future where he makes better choices. Readers who enjoy more than casual metaphysical inspection, spiced with the thriller components of an adventure through past and present realms, will relish Ötzi's Odyssey. The story is highly recommended for fantasy, spirituality, and thriller collections alike.
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
LISTEN TO THE FIRST FIFTEEN MINUTES OF OTZI’S ODYSSEY
Thank you to my new friends in Little Falls, for a wonderful Author’s Weekend!
