THAT'S IT?!! THAT'S THE CURSE OF THE GYPSIES?!!!

Oh, you have to be kidding me!!  The Horns?  Magda puts the Horns on Quentin and that's the curse?

PLEASE!!  Every Sicilian on earth knows that gesture and what it means.....only a wife and her lover can 'put the horns' on a husband and the gesture is used by others to indicate that a man has been cuckolded.

Considering that we're talking about Quentin here, who apparently has already boinked every grown female on the estate except Judith (let us devoutly hope ) I find it hilarious that THIS is the gesture the writers came up with.  

Somebody went home and laughed himself silly that night.

raineypark

Oh Raineypark, I feel your pain.

Since I had no memory of the scene where Magda curses Quentin from the original broadcast, I was really looking forward to it when the MPI tapes came out.  What a letdown!  I know they were writing this stuff by the seat of their pants, but I really thought they could have come up with something at least a little bit dramatic.  

Barnabas' curse scene is one of the classics of the series.  Quentin's curse scene--who remembers it?  At least Grayson's face was etched in acid for that scene, though in her mind she was probably thinking "SAM! I want a REWRITE!"

Gracious Yule regards,  Steve  
PS. Have you seen the Full Moon?  Magick!!!

Yes, dear.....I've been watching that moon wax for days.  I watch it rise every evening and then I get to watch it setting at 2-3 or 4am when the geriatric canine decides she HAS to go out !!

Yule Blessings to you and all who celebrate the Wheel of the Year.

raineypark

Oh, you have to be kidding me!!  The Horns?  Magda puts the Horns on Quentin and that's the curse?

PLEASE!!  Every Sicilian on earth knows that gesture and what it means.....only a wife and her lover can 'put the horns' on a husband and the gesture is used by others to indicate that a man has been cuckolded.

Considering that we're talking about Quentin here, who apparently has already boinked every grown female on the estate except Judith (let us devoutly hope ) I find it hilarious that THIS is the gesture the writers came up with.  

Somebody went home and laughed himself silly that night.

LOL!

It's so interesting that you were taught a little differently than I was.  Both sides of my family are from Naples, and I learned that "the horns" (il corno) were for protection from the evil eye (il malocchio), and that a strega can put an evil eye on anybody s/he pleases.  (Please forgive if my Italian is a little off, hee hee.)  Rainey, has anyone in your family done the oil drops in the bowl of water to test for the evil eye?  That was something that one side of my family did, much to the horror of the other.

Anyway, are you wondering if that was Quentin's curse that you've heard so much about?  What we saw today was merely Magda's threat.  Be sure to not miss tomorrow's eps, though I think we have to wait til the new year to see her incantation.  But like Steve said, they could've done better.

Oh, Midnite, those traditions changed from one village to the next!!  No one has the last word on them.  

We always considered the single horn (usually in red)  the protective symbol.  But the hand with forefinger and pinkie extended was absolutely an insult of the highest magnitude to a married man.  It would prompt knife fights in the streets!!  

Isn't is amazing...horns, hand gestures, evil eyes and protective symbols......very pagan lot, we southern Italians!!!  

Oh, and yes, I've seen the oil in the water....usually used by one side of my family to protect itself from the OTHER side of my family!!!

So this was just Magda's warm-up?  Well, I'll wait and see what she's got for the main event.

raineypark

    My 13 year old son told me the salute with the first finger and pinkie means "rock on".  When I was in high school, it meant "go to H*ll".  However, I found a colonial curse in a book where you used the same hand gesture as Magda but you held your head to the left while sticking out your tongue and it meant "be hanged".

    Everytime I see Magda, I think of an "I Love Lucy" episode.  In my head, I hear Lucy singing " I am Queen of the Gypsies, the Gyp, Gyp, Gyp, Gypsy, Gypsies".

    Everytime I see Magda, I think of an "I Love Lucy" episode.  In my head, I hear Lucy singing " I am Queen of the Gypsies, the Gyp, Gyp, Gyp, Gypsy, Gypsies".

(Lady singing), "There's a man taking away the costumes and the sce-e-e-e-e-nery."

(Lucy):  "I gave him a che-e-e-e-e-e-ck,"

(Lady):  It bou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ounced!"

My grandmother (to quote Midnite) was a known strega (in Italy and New York) and everyone was afraid of her. Well, let's just say that they didn't mess with her. She put many a curse on people who messed with her or her family. And they worked - hence the reputation, I guess.

My Mom told me that my GM used to do the drops of oil in water to cure headaches - she'd drop them in the form of a cross. I think the water had to be boiling or at least hot - but maybe not.

dom (who's GM protects him from the other side)

Hi, Gang.  Guess I'll add my two-cents.  It seems the comments so far are related to Italian culture.  But I've always thought that Magda was a gypsy of Hungarian or Romanian (are they the same countries now?  I can't remember) descent.  Might the myths and religions of that culture be different from the Italian culture?  (I had a great- aunt who was a "gypsy", but I can't recall exactly which country  her ancestors were from.  I also have an uncle (my Dad's brother) who is a hunchback--guess my family has some real gothic/horror-types in it.  Maybe that's why I learned to accept and respect each and every human being despite their differences and ancestry.

Brian

    Everytime I see Magda, I think of an "I Love Lucy" episode.  In my head, I hear Lucy singing " I am Queen of the Gypsies, the Gyp, Gyp, Gyp, Gypsy, Gypsies".

This totally cracked me up! I got a visual on it too. LMAO!

Rhonda[/size]

Hi, Gang.  Guess I'll add my two-cents.  It seems the comments so far are related to Italian culture.  But I've always thought that Magda was a gypsy of Hungarian or Romanian (are they the same countries now?  I can't remember) descent.  Might the myths and religions of that culture be different from the Italian culture?

The Rom gypsies migrated all over Europe and Asia, so I'm guessing that Magda's family could be from any of the European countries (?).  The "evil eye" is supposedly known in every culture, but the specifics of it apparently vary not only with the country of origin but also within the cultures themselves.  The bowl of water with the olive oil, though, is definitely just an Italian thing.

It's so interesting that you were taught a little differently than I was.  Both sides of my family are from Naples, and I learned that "the horns" (il corno) were for protection from the evil eye (il malocchio), and that a strega can put an evil eye on anybody s/he pleases.

Wow, Midnite, these things you mention certainly bring back childhood memories for me. When I was very young, there were older members of my family who believed in the malocchio and the other things you mentioned.  Any instance of misfortune was caused by someone giving them the "evil eye", and even a harmless bird landing on a tree near there window was cause for great concern!  They believed a woman who lived on their street was a witch, and was constantly cursing them.

I would **curse** these people, just kiddingly of course, but they were always worried that what I had done would cause adversity in their life.  Amazing.  Personally, I don't think their lives were at all enhanced for the better by their beliefs.

Bernie

My Great grandmother was one of those local Stregas in New York at the turn of the 20th Century.  Some feared her, some despised her, but sooner or later, they all came to her with their problems.  She must have been very good at what she did, because every old person I ever met from her community would make the sign of the cross when they mentioned her name....a Catholic upbringing being no impediment to pagan beliefs.  I've also heard from many people how she brought about the unnatural deaths of several men she held responsible for the unsolved murder of her son.

Belief is a powerful thing.  When people believe strongly enough that a thing is possible, it has a way of happening, or appearing to happen.  That my great uncle was murdered is public record.  That the other men died young is also.  Did she cause it?  Or just take credit for it?  All depends on what you are prepared to believe.

raineypark

(Lady singing), "There's a man taking away the costumes and the sce-e-e-e-e-nery."
(Lucy):  "I gave him a che-e-e-e-e-e-ck,"
(Lady):  It bou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ounced!"

I keep waiting for Magda to break out in song. .  . ."I was born in the wagon of a travelin' show. . ."