The Daily Star has placed a runic curse on Erling Haaland and the rest of the Norwegian football team ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final fixture against the squad on Saturday. The tabloid called upon supernatural forces, taking inspiration from the Ghanaian witch doctor Kwaku Bonsam, after the Norway side had already been hit by illness.
Curse Delivered to Norwegian Embassy
Using the Norwegian runic alphabet, reporter Joshua Whorms branded a Norway flag with the message “It’s coming home,” cursing the team and delivering it to the Norwegian Embassy in Belgravia, London. Dressed in an England shirt and Viking attire, Whorms wished non-fatal ill fortune to Haaland and his national team. The Daily Star plans to release the curse after the team is beaten by England during the upcoming game in Miami at 10pm.
Expert Weighs In on Viking Curses
To determine if medieval Norse Viking curses could affect someone, the Daily Star spoke to Terry Adrian Gunnell, Professor in Folkloristics at the University of Iceland. He told the Star that in ancient Viking stories, there were examples of old Norse magicians called Seiðr men affecting the fate of a certain person. Gunnell said: “They call them Seiðr men, who will go up on a platform and curse someone and that means that they can’t sleep properly and have bad dreams and in old Norse there is a very strong idea of fate – that you don’t question.”
The professor added that the Star’s attempts to curse the Norway squad may be in vain due to the predetermined nature of fate in Norse folklore. Gunnell said: “Fate is basically decided beforehand which may be also bad for England. You never know how it’s going to be. You got a matter of St George vs Thor here. And they both fought dragons of some kinds.”
Norway Hit by Illness
The Daily Star’s attempts to curse the Nordic squad come after reports that the team’s camp has been hit by a sick bug. Multiple squad members are understood to have fallen ill throughout the tournament. The problem afflicting the side is believed to date back to the group stage despite team doctor Ola Sand’s attempts to downplay the issue. Norway’s goalkeeper Orjan Nyland confirmed the speculation, saying: “I can confirm that it’s true. We have had our problems. We’re doing the best that we can and the team doctor is very busy at the moment. Hopefully everything goes well and we face England with a fully rested squad on Saturday.”
