I always thought curses were old Italian superstition.
Italians make a gesture against curses: the devil’s horns are said to drive away curses or bad luck. Inevitably they’re also an insult. They also wear a corno portafortuna (Italian for ‘horn that brings luck’), an Italian amulet or talisman worn to protect against the evil eye (or malocchio [maˈlɔkkjo] .
It seems the Dark Ages were actually the enlightened ages when it came to recognizing the reality of evil around us.