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“I play a game called Valorant and basically in ranked games there are like two halves of twelve rounds each and there is a well known curse among people that play the game that if a team is up 9-3 at the half then they’re cursed to lose the game. I swear it happens so much too like you’ll be easily winning the first half and it’ll be 9-3 and you’ll just lose bad in the second half. So yeah like me and my friends or even if you’re playing with teammates if you’re down 9-3 people will say like oh it’s the 9-3 curse we’re gonna win and stuff like that.”
Context
JC says that the 9-3 curse has existed since the early days of Valorant around 2020/2021 and pretty much everybody involved with the game knows what it is. He says he vividly remembers moments where he was up 9-3 and lost as well as moments where he was down 9-3 and came back, but doesn’t remember other comebacks or blown leads as vividly. JC says that more times than not, if the score is 9-3, someone will bring up the curse.
Analysis
As someone that also plays Valorant, the 9-3 curse is definitely a legend that has blossomed and stuck among the game’s folk group over the years. No one knows who started or popularized the curse, but it spread extremely fast orally through being mentioned in ranked games and by streamers. As such, it’s a great example of Peck’s discussion of digital folklore, as it was created online and spread asynchronously as well as orally and visually, and each time the 9-3 curse resulted in a comeback only served to add to the legend. The curse is not particularly evidence based, but because of its infamy as a curse, all of us in the Valorant folk group will always remember losing 9-3 leads way more than any other scoreline, which shows how the belief is social and situational because it fits into the lore and the Valorant world. For losing teams, the 9-3 curse has become a way to manage the uncertainty of the game’s result, and something to back you (or predict the future) as you try to mount a come back.
Category Archives: Legends
Portuguese Bend Curse
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“When my boys and I were hiking the Portuguese Bend at night right on the coast on the cliffs, the ground like started shifting beneath us like kind of like an earthquake, it was pretty nuts. And at first we just kinda thought it was an earthquake but then we texted our boys back home and they didn’t feel anything, so we kind of just chalked it up to being the Portuguese Bend Curse because I don’t know, there was like no other explanation I guess.”
Context
RK explains that this is a curse/legend that is well known among his friends and other Palos Verdes residents, especially those that have spent time around the Portuguese Bend. He says that while hiking with his friends, he felt the ground move in a way that felt like an earthquake, but when he double checked with friends and family they didn’t feel anything. He says that he and his friends had no explanation for what happened, so they attributed it to the Portuguese Bend Curse. RK says that he’s been back to the Portuguese Bend a few times since that happened but nothing similar has happened.
Analysis
The Portuguese Bend Curse is a legend that is popular among the Palos Verdes area of Southern California, and RK’s specific story is a memorate. His experience shows that in weird moments that feel unexplainable, people will turn to folkloric and supernatural explanations for the event. This legend also shows that there is more to a place than just its geography; there is a ton of added identity to the Portuguese Bend that is built through stories and human memories. RK’s story is also a great example of Lindahl’s argument that legends and beliefs become stronger or validated through personal experience, as RK knew of the curse beforehand but never had any strong opinions about it until he experienced the ground shake in person. It’s also interesting that even though RK hasn’t felt the ground shake since that moment, he still believes in the Portuguese Bend Curse because of that one memorable and jarring experience.
The Legend of Nian
Context: The informant, CC, describes the legend of Nian that is a popular Chinese folktale
CC: “In chinese lunar new year theres this story where in this old Chinese village, they were all terrorized by this big ol monster called ‘Nian’ …and to combat this they ended up creating big sounds through fireworks and firecrackers, which is a predominant reason why people today as tradition uses fireworks to celebrate the new year.”
Q: Where did you first hear about the story?
CC: “I first heard about it from my parents and other family members since we always get together to celebrate the Lunar New Year.”
Q: Have you heard of the story being told outside of your family?
CC: “Honestly no…well, there was this thing my middle school used to do where we celebrate each other’s culture and one of my teachers told us about the story of Nian. It was pretty accurate to the story I already knew.”
Analysis: The Legend of Nian, as described by CC, is a popular Chinese folktale that tells the story of Nian, a beast who used to terrorize villages in China. Many feared Nian due to its destructive nature. Because of this, many created loud sounds using fireworks and firecrackers in order to scare off the Nian beast and ward it away.
Whittier Tunnels
Q: What do you know about the Whittier Tunnels?
JM: “Ok so basically there’s this whole tunnel system in Whittier and it stretches out to nearby cities like Pico and La Mirada. I don’t know where it stops but it reaches through different parts of Whittier like Whittier High School. There’s different ways to enter the tunnel, but some parts of the tunnel are so small and dark from what I heard.”
Q: When did you first hear about the story?
JM: “It first started in middle school, that was when the tunnels were mentioned but it wasn’t until high school where I learned that one of the tunnel entrances was underneath the basement of the school. I was so shocked. My teacher actually took us down there at the end of the year just to see the basement and the entrance to the tunnel. It’s super creepy though. It’s just super dark.”
Analysis: The story of the Whittier Tunnels are well-known throughout the city of Whittier, CA. Under the city is different tunnels that stretch to different parts of neighboring cities such as La Mirada and Pico Rivera. The tunnels were seemingly built around the construction of the city around the late 1800s. One of the entrances to the tunnels is underneath the basement of Whittier High School, as the informant describes.
Silverhill Hospital
Context: The informant, AC, talks about Silverhill Hospital, a mental asylum where the rumor of “the melon heads” originates from.
“There’s a mental asylum kind of in my town called ‘Silverhill Hospital’ and there’s kind of like a common saying that if you’re not careful or if your alone in the road, the ‘melon heads’ will come get you. I don’t really know what melon-heads refers to, but I guess there’s this legend that a long time ago, a group of insane people escaped a mental asylum and I’m not sure if its my town or one nearby, but they just started living in the woods…they’re suppose to have these big heads and if you see something at night, its going to be a melon head. I feel like more older people talk about it like it wasn’t the kids talking about it. I remember my friends’ parents talking about it more than they did.”
Analysis: The Silverhill Hospital in Connecticut. has had many different rumors surrounding, one of which being the “melon heads”. If you’re alone or not careful at night, the melon heads will come get you. From what the informant explains, the story seems to be more familiar with the older generation than the younger generation. The Silverhill Hospital rumors seem to have originated from long ago, where many would talk about the rumors, It has since then declined from the current youth.