It was allegedly unearthed in 1878, but it likely dates back more than three thousand years; the ancient limestone statue was originally dubbed “The Woman of Lemb” after the town in the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus where it was discovere , but the grim and fateful legend that soon surrounded the artifact quickly earned it the nickname “The Goddess of Death.”
Lord Elphont was its first owner. After acquiring the statue, within six years all seven members of his family died. The second owner, Ivor Menucci, had a similar experience; he and his entire family died within four years. And Lord Thompson-Noel’s family, the third to bring the statue into their home, also perished within four years.
But before the seemingly cursed artifact could finish its dark work, Biverbrook’s two surviving sons donated the statue to the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. To top off the mystery, the museum curator who handled the statue died within a year.
And so it’s at the Royal Scottish Museum where the Women from Lemb statue now rests, guarded from the world behind glass. Or, should I say, we are guarded from it.
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