Even Conan Doyle feared her. How did the legend of the "vengeful ancient mummy" who sank the Titanic come to be?

In today's world, everyone knows that the infamous "Titanic" sank in April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg. This tragedy occurred due to several factors: poor visibility, construction flaws, and human error, as reported by IFLScience.

However, in the early 20th century, when supernatural forces were widely discussed and archaeological discoveries captivated people's imaginations, a completely different reason was suggested for the Titanic's sinking.

The story claimed that aboard the liner was a very sinister "passenger" – an ancient Egyptian mummy being transported from the British Museum to the United States. Those inclined towards mysticism asserted that the Titanic was sunk by the vengeful spirit of a 3,600-year-old ancient Egyptian priestess, whose treasures were stored in the cargo hold of the ship.

Of course, this tale had no basis in reality, but its origins remain just as fascinating.

Folkloric myths about ancient Egyptian curses have existed for centuries, especially following the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and the untimely death of Lord Carnarvon, the aristocrat who funded the expeditions.

Legends surrounding vengeful mummies largely arose thanks to 19th-century British journalist Bertram Fletcher Robinson. He was also a close friend of writer Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes.

The journalist dedicated several months to investigating the accidents that befell those associated with the ancient mummy. Eventually, it was dubbed the "Unlucky Mummy," and it was kept at the British Museum. The journalist passed away in 1907 and did not have the chance to publish his findings, but it seems this story left an indelible mark on the author of Sherlock Holmes.

"There are many stories about the powers of the ancient Egyptians, and I know I wouldn't want to meddle with their tombs and relics. There are many evil spirits there," Conan Doyle once said.

Another notable proponent of the "mummy's curse" idea was another sensational journalist, William Stead. He first gained fame for an article exposing child prostitution in Victorian London.

Shortly thereafter, Stead and a friend concocted a strange tale about a mummy after examining the lid of the sarcophagus of the priestess Amon on display at the British Museum.

This is where the story takes on a "supernatural" aspect. The fact is that Stead perished in the Titanic disaster. Little is known about his final hours, except that he attended an extravagant eleven-course dinner on the liner, where he could have entertained guests with numerous stories, including those about cursed mummies.

Stead's connection to the disaster and the tale of the cursed mummy became intertwined and convoluted. The sensational story was picked up by the American press, including the Washington Post, which in May 1912 published an article stating that the "Titanic" was doomed due to the evil spirit of an Egyptian priestess who died in the city of Thebes in 1600 BC.

However interesting this story may be, it has been completely debunked. In 1985, the Titanic Historical Society announced that they had obtained a complete manifest of the ship's cargo, and no ancient Egyptian artifacts were found on board.

"The cargo list destroys all these myths," stated Charles Haas, the president of the Titanic Historical Society, to reporters at that time.

Additionally, the mummy itself turned out to be rather unremarkable. The so-called "Unlucky Mummy" remains in the British Museum today under the code name EA22542. The object contains no human remains; it is merely a painted wooden board covered in plaster, created to represent the deceased.

The object left the museum only in 1990 for a temporary exhibition, and to date, no substantial evidence of its "ill fame" has been found.