One press lays a storybook curse: what it does, who laid it and why, the sign, and how it ends.
Random Curse Generator: 20 curses
You can answer only with another question. It was laid by a weather witch you blamed for the rain. The sign: your shoes are found each morning facing the door. It ends when you admit you were wrong, out loud, in the market square.
Padlock: keep a part.Arrows: change only that part.
The curseyou can answer only with another question
Who laid ita weather witch you blamed for the rain
The signyour shoes are found each morning facing the door
How it endsyou admit you were wrong, out loud, in the market square
Every curse you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.
Curse of the day
Your footprints point the wrong way. It was laid by a roadside spinner whose thread you snapped. The sign: your shoes are found each morning facing the door. It ends when you make the one who laid it laugh out loud.
You forget the ending of every story. It was laid by the winter itself, for a door left open. The sign: your portrait blinks when you are not looking. It ends when you say thank you to the one you forgot.
You cannot cross running water without singing. It was laid by a mountain troll who was woken too early. The sign: your cups all crack along the same line. It ends when an orchard you planted bears its first fruit.
You forget the ending of every story. It was laid by a sorcerer who meant it for your twin. The sign: the left sleeve of every coat you own is a little too long. It ends when you teach someone else the thing you do best.
The wind is against you, whichever way you walk. It was laid by the spirit of a well into which you dropped a bad coin. The sign: the same magpie waits on every roof you pass. It ends when you go a year and a day without one complaint.
Knots you tie come undone at sunset. It was laid by a sea captain's parrot who knows more words than it should. The sign: a single white feather turns up wherever you sleep. It ends when you sing the whole song without forgetting a verse.
Your left hand writes only in rhyme. It was laid by the town's oldest tortoise, who is slow to forgive. The sign: soup you stir always turns the same way. It ends when you finish a job you left undone long ago.
You hum, loudly, whenever you try to keep a secret. It was laid by the last giant in the hills, over a borrowed ladder. The sign: a bell rings faintly whenever you fib. It ends when you return what was borrowed, however late.
Your footprints point the wrong way. It was laid by a mirror maker whose finest mirror you cracked. The sign: your signature comes out a little different each time. It ends when you give away the thing you would least like to lose.
You lose every game by exactly one point. It was laid by a sulking wind spirit you whistled at. The sign: your echo comes back in a different voice. It ends when you sing the whole song without forgetting a verse.
Crows follow you and laugh at the wrong moments. It was laid by a goblin trader you shortchanged by one bean. The sign: butter will not melt on your toast. It ends when you keep a promise that costs you something.
You are always the last to hear good news. It was laid by a goblin trader you shortchanged by one bean. The sign: sparrows will not land on your windowsill. It ends when the first snow of the year lands on your open hand.
You hum, loudly, whenever you try to keep a secret. It was laid by the last giant in the hills, over a borrowed ladder. The sign: the left sleeve of every coat you own is a little too long. It ends when you spend a whole day doing only what others ask.
Music stops when you enter a room. It was laid by an elderly unicorn who dislikes being stared at. The sign: frost on your windows, even in summer. It ends when you hear your own name sung by a stranger.
Your shadow arrives a few steps late. It was laid by a lake nymph whose song you sang off key. The sign: one sock of every pair you own has gone missing. It ends when you admit you were wrong, out loud, in the market square.
You cast no shadow on the weekday you were born. It was laid by the town's oldest tortoise, who is slow to forgive. The sign: butter will not melt on your toast. It ends when you laugh at the curse and mean it.
Stairs gain one extra step under your feet. It was laid by a court astronomer whose comet you saw first. The sign: your name will not stay written in chalk. It ends when you hear your own name sung by a stranger.
Every bed you sleep in is a little too short. It was laid by a lake nymph whose song you sang off key. The sign: one stair in your house creaks your name. It ends when you say thank you to the one you forgot.
Knots you tie come undone at sunset. It was laid by an old woman whose bundle you let her carry alone. The sign: every third word you write is in purple ink. It ends when you pay the old debt, with interest and a cake.
You are always the last to hear good news. It was laid by an owl who was once a judge, for a verdict you laughed at. The sign: one stair in your house creaks your name. It ends when you laugh at the curse and mean it.
This random curse generator lays one storybook curse in four parts: what it does, who laid it and why, the sign others notice and how it ends. Every curse is harmless, and every one can be broken.
Read the full guide
Lay a curse, then make it yours
Press New curse until one makes you laugh, then Copy it. Swap a single part by hand for one from the lists under the tool. Print 20 curses fills a village with small enchantments.
Why every curse has a way out
A curse is a wish that misfortune will follow someone, and fairy tales nearly always attach an ending. In Sleeping Beauty a fairy who was not invited lays the curse, a second fairy softens it to a hundred years of sleep, and a prince's arrival ends it. These keep that shape: a slight, a spell, a sign and a way out.
Tips
Start the story after the curse has landed. The sign is what the neighbors gossip about.
Let the way out cost the hero some pride, never some blood.
Questions and answers
What are some good curse ideas for a story?
Small ones that change every scene. Every clock you pass stops for a minute. You can answer only with another question. Every coin you carry turns to buttons by morning. A curse the hero must live with is funnier than one that only threatens.
How are curses broken in fairy tales?
By a condition set when the curse is laid. In Sleeping Beauty it is a hundred years of sleep and the arrival of a prince. Here the way out is an amends, a kindness, a task or a stroke of luck.
Does it make swear words or real hexes?
No. These are storybook enchantments for fiction and games. Nothing is a real charm or rite, nothing is written to be performed, and no curse involves death, illness or harm. For silly name-calling, try the insult generator.
out of doors, all you say comes out as a weather report
you answer to the wrong name without noticing
you can answer only with another question
you can be heard only when you whisper
you cannot say your own name
you forget the ending of every story
you must finish any sentence someone else starts
you must tell the truth to anyone wearing a hat
your left hand writes only in rhyme
Things you own 12
anything you plant comes up as dandelions
bread will not rise in any kitchen you stand in
every coin you carry turns to buttons by morning
every key you touch fits a different lock by evening
every map you hold shows somewhere else
every purse you own has a hole in it by morning
food you are served always arrives cold
no hat will stay on your head
soup you make is always one pinch of salt short
your coat turns the color of your mood
your cup is always empty when you reach for it
your shoes squeak, whatever shoes you wear
Company 10
candles lean away from you
cats refuse to look at you
crows follow you and laugh at the wrong moments
dogs bark the hour whenever you walk past
music stops when you enter a room
you dream the dreams of whoever sleeps next door
you fall asleep at the first note of any song
you lose every game by exactly one point
you walk only in straight lines until someone turns you
your name slips from the mind of anyone you just met
Shadow and reflection 8
mirrors show you looking the other way
you cannot cross running water without singing
you cast no shadow on the weekday you were born
you hum, loudly, whenever you try to keep a secret
your echo answers before you have spoken
your footprints point the wrong way
your reflection is always a moment behind
your shadow arrives a few steps late
How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-09-30 for this page: what the curse does, written as a whole clause about "you". The tool builds one curse from four rows and cannot block a combination, so every line was written to read well beside every line of the other three. Rules for every row: storybook curses of the fairy-tale kind only, each a harmless, funny or bittersweet enchantment with a way out. Nothing about death, illness, injury, bodies or looks; no harm to a child or an animal; no swearing; no real-world hex, charm, rite or religious practice, and nothing written as a spell to perform. Nobody who lays a curse here is evil: each was slighted in a small way, and each way out is an amends, a kindness, a task or a stroke of luck. The line about a guest left off a list was written and cut, because that is the plot of Sleeping Beauty. Sixty random results were read in full; every line was screened by script against every other list on this site and on drawthisnext, the rows of random-spell-generator, random-potion-generator and random-magic-item-generator among them, and no line repeats one of theirs. Licence: own work
Who laid it: all 45 curse layers
Witches and wizards 11
a bookbinder witch whose book you returned late
a clockmaker sorceress, because you were late three times
a court astronomer whose comet you saw first
a godmother who muddled two blessings and will not admit it
a hedge witch you forgot to thank
a retired wizard whose hat you sat on
a sorcerer who meant it for your twin
Show all 45 curse layers (38 more)
Witches and wizards, continued
a street magician whose trick you explained to the crowd
a weather witch you blamed for the rain
a wizard's apprentice practicing on the wrong person
your own great-grandmother, to teach the family patience
Spirits 9
a kitchen sprite who found the pantry bare
a lake nymph whose song you sang off key
a river spirit whose bridge toll went unpaid
a roadside spinner whose thread you snapped
a sulking wind spirit you whistled at
a wishing well tired of small coins
the spirit of a well into which you dropped a bad coin
the spirit of an oak you carved your name into
the winter itself, for a door left open
Creatures 14
a bridge troll, for crossing without a rhyme
a garden gnome you moved to the back of the garden
a miller's cat who is more than a cat, over a bowl of cream
a mountain troll who was woken too early
a queen of the bees, for honey taken without asking
a sea captain's parrot who knows more words than it should
a sleepy dragon whose riddle you answered too quickly
a talking toad who lost a race to your grandmother
a white fox whose tail you stepped on
an elderly unicorn who dislikes being stared at
an enchanted goose you called ordinary
an owl who was once a judge, for a verdict you laughed at
the last giant in the hills, over a borrowed ladder
the town's oldest tortoise, who is slow to forgive
Wronged folk 11
a cobbler elf who was paid in old shoes
a ferryman who was paid in promises
a goblin trader you shortchanged by one bean
a mirror maker whose finest mirror you cracked
a peddler you haggled down too far
a prince under a spell of his own, who wanted company
a scarecrow whose hat you borrowed
a storyteller whose ending you spoiled
a tailor whose bill was never paid
an old woman whose bundle you let her carry alone
the keeper of a lighthouse whose lamp you let go out
How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-09-30 for this page: who laid the curse and why, written to follow the words "It was laid by". The tool builds one curse from four rows and cannot block a combination, so every line was written to read well beside every line of the other three. Rules for every row: storybook curses of the fairy-tale kind only, each a harmless, funny or bittersweet enchantment with a way out. Nothing about death, illness, injury, bodies or looks; no harm to a child or an animal; no swearing; no real-world hex, charm, rite or religious practice, and nothing written as a spell to perform. Nobody who lays a curse here is evil: each was slighted in a small way, and each way out is an amends, a kindness, a task or a stroke of luck. The line about a guest left off a list was written and cut, because that is the plot of Sleeping Beauty. Sixty random results were read in full; every line was screened by script against every other list on this site and on drawthisnext, the rows of random-spell-generator, random-potion-generator and random-magic-item-generator among them, and no line repeats one of theirs. Licence: own work
The sign: all 45 signs
Around the house 13
a ring of mushrooms around your bed each morning
a small cloud keeps to one spot above your chimney
dandelions come up between your floorboards
every clock in your house runs seven minutes fast
frost on your windows, even in summer
ivy grows toward you overnight
one stair in your house creaks your name
Show all 45 signs (38 more)
Around the house, continued
the same four notes whistle in your chimney each night
the weathervane on your roof always points at you
your cups all crack along the same line
your garden gate is found open every morning
your mirror fogs from the inside
your shoes are found each morning facing the door
Creatures 8
a single white feather turns up wherever you sleep
a toad sits on your gatepost every morning
cats cross the street to sit and watch you
ladybugs land on you in threes
moths circle your head at dusk
the same magpie waits on every roof you pass
snails gather on your doorstep
sparrows will not land on your windowsill
On you 12
a faint smell of wet leaves follows you
a knot in your shoelace that reties itself
a silver thread in your hair that cannot be cut
the left sleeve of every coat you own is a little too long
one of your buttons is always missing
there is always one leaf in your hair
your breath shows on warm days
your coat is damp at the hem, whatever the weather
your echo comes back in a different voice
your footprints are always a size too large
your shadow has a small hole in it, shaped like a star
your signature comes out a little different each time
In small things 12
a bell rings faintly whenever you fib
a blue thread appears in everything you sew
a crooked star only you can see from your window
a small key appears in your pocket and fits nothing
butter will not melt on your toast
candle flames turn green when you come in
every third word you write is in purple ink
one sock of every pair you own has gone missing
soup you stir always turns the same way
spoons bend a little in your hand
your name will not stay written in chalk
your portrait blinks when you are not looking
How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-09-30 for this page: the sign that others notice, written to follow the words "The sign:". The tool builds one curse from four rows and cannot block a combination, so every line was written to read well beside every line of the other three. Rules for every row: storybook curses of the fairy-tale kind only, each a harmless, funny or bittersweet enchantment with a way out. Nothing about death, illness, injury, bodies or looks; no harm to a child or an animal; no swearing; no real-world hex, charm, rite or religious practice, and nothing written as a spell to perform. Nobody who lays a curse here is evil: each was slighted in a small way, and each way out is an amends, a kindness, a task or a stroke of luck. The line about a guest left off a list was written and cut, because that is the plot of Sleeping Beauty. Sixty random results were read in full; every line was screened by script against every other list on this site and on drawthisnext, the rows of random-spell-generator, random-potion-generator and random-magic-item-generator among them, and no line repeats one of theirs. Licence: own work
How it ends: all 44 ways out
Making amends 12
the one who laid it comes to supper at your table
you admit you were wrong, out loud, in the market square
you apologize and are forgiven
you bake the bread you owe and deliver it warm
you give the one who laid it a better gift than you owed
Show all 44 ways out (39 more)
Making amends, continued
you learn the name of the one who laid it and say it kindly
you make the one who laid it laugh out loud
you mend what you broke with your own hands
you pay the old debt, with interest and a cake
you return what was borrowed, however late
you say thank you to the one you forgot
you tell the whole truth about how it started
A kindness 11
a stranger shares a meal with you without being asked
someone thanks you and means it, three times in one day
you do a kindness nobody will ever know about
you forgive someone you had decided never to forgive
you give away the thing you would least like to lose
you help seven people and ask nothing in return
you keep a promise that costs you something
you let someone else have the last word
you lose a game on purpose and nobody notices
you spend a whole day doing only what others ask
you teach someone else the thing you do best
A task 10
you answer three questions honestly at a crossroads
you carry water up the hill without spilling a drop
you find the other half of a broken cup
you finish a job you left undone long ago
you go a year and a day without one complaint
you laugh at the curse and mean it
you read the last book in the house to the end
you sing the whole song without forgetting a verse
you tell the story of the curse and get every laugh
you win a riddle contest against the one who laid it
Luck and time 11
a bird builds a nest in your hat
a child guesses your secret
a letter you wrote long ago is finally answered
a rose you planted blooms in the snow
an orchard you planted bears its first fruit
the first snow of the year lands on your open hand
the moon is full on your birthday
someone who knows about the curse stays anyway
spring comes
three different people call you by a new name
you hear your own name sung by a stranger
How this list was compiled: Our own list, written on 2026-09-30 for this page: how the curse is broken, written to follow the words "It ends when". The tool builds one curse from four rows and cannot block a combination, so every line was written to read well beside every line of the other three. Rules for every row: storybook curses of the fairy-tale kind only, each a harmless, funny or bittersweet enchantment with a way out. Nothing about death, illness, injury, bodies or looks; no harm to a child or an animal; no swearing; no real-world hex, charm, rite or religious practice, and nothing written as a spell to perform. Nobody who lays a curse here is evil: each was slighted in a small way, and each way out is an amends, a kindness, a task or a stroke of luck. The line about a guest left off a list was written and cut, because that is the plot of Sleeping Beauty. Sixty random results were read in full; every line was screened by script against every other list on this site and on drawthisnext, the rows of random-spell-generator, random-potion-generator and random-magic-item-generator among them, and no line repeats one of theirs. Licence: own work