Jinx

In Greek mythology, Iynx, from whom the word is derived, was a nymph, the daughter of Pan. Her speciality was love potions, one of which induced Zeus to fall in love with Io, another nymph who was also a priestess of Zeus’s wife Hera. Hera exacted revenge upon Iynx by changing her into a bird, the wryneck, iynx torquilla. The wryneck forever afterwards became known as a symbol of restless, passionate love and the entrails were often used in sorcery to concoct love potions and spells. From the 17th century, a jinx simply meant a magic charm or spell. It acquired its current meaning of bad luck in America in the early 20th century.