Ancient Siberian ice princess to go on public display for first time despite 'curse'

A mummified 2,500-year-old "Siberian ice maiden" is set to go on public display in a museum near her original burial site despite many who believe her body carries a dangerous curse.

The skeleton was first discovered nearly perfectly preserved in permafrost on the Ukok Plateau in the Altay Mountains in 1993, where the woman had been buried alongside a team of six horses, RT reports. Estimated to have been 25 years old at the time of her death, the so-called "Princess of Ukok" has intricate, modern-looking animal tattoos covering her arms. She was found with a small stash of cannabis, among other artifacts.

DNA testing appears to link her to Scythian nomad ancestry. "Regarding the tattoo, they always say that it is made in the so-called animal style. Fighting animals. The Scythians are warriors. Their life is a constant struggle. They struggle for life, for good," Rimma Erkinova of the Anokhin Museum told RT.

However, council elders in the Altay region fear the excavation has been the cause of natural disasters in the area. "The dead cannot be disturbed, and especially they cannot be held on public display and carried out around the world. After she was dug out, we immediately saw earthquakes, floods, and hail which were not known previously," one Teles group leader told The Siberian Times. "[The ice maiden] stood as a guard at the gates of the underworld, preventing the penetration of evil from the lower worlds. However, after archaeologists removed the mummy, it has lost its strength and can no longer perform its protective function. So evil started to penetrate, natural disasters and human conflicts began."

In 2014, the region's council of elders voted for her body to be returned to her grave. A court overruled their decision earlier this year.