Is there a word to describe a highly desirable cursed treasure?
I can find plenty of other examples for such objects but most of them revolve around a character's inability to resist the object more than the object's desirability. The best example I found was the lure of immortality.
As far as terms go, the best I could do was honeypot and bug zapper. The latter is a perfect description of such an object but isn't very cool sounding and only really applies to things attracted to light. A more romantic twist brings us to limerence which is defined as:
An involuntary state of mind which seems to result from a romantic attraction for another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated.
I find the idea of focusing such an attraction on an object instead of a romantic partner useful and would be happy with a word such as "limerent" for the appropriate noun. Unfortunately, the desired reciprocation implied by limerence is completely irrelevant in this context so it -- although interesting -- is unable to satisfy the need.
Other words that seem intwined with this concept are paradox and fated. Paradox because of the crazy, irrational pull of the object even after the curse is discovered. (This is one of the problems with honeypot: The curse is hidden.) Fated is apt due to the irresistibility of the object along with its implied horrid ending.
Two-word terms seem to be a little easier to find as you can simply prepend cursed, malevolent or insatiable to words such as lure or attractor. (Or honeypot.)
In other words, this is a most excellent question.
Edit:
I remembered the word gambit which is defined as
An opening in chess, in which a minor piece (often a pawn) is sacrificed to gain an advantage.
The term's usage extends to include nearly any strategy that sacrifices something to gain something else and is generally considered extremely high risk with unpredictable outcomes. This usage note is helpful:
Critics familiar with the nature of chess gambits have sometimes maintained that the word should not be used in an extended sense except to refer to maneuvers that involve a tactical sacrifice or loss for some advantage.
The note continues by reminding us that "gambit" is fully excepted as general ploy or maneuver. But the sacrificial aspect is what makes it useful in this context.
The word is, again, not a perfect match but it completely conveys the dual attraction and potential danger. It also has the advantage that people will know exactly what you are referring to if you say, "Eve's gambit" or "the immortality gambit." You can stretch the term to refer to nearly every obvious example:
- Eve's gambit
- the immortality gambit
- the Midas gambit
- the djinn or genie gambit
The idiom "double-edged sword" is close. It misses the "so desirable that everyone wants to attain it" meaning, but it does convey that it has a positive use.
Edit: Another good term might be "forbidden fruit." In Genesis, it was said to convey great power to its consumer, but it also added a curse to the partakers.