The power of the written word on a Zettel/Zeddel - well, I think its strength can derive from either/or. Good or bad. You’d have both. Think back to the Roman practice of writing curses on pieces of lead and depositing them in chthonic places… or, on the other hand, the small slips of paper with prayers and saints you can still get in any Catholic church, for your wallet or books or wherever. To put a thought/prayer/curse/wish into writing is a way to immanentize it - it’s a step closer to realising your objective. And when your slip of paper comes with a certain spiritual or magical pedigree - that’s all the better.

Oh I wouldn’t overstate the Thriller thing ;) I guess knowledge of Danse Macabres is a dying art; most people watching that video were probably reared on The Dawn of the Dead etc rather than the spectre of the Black Death becoming the great equalizer who mowed down rich and poor alike. :) Danses Macabres are a very 14th-17th century thing, and for most Europeans that could as well be Ancient Egypt or the Moon. But it’s an interesting road of inquiry!