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In myths and religious narratives, severed heads are a common theme. While a few remain peacefully deceased, the majority often wreak havoc on those of us still fortunate enough to have our heads attached.
10. Originating from the Spit of a Severed Head
The Popol Vuh, an ancient K’iche’ Mayan creation tale, recounts the story of One and Seven Death, rulers of the underworld. Disturbed by the clamor of earthly games, they lured two brothers, One and Seven Hunahpu, into Xibalba for a deadly ball game.
The brothers, unaware of the murderous intent behind the invitation, accepted and soon discovered the harsh reality of Xibalba. Even as honored guests of the death lords, they faced treacherous trials meant to humiliate, injure, or kill them. They navigated perilous rivers filled with scorpions and blood but ultimately succumbed to the challenges. After spending a night in the Dark House, they were sacrificed by the malevolent gods, and One Hunahpu’s head was displayed on a cala tree in the underworld.
Among the underworld’s inhabitants was a woman named Blood Moon. During her visit to the tree, One Hunahpu’s skull spat into her hand, resulting in her pregnancy. Her father, ashamed of her unwed pregnancy, sought to sacrifice her. Blood Moon escaped his wrath by fleeing to the surface, where she encountered One Hunahpu’s father and convinced him she carried his grandchildren.
The twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were born and later discovered their father’s sports gear. Their games once again provoked the underworld lords, who invited them to play in their court. Unlike their father, the twins successfully passed all trials and faced the death lords. After a series of ball games, they slept in increasingly hazardous underworld locations. In the Bat House, Hunahpu lost his head to a bat as he gazed at the dawn.
Luck favored Hunahpu—the gods mistook a rabbit for the ball and left to retrieve it, allowing his head to be reattached. The heroic twins triumphed in the final game, but the enraged gods challenged them to leap over a fire pit. Realizing the gods’ murderous intent, the brothers chose to leap into the flames, denying the lords their victory.
Later, the brothers were reborn as wandering magicians with extraordinary powers. The death gods, intrigued by their abilities, summoned them to their court. There, the twins demonstrated their power to resurrect the dead. Eager to experience this, One and Seven Death demanded to be killed and revived. However, the twins only fulfilled half of the request, leaving the gods dead. After reviving their father, they ascended to the heavens, becoming rulers of the Sun and Moon.
9. The Preserved Head of Mimir, the Wise
Norse mythology speaks of one or possibly two entities named Mimir, both linked to wisdom. This duality has puzzled scholars, as ancient texts often blur the lines between them, making it unclear whether they refer to one individual or distinct beings. One Mimir guarded the well of wisdom and knowledge, granting Odin his renowned intellect by allowing him to drink from the well in exchange for one of his eyes.
If two Mimirs existed, the second was a wise deity sent alongside Odin’s charming but dim-witted brother, Hoenir, to the Vanir as part of a peace treaty between warring godly factions. The Vanir adored Hoenir and appointed him as a chief, but his lack of intelligence soon became evident. Without Mimir’s guidance, Hoenir was useless, enraging the Vanir, who felt deceived. In their fury, they beheaded Mimir. Grieving the loss, Odin retrieved the head and preserved it through a magical pickling process. The head, still capable of speech, was placed near Mimir’s well, where Odin sought its counsel in times of need.
8. The Equine Replacement Head of Dadhyanc Atharvana
Hinduism lacks a single founder or unified doctrine, resulting in a diverse array of stories that sometimes contradict one another. It is often viewed as a family of religions rather than a cohesive belief system. The tale of Dadhyanc Atharvana exists in multiple versions, but all agree that he lost his head after disclosing the secret of mead-making.
Dadhyanc possessed the knowledge of brewing mead from honey. Indra, the god, warned him that revealing this secret would cost him his head. However, the allure of mead attracted many, including the Asvins, the twin sons of the Sun god. They proposed a deal: if Dadhyanc shared the secret of mead-making, they would replace his head with that of a horse. When Indra inevitably beheaded him, they would restore his original head.
The plan unfolded perfectly as the brothers envisioned. Dadhyanc, passionate about sharing the art of mead-making, had his horse head severed by Indra, who was deceived. The Asvins promptly restored his original head.
7. The Melodic Head of Orpheus
Orpheus, the son of a muse, was a legendary Greek figure renowned for his divine musical talent. Beyond his role with the Argonauts, his most celebrated tale involves his descent into the underworld to retrieve his beloved wife, Eurydice. Though his music convinced Hades to release her, his failure to bring her back plunged him into profound sorrow.
Accounts vary on what transpired afterward, but most agree that Orpheus rejected the affections of other women for years. (Some versions even claim he abandoned women entirely and promoted homosexuality.) Whether due to his rejection of Thracian women or his defiance of Dionysus in another tale, Orpheus was ultimately torn apart.
His head was affixed to his lyre, which drifted into the sea and washed ashore on Lesbos. The head, however, continued to sing prophecies endlessly. The people of Lesbos placed it in a cave, turning it into a revered pilgrimage site. As Orpheus’s head required no muse, it overshadowed the local oracles, a theme later explored by poets. Some stories even suggest its popularity angered Apollo, who eventually silenced it out of sheer annoyance.
6. The Cheerful Head of Bran The Blessed
In Celtic lore, Bran Fendigaid, the giant son of the sea god, sought to unite Celtic powers, even at the expense of family ties. He arranged his sister Branwen’s marriage to the Irish king Matholwch. However, Bran’s brother Efnisien disapproved, furious at the union. To calm him, Bran gifted Efnisien a magical cauldron.
Efnisien’s concerns proved justified. Years later, Matholwch banished Branwen to the kitchens, dishonoring her. Enraged, Bran crossed the Irish Sea to confront Matholwch and rescue his sister. Matholwch fled, and a truce was struck: he abdicated the throne in favor of Branwen’s son, Gwern. During the celebration, Efnisien, in a fit of rage, threw Gwern into a fire, killing him.
War erupted, with Efnisien using the magic cauldron to revive fallen soldiers. The battle ended in a stalemate. Bran, poisoned by a dart, survived long enough to instruct seven survivors to decapitate him and bury his head at Gwynfryn, the site of present-day London Tower.
The survivors lingered in Harlech for seven years, entertained by Bran’s chatty and cheerful head. They later moved to Gwales, where they spent 80 years under a spell, enjoying the head’s company. The spell broke when someone opened the hall doors, prompting them to complete their mission. After 87 years, they buried the head in London, facing Europe as a protective charm against invaders.
5. Isogai and the Rokurokubi Heads
According to legend, Isogai Heidazaemon Taketsura was the finest samurai serving Lord Kikuji of Kyushu. After his lord’s household fell into decline, Isogai abandoned his samurai status to become a wandering Buddhist monk. Despite his priestly attire, he retained the spirit of a warrior, traveling fearlessly wherever the path led. One night, while sleeping outdoors with only a rock as a pillow, he was discovered by a woodcutter.
The woodcutter invited Isogai to stay in his cottage. Upon arrival, Isogai encountered four others whose refined manners betrayed their noble origins. The woodcutter admitted they were once part of a prestigious family ruined by his own greed. Touched by the man’s humility and kindness, Isogai vowed to recite sutras for him that evening.
Later, while fetching a drink, Isogai found his hosts’ headless bodies on the floor. There was no blood or signs of struggle. He realized he was in the presence of rokurokubi, spirits whose heads could separate from their bodies. (Some accounts describe these spirits as having extraordinarily long necks.)
Guided by an old belief that rokurokubi could be defeated by moving their bodies while their heads were detached, Isogai dragged the woodcutter’s body to a nearby grove. The floating heads, busy chatting and eating insects, noticed him and attacked. Isogai uprooted a tree and swatted at them, causing most to flee. However, the woodcutter’s head clung stubbornly to his sleeve, biting so fiercely it remained even after death. Unfazed, Isogai kept the head as a peculiar memento.
When Isogai arrived in the next town with a severed head dangling from his sleeve, authorities assumed he was a mad killer and arrested him. Luckily, a magistrate recognized the head as a rokurokubi’s and set him free.
4. The Avenging Flying Head of Masakado
Taira no Masakado, a Japanese rebel leader and descendant of an early emperor, began as a daimyo (warlord) who often blurred the line between feudal ruler and outlaw. His rebellion escalated when he attacked the Hitachi provincial government after meddling in an official dispute. Though his exact motives remain unclear, Masakado declared himself emperor and began conquering eastern Japan. The ruling emperor swiftly labeled him a traitor, and within two months, Masakado was killed. His head was displayed on a busy street as a warning to potential rebels.
Soon, people reported seeing the head grin, open its eyes, and grind its teeth at passersby. Legend says a poet approached it, and the head cried out its desire to continue battling its enemies. Thunder and lightning erupted, and the head flew into the sky, searching for its body. It allegedly landed on a Tokyo hill, where a tomb was erected in its honor.
The hill is believed to be cursed, with strange events attributed to the head’s wrath. In 1871, Japan’s Meiji government built the Ministry of Finance on the site, leaving the shrine untouched and avoiding trouble. However, the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake destroyed the Ministry. During reconstruction, the tomb was excavated and found empty. Dismissing its significance, officials demolished the mound and built a temporary structure.
Within two years, 14 men, including the Minister of Finance, died. Rumors blamed Masakado’s spirit, prompting the rebuilding of the tomb. On June 20, 1940, near the anniversary of Masakado’s death, lightning struck and burned the Ministry. After purification rites, the disturbances ceased. Notably, during US bombings, the tomb remained unharmed.
When American troops attempted to build a motor pool on the site, a bulldozer flipped, killing the driver. Locals convinced the occupiers to abandon construction and restore the tomb. Whether due to coincidence or Masakado’s wrath, two governments have concluded the site is best left undisturbed.
3. The Decapitated Head of St. Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine, a 14th-century Catholic mystic, was believed to bear the stigmata and even possess the ability to levitate. Though born in Siena, she passed away in Rome at 33, a fact that deeply saddened her hometown. Siena locals wished to bring her remains back for burial, but Roman authorities refused.
Undeterred, the Sienese decided to steal her head. Legend holds that the damp conditions of her Roman tomb made the task easier. The head was smuggled out in a bag, and when guards stopped the thieves, they prayed to St. Catherine. Miraculously, her head reportedly transformed into rose petals during the inspection.
Although the thieves successfully returned the head to Siena and placed it in a local basilica, the relic has faced periodic troubles. A fire nearly destroyed the church and the head. Later, during a procession, locals attempted to steal it but accidentally dropped it on the road. Today, the head rests securely behind glass in her home church, alongside her thumb. Her foot is rumored to be in Venice.
2. The Fifth Head of Brahma and Its Lustful Tale
Hindu mythology recounts how Brahma lost his fifth head. While details vary, most versions agree that Brahma’s lust for his daughter led to the incident. Initially, Brahma had one head, but as his daughter circled him in reverence, he grew three more to constantly watch her. The fifth head, atop the others, was meant to focus on higher thoughts, a final attempt to maintain the purity that enabled his creative powers. Another version claims the fifth head emerged as his daughter ascended, weary of his advances.
When Brahma’s daughter ascended to the heavens, he propositioned her, but she rejected him, declaring his fifth head inauspicious. Some tales claim the head unleashed fire, drying up Earth’s waters, while others say it aided demons in consuming the gods or emitted blinding light. Regardless, the head had to be removed. In some versions, Rudra severed it with his fingernails; in others, Shiva performed the act. The fifth head was destroyed, restoring balance to the world.
1. The Queen’s Bloody Head on a Platter
While King Arthur’s adventures are often fantastical, this tale stands out as particularly outrageous, possibly written as a parody of Arthurian legends. In a Welsh story of uncertain origin, Arthur passionately kissed his wife, Guinevere, during a feast. Embarrassed, she scolded him for his lack of understanding of women. True to his chivalric nature, Arthur vowed not to eat until he uncovered the true nature of women and embarked on a quest.
Arthur, accompanied by two knights, set out to uncover the truth about women. His first destination was the court of King Gorgol, known for his wisdom. Gorgol persuaded Arthur to dine, promising to explain women the next day. However, he sent Arthur to his brother instead. When the brother repeated the trick, Arthur refused to eat until Gorlagon, the third sibling, shared the truth.
Gorlagon recounted a tale of a king with a magical sapling. If struck by a branch from the tree, the king would transform into a wolf. Like Samson, the king guarded the tree’s secret until his wife coaxed it from him. Unfaithful like Delilah, she used the sapling to turn him into a wolf. Fortunately, he retained his human mind. As a wolf, he fled to another kingdom, where a wise king took him in as a pet.
In this new kingdom, the wolf discovered the queen’s infidelity and attacked her lover. The queen falsely accused the wolf of harming her son, but the wolf led the king to the child, exposing her lies. The lover confessed, and the queen was brutally executed—quartered by horses—while the lover was flayed alive.
The wise king realized the wolf was a transformed man and helped him reclaim his kingdom. The wolf-king tortured his wife to learn how to reverse the spell. Once human again, he executed her lover but spared her life, forcing her to carry his decapitated head on a platter everywhere she went.
After the tale, Arthur noticed a woman crying and kissing a severed head whenever Gorlagon kissed his wife. Gorlagon revealed he was the king from the story. Arthur finally ate, pondering the lesson about women, though the tale leaves his conclusions unspoken.
