Buzz
Throughout history, humanity's somewhat aggressive tendencies have often driven its actions. Over time, individuals have been preoccupied with discovering the most effective methods to eliminate rivals and resolve conflicts. However, not all acts of violence were solely for warfare. Human sacrifice has been a cornerstone of many ancient societies, serving a wide range of purposes. While most sacrifices were rooted in religious beliefs, the brutality involved often seemed disproportionate to their intended goals.
Warning: some of these sacrificial practices are exceptionally brutal. If you prefer to avoid the gruesome details, now is the time to turn away (as the saying goes).
Without further delay, here are some of the most peculiar methods of human sacrifice ever practiced by civilizations:
10. Buried Alive
In ancient Egyptian society, pharaohs were often interred alongside their servants, who were sometimes buried alive. This practice stemmed from the belief that these servants could continue to serve their ruler in the afterlife. Archaeological findings indicate that the servants destined for burial were likely in a drugged state, possibly to ease their minds as they faced their impending fate within the tomb.
9. Gift-Giving and Decapitation
In Dahomey (modern-day Ghana) in West Africa, an annual festival was held that included the exchange of gifts among leaders and, unfortunately, extensive human sacrifices.
Numerous slaves, war captives, and criminals were executed during this period to pay homage to the late kings of Dahomey. The primary method of sacrifice was decapitation. This practice was so prevalent that the ceremony, known as Xwetanu, directly translates to 'yearly head business.'
8. Thugs with Handkerchiefs
The 'thuggees,' or modern-day 'thugs,' were a radical religious sect in India notorious for their ritualistic killings dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali. For centuries, these assassins roamed India in groups, conducting their rituals to appease their deity.
To secure victims for their sacrifices, the Thugs would infiltrate groups of travelers, earning their trust before ambushing them at night and strangling them with a handkerchief or noose. Afterward, they would loot the bodies of valuables and bury them.
7. Leaps of Faith – or Did the Mayans Push Them?
The Mayans were deeply convinced that a sacred force resided within limestone sinkholes, known as 'cenotes.' They regarded these as gateways to the underworld and would hurl their own people into them. The Mayans claimed that those thrown into the cenotes would not perish, though they were never seen again.
Modern findings of human remains in these locations reveal a stark contrast to the Mayan narrative. The shattered bones of individuals, both young and old, suggest a far grimmer reality than the enlightened fate the Mayans described.
6. In the Name of Architecture
In ancient Chinese societies, human sacrifice was typically conducted to honor ancestral gods, but it also served other purposes. One such purpose was to fortify buildings or structures, believed to gain strength through these offerings.
A well-known instance of this practice involved the crown-prince of Ts’ai, who was captured during a battle that devastated his kingdom. He was sacrificed with the aim of reinforcing a dam.
5. Burned Alive by Druids
Early Roman accounts frequently mention the widespread practice of human sacrifice by Celtic Druids. Caesar noted that slaves and dependents of prominent Gauls were often burned alive alongside their deceased masters.
Other sacrificial methods included hangings dedicated to the god Esus and drownings for Teutates. However, the most infamous practice attributed to the Druids was the wicker man ritual. A massive effigy shaped like a man, constructed from sticks, was filled with living people and set on fire, consuming all those trapped inside.
4. Weeping Boys, Skinned Alive
The Aztecs are renowned for their numerous sacrificial rituals during their civilization's peak. One of the most infamous ceremonies involved extracting a living person’s heart to honor the sun god Huitzilopochtli. Additionally, they conducted other sacrifices dedicated to deities like Tlaloc, Xipe Totec, and the 'Earth Mother' Teteoinnan.
Offerings to Tlaloc involved the ritual killing of 'weeping boys,' while sacrifices to Xipe Totec were tied to a post, pierced with arrows, and then skinned by priests. Victims dedicated to the Earth Mother Teteoinnan were typically skinned women. Despite their differences, all these sacrifices shared one grim outcome: a brutal end for the chosen individuals.
3. Child Sacrifices in Carthage and Beyond
Historical records of Phoenician and Carthaginian cultures reveal that child sacrifice was a deeply religious practice. This extreme act was believed to be the most effective way to safeguard the community. The sacrificial sites, called 'topheth' (meaning 'roasting place'), and the offerings, known as 'mulk' (or 'King') sacrifices, were central to these rituals.
As described by Diodorus Siculus regarding the Carthaginians:
“In their city stood a bronze statue of Cronus, its hands outstretched with palms facing upward and tilted toward the ground. When children were placed on it, they would roll off and fall into a fiery pit below.”
Ouch.
2. Honor Suicides in Japan
In Japan, the ritual of Seppuku was a long-standing practice and a key aspect of the 'Bushido,' or the warrior's code. This semi-suicidal act involved a warrior cutting into their own body. It was performed for various reasons, including the restoration of lost honor, and served as a way to preserve the dignity of one’s family lineage.
In the case of planned seppuku, a samurai would first undergo a ceremonial bath and be dressed in white robes. He would then be served his favorite meal, and a special knife or short sword would be placed before him. After composing his death poem, the warrior would open his robe, take the blade, and perform the act of disembowelment. A chosen second, known as a kaishakunin, would then deliver a precise cut to his neck, known as a 'kaishaku,' to end his life.
1. Widow Strangling in Fiji
In Fiji, the moment a woman became a widow, she was fated to be strangled. This tradition stemmed from the belief that a deceased husband should be buried alongside his wife. For high-ranking chiefs, their death also meant the suffocation of their watina lalai (minor wives), who were then referred to as thotho (grave coverings).
Adding to the grim nature of this practice, it was often the duty of the woman’s brother to carry out or oversee the act. Perhaps the 'honor' of performing this task distracted him from the reality of killing his own sister.
