Human history is littered with incidents of cannibalism - usually (but not always) as a desperate means of survival. Let's explore the cases of...
Cannibalism has occurred throughout human history... (Hocus_Phocus)
Though the peasants had some initial success, the rebellion was crushed and Dózsa was captured. He was executed in dramatic fashion, being fixed to a heated iron throne and adorned with a scalding hot crown of iron. To cap it off, a group of his fellow rebels were forced to tear out chunks of his flesh and eat them.
Life isn't always great for the Korowai though, as they claim to be plagued by khakhua - male witches that can consume a tribe member like a sickness. According to the lore of the Korowai, the khakhua will eat the internal organs of the victim as they sleep, replacing them with ash to conceal the attack. Fortunately there is a traditional way to deal with these creatures - kill them, chop them up and eat them as a ritualistic revenge. The Korowai even have specialists to find and destroy suspected khakhua.
Despite the assurances of Hastings that the route would cut 300 miles off the route, it turned out to be 125 miles longer across terrible terrain. Hasting himself left the group before they got far into the shortcut (which really should have set alarm bells ringing) and the party found a critical pass blocked by snow.
Some of the healthier members attempted to brave the mountains using improvised snow shoes, eating those that died on the way. They made it to Fort Sutter and relief parties were able to rescue some of the Donner party - but the remainder of the group had little choice but to dig in and wait for better conditions. They ate the dogs, then the hides and then their fellow travelers - though they did label flesh so that no-one had to eat their own family. By the time they were rescued, nearly half of the party that took the shortcut were dead.
Sawney Bean was said to live in a sea cave, sallying forth to hunt human prey... (ALEXNEWWORLD)
The Beans were exposed when a botched ambush was witnessed by a group coming back from a fair. King James I and a small army came to investigate, uncovering the cave with hunting dogs - the story ends with the clan being rounded up and executed via dismemberment or burning!
Though we don't know the harsh realities of life in the starving colony, the remains of 14 year old colonist "Jane" tells us one grim fact - scrapes on the bones indicate that her body was butchered for meat after death, with scratches reminiscent of the cleavers and knives found at Jamestown. Investigators even note that the cuts were tentative - her butcher was used to other bodies and was unsure how to separate flesh from a human skeleton.
He broke out every trick he could think of - Zhang Xun had his troops drum long into the night as if preparing for a sally, forcing the besiegers to stay at readiness for attacks that never came. Once the besiegers got used to the drums and lowered their guard, Zhang Xun ordered a daring night raid that killed many of the besiegers where they slept. When the opposing commander attempted to break the defenders with a planted rumor of the Emperor's demise, Zhang Xun responded by executing any officer that suggested surrendering.
The ruthlessness displayed in the siege of Yongqiu led to Zhang Xun being chosen to defend Suiyang. This time the defenders faced an additional foe - starvation. The scholar and his troops were reduced to eating tree bark, tea leaves and paper, until in a moment of ruthless pragmatism Zhang Xun butchered his beloved concubine in front of his men, cooked and ate her. His point was that they should be willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for the imperial cause.
Following the example set by their leader, the soldiers followed suite and a large proportion of the civilians present in the city found themselves on the menu. Whilst Suiyang eventually fell, the drawn-out siege cost the rebels huge amounts of time and soldiers - in all likelihood, Suiyang is the reason the rebellion failed. Though Zhang Xun was executed by enemy forces, the scholar-turned-cannibal was honored by the imperial court for his extreme loyalty!
- A Roasted Rebel Noble in Hungary
- Witch Eaters in the Amazon
- The Doom of the Donner Party
- Sawney Bean, the Cannibal Bandit of Scotland
- Colonist Cannibalism
- Eating the Servants in China
A Roasted Rebel Noble in Hungary
Did you know that forced cannibalism has been used as a punishment in Europe? In 1514, the peasants of Hungary were gathered for a crusade against the neighboring Turks. It was a short lived war (halting after a month) but the armed peasantry decided that they were not interested in going back to the fields. Instead, they announced their intent to overthrow the nobles. Oddly, they were led by György Dózsa who was himself a noble.Though the peasants had some initial success, the rebellion was crushed and Dózsa was captured. He was executed in dramatic fashion, being fixed to a heated iron throne and adorned with a scalding hot crown of iron. To cap it off, a group of his fellow rebels were forced to tear out chunks of his flesh and eat them.
Witch Eaters in the Amazon
The Korowai are one of the few remaining tribes in isolation from "modern civilization." They live in small groups, with dwellings resembling giant tree-houses offering safety from the elements and the beasts of the forest. They're also very resistant to change - in fact, they claim that a change in their customs will bring about the end of the world.Life isn't always great for the Korowai though, as they claim to be plagued by khakhua - male witches that can consume a tribe member like a sickness. According to the lore of the Korowai, the khakhua will eat the internal organs of the victim as they sleep, replacing them with ash to conceal the attack. Fortunately there is a traditional way to deal with these creatures - kill them, chop them up and eat them as a ritualistic revenge. The Korowai even have specialists to find and destroy suspected khakhua.
The Doom of the Donner Party
Named after George Donner, the Donner party pioneers were heading west when they became trapped by heavy snows in Sierra Nevada. They were attempting to use a shortcut provided by Lansford Hastings rather than the Oregon trail - despite a warning from another traveler that the route was poor and Hastings unreliable.Despite the assurances of Hastings that the route would cut 300 miles off the route, it turned out to be 125 miles longer across terrible terrain. Hasting himself left the group before they got far into the shortcut (which really should have set alarm bells ringing) and the party found a critical pass blocked by snow.
Some of the healthier members attempted to brave the mountains using improvised snow shoes, eating those that died on the way. They made it to Fort Sutter and relief parties were able to rescue some of the Donner party - but the remainder of the group had little choice but to dig in and wait for better conditions. They ate the dogs, then the hides and then their fellow travelers - though they did label flesh so that no-one had to eat their own family. By the time they were rescued, nearly half of the party that took the shortcut were dead.
Sawney Bean, the Cannibal Bandit of Scotland
Bennane Cave on the coast of Ayrshire, Scotland, is a grim looking place with a grimmer legend. The story goes that it was once the home of Alexander "Sawney" Bean, a one-time tanner, full-time cannibal. He moved into the well-concealed sea-cave with his wife in the 15th century, turning to banditry for valuables, murder to avoid identification and cannibalism for provisions. The family expanded over time, with relationships between the siblings produced by the Beans adding to the clan. The depredations of the group became so intense that chunks of pickled flesh washed up on nearby beaches.The Beans were exposed when a botched ambush was witnessed by a group coming back from a fair. King James I and a small army came to investigate, uncovering the cave with hunting dogs - the story ends with the clan being rounded up and executed via dismemberment or burning!
Colonist Cannibalism
Jamestown in Virginia was one of the early permanent attempts to settle in the Americas by the English. To say they had their share of problems would be an understatement, with one of the worst periods being the famine-filled winter of 1609-1610.Though we don't know the harsh realities of life in the starving colony, the remains of 14 year old colonist "Jane" tells us one grim fact - scrapes on the bones indicate that her body was butchered for meat after death, with scratches reminiscent of the cleavers and knives found at Jamestown. Investigators even note that the cuts were tentative - her butcher was used to other bodies and was unsure how to separate flesh from a human skeleton.
Eating the Servants in China
Zhang Xun was a scholar with an undiscovered talent for siege warfare. When the An Lushan rebellion broke out in 755AD China, he raised a small army and garrisoned Yongqiu against a much larger rebel force.He broke out every trick he could think of - Zhang Xun had his troops drum long into the night as if preparing for a sally, forcing the besiegers to stay at readiness for attacks that never came. Once the besiegers got used to the drums and lowered their guard, Zhang Xun ordered a daring night raid that killed many of the besiegers where they slept. When the opposing commander attempted to break the defenders with a planted rumor of the Emperor's demise, Zhang Xun responded by executing any officer that suggested surrendering.
The ruthlessness displayed in the siege of Yongqiu led to Zhang Xun being chosen to defend Suiyang. This time the defenders faced an additional foe - starvation. The scholar and his troops were reduced to eating tree bark, tea leaves and paper, until in a moment of ruthless pragmatism Zhang Xun butchered his beloved concubine in front of his men, cooked and ate her. His point was that they should be willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for the imperial cause.
Following the example set by their leader, the soldiers followed suite and a large proportion of the civilians present in the city found themselves on the menu. Whilst Suiyang eventually fell, the drawn-out siege cost the rebels huge amounts of time and soldiers - in all likelihood, Suiyang is the reason the rebellion failed. Though Zhang Xun was executed by enemy forces, the scholar-turned-cannibal was honored by the imperial court for his extreme loyalty!
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