It is one of the greatest taboos of humanity: Cannibalism. Yet over and over again throughout history, fellow human beings became meals. These situations often arose in emergency situations, such as after shipwrecks, plane crashes or during war. Yet experts assume that people are often also consumed with ritual purposes. To honor gods, destroy enemies or to become one with one’s own ancestors.
Food remains from prehistoric times
The bones were broken and partially burned: More than 100 years ago, experts recovered the remains of 24 Neanderthals from a cave in Croatia, which may have been eaten by fellow humans. Remains in France pointed even more clearly to cannibalism. And not just for ritual purposes. Perhaps Neanderthal was also on the menu of some ancient humans, just like mammoth.
Food for the Gods
In order for the sun to rise every day and the world to survive, the Gods needed human sacrifices, the Aztecs believed. Supposedly thousands were killed each year in various rituals. For example, to appease the sun and war god Huitzilopochtli, priests cut out the hearts of the victims alive. The dead were then, it is believed, pushed down the temple steps and eaten by the participants of the ceremony.
The last man-eaters
Today, in the jungle of the South-East Asian island of New Guinea, there are still people who can describe what human flesh tastes like. Meanwhile, cannibalism has been officially banned there for 50 years. However, there are indications that this is not observed by everyone. For example, there are still some cases of Kuru disease, the human variant of Mad Cow Disease. The cause is the traditional custom of the tribe, which eats the meat and possibly the brains of the deceased.
People in a mess
Yanomami living in the Amazon region also have the habit of capturing the dead. During a ceremony they stir their ashes into a banana paste and eat it later. This ritual is only performed after the death of a special member. In this way, the Yanomami show this person the greatest possible respect.
Hell at sea
After shipwrecks, cannibalism occurred again and again. Particularly spectacular is the case in 1816 when the French frigate Medusa hit the bottom off West Africa. Because there were too few lifeboats, a raft was built to get the rest of the crew ashore. This did not work, the ropes were cut and the raft drifted rudderless on the Atlantic Ocean. After supplies ran out, the struggle for survival began. Some were pushed into the water, others executed.
Eventually people started eating the dead. Of the original 147 people on the raft, only fifteen were saved. Five of them died on land some time later. The famous portrait The Raft of Medusa by Théodore Géricault shows the moment of rescue.
Cannibalism in prison
Also in the early 19th century, events that took place on the Australian island of Tasmania caused a sensation. Alexander Pearce then flew with five fellow prisoners from the prison island of Sarah Island. When he was arrested some time later, he indicated that the men had mutually killed and eaten themselves and that he was the only survivor. The authorities did not believe him and locked him up again. Once again Pearce was able to escape, but this time when he was caught, they found remains of fellow refugee Thomas Cox in his bag. Although he had other food with him. In 1824, Alexander Pearce was hanged for cannibalism.
Drama in the snow
On October 12, 1972, a passenger plane crashed in the Chilean Andes. 45 passengers were on board, including a rugby team from Uruguay. Twelve people died during or immediately after the crash. The freezing temperatures of down to -40˚C claimed more and more victims. In order not to die of hunger, the rest decided to eat the flesh of the dead. After 72 days in snow, 16 survivors were rescued. Several books and films have been made about this drama.
The Cannibal of Rotenburg
A few years ago a bizarre case of cannibalism occurred in Germany: Armin Meiwes (from Rotenburg) killed 43-year-old Bernd Jürgen Brandes and ate parts of the corpse. They had met each other via the internet and Brandes had volunteered to provide a meal. In 2004, the Kannibale von Rotenburg was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison. Two years later, he was sentenced to life in prison for murder and disturbing the peace of the deceased.