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Cannibalism: fact or fantasy?

Have human cultures practiced long-term cannibalism some time in their past?

  • No human culture ever practiced long-term cannibalism.

    Votes: 4 5.4%
  • Only a few exceptional cultures.

    Votes: 25 33.8%
  • Some have, some have not.

    Votes: 26 35.1%
  • Many have.

    Votes: 14 18.9%
  • All peoples at some point practiced long-term cannibalism.

    Votes: 5 6.8%

  • Total voters
    74
Yukiko & Toshiyuki Tanaka's Hidden Horrors : Japanese War Crimes in WW 2 has a chapter on widespread cannabalism among Japanese troops out in the South Pacific.:eek:
 
Many tribes in New Guinea like Fore used to cannibalize their dead relatives (till 1957) as a part of a ritual. So I voted for "Only a few exceptional cultures.".
 
Wouldn't people resort to cannibalism if necessary? I'm not sure what I mean by this statement at all...I voted, "Only a few exceptional cultures," because I do know that some cultures to practice is... I just can't name any. Yeah... I'm probably talking rubbish.
 
There's something, I read a lot in this thread about ancient civilizations and cannibalism, but there's also the crazy people living nowadays in today's world that just simply have a fantasy over cannibalism.

A good example is about a guy that went over the internet and wanted someone who wanted to be eaten, someone here said something about this, and then... ah, here's the story. Take a look at your own risk. Way grotesque to be published in a clean forum as is JREF.

Armin Meiwes - Wikipedia

Really disturbing,

Mauricio Mejia
 
Thanks for sharing, caster51 san. I have not read the book, but will try to take a look at it.

I'm not sure at the moment if there is much achaelogical evidence for cannibalism in the Middle East area before the early Israeli settlement of that area, but I am fairly certain that there had not been any writings in the Jewish holy books that are known.
 
Cannibalism:Fact or Fantasy

Hi.
I'm new here.
I've been into the fantasy since 1967 & have done some extensive study.
There is some "evidence" that cannibalism exists or at least existed at one time as a cultural,social or religious custom.
Even the Judeo-Christian bible has a possible reference in the story of Jepthah's daughter.
In the story,Jepthah was to go into battle against the Ammorites.
He vowed to his God that if he was victorious he'd sacrifice the first thing that he met upon his return home.
As it turned out,his own daughter was the first to meet him upon his return.
A man of his word,he sacrificed her.
In the book of Leviticus,it states that sacrifices have to be tasted by him who makes the sacrifice.
Does this mean that Jepthah tasted his own daughter?
We've only got conjecture,I suppose.
But,I find the possibilities to be fasinating.
 
Ew, why eat other people? That's so savage. Seriously grab a cow and get a life. Eat something else PLEASE! Ewww. Well... go ahead. eat people. Just leave me alone. If you begin to pour salt on me I'm making a run for it.
 
After watching Cannibal! The Musical I most certainly say that cannibalism is real.
It was based on a true story...right? Silence of the Lambs was also quite convincing. And then there's those Indonesian / PNG tribes who eat the children if their parents die.

Kinda gross.

Oh, has anyone seen the Hong Kong movie Dumplings? Woah hehe, that's a weird movie! Eating foetuses apparently keeps you looking youthful.
 
Well, as far as I know, there are still many proven cannibal-cases known from the near past as well as present, when in severe survival stresses, like after a plane crash into the nowhere, or a japanese regiment on a northern island, who lost contacts and where separated and could only survive by eating some of them (Something similar is known about the Japanese, having eaten Chinese in China during the war etc.), when out of contact with the rest of their folks. But some members obviously also kind of offered themselves, when realising, that they could not make it anyhow. There were according films, plus reliable background informations about real facts and interviews from survivers, but I can't remember their names.

Apart from this, yes, an important amount of the Christ mythology dates back to mediterranean ritual cannibalistic activities, very well proven, but I do not have the sources at hand, yet they are very well known in historican circles hereabout,
For example in Jordania and around, as well as on some mediterranean islands, I think, also Malta and Sardinia for pretty sur.
It dates back to an old moon cult. The cycle was of importance, since you for example have the three days "dead", plus resurrection after, already clearly included.
They expected the moon to be eaten and reborn. Thus, the oldest son often was sacrificed on an altar (the places are still there, and they found human children bones on all places) and eaten by the priests. While the following born one, after the ritual, was supposed to be the very same one, a reappearance of the one, who was eaten, and thus honored accordingly.

This was later replaced by a lamb, and is the reason, why many believe, that the Isaac (the bush and the ram) story represents the change of that habit, been shown another sacifical object than just the son.
But the later lamb-idea is still connected with eastern, for example, and the basics in the last meal ceremony before christ's (sacrifical for believers) death is clearly also related to this old habit, including the resurrection after three days. Eastern (and the lamb!) still is related to moon cycles, not sun, by the way, although now to the fullmoon.
You can be sure, that in that region, the old local rituals were still known to priests.

Since there are similar stories in old egypt, also related to the moon's disapearance and resurrection, some get it confused with solar myths as well. If they also practiced cannibalism, I do not know, but could also be, since it was all interconnected.

Ritual human heart eatings on the american continent thus were later even.

However, it simply shows, that it was an accepted practice in small, thus maybe before this, even in large. I would not be surprised.

You may also like to read this page:

Cannibalism - Wikipedia

(oops. . .)
 
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Cannibalism is,indeed,a reality.
But,it also has an extremely large following as a fantasy.
I,myself,have a large,a very large,site that deals with this subject.
The site contains both fantasy stories and art,and information about the reality.
If you'd like to know about cannibalism,check it out.
Feel free to ask for the URL or if I get to the point where I've got enough posts,I'll post the URL.
 
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