Europe may have had human sacrificies

[Strengthandhonour]

Europe may have had human sacrificies
Published Wednesday, June 13, 2007
By LILY HINDY
Associated Press Writer



NEW YORK
Investigations of prehistoric burial sites in Europe show that the region's population may have practiced ritual human sacrifice, according to a new study.

The large number of multiple-burial sites, some containing skeletons of dwarfs and deformed children accompanied by ornate grave goods, suggests that human sacrifice was a custom in Europe between 28,000 and 10,000 years ago, says biologist Vincenzo Formicola of the University of Pisa in Italy.

"These findings point to the possibility that human sacrifices were part of the ritual activity of these populations," writes Formicola.

Three multiple-burial graves in Russia, the Czech Republic and Italy are the focus of his findings, published in the scholarly journal Current Anthropology.

A grave in Russia reveals the skeletons of a boy and girl, thought to be between nine and 13 years old, lying head to head alongside spears of mammoth tusk, hundreds of fox canines and thousands of ivory beads. The skeleton of the girl shows evidence of a congenital disease.

Formicola believes that the beads were made specially for the children, because of their small size compared to beads found on an adult male at the same site. Rich burials traditionally suggest high status, Formicola writes, and "it is hard to imagine this kind of motivation for two children."

"The enormous amount of time required to prepare all those ivory objects and the possibility that ivory beads were made specifically for the two children by a few specialists would imply that those grave goods were ready when the two children died, which in turn leads one to wonder whether this ceremony was foreseen long in advance," writes Formicola.

Rupert Housley, a professor of archaeological science at the University of Glasgow, suggested there may be other explanations for the unique burial. The beads may have been family heirlooms, prepared years earlier for a person of high status and incorporated into the graves of the children.

Housley, who is conducting a study in southern Russia on the connection between Neanderthals and modern humans, said multiple-burials were common in that period and many children died at a young age.

"Diseases could explain children dying at the same time, and then being placed at the same burial site. So if one is going to invoke sacrifice on the rest of it, it's a possible explanation but there are also others," said Housley. "I would entertain the idea but it is only one of many possibilities."

The site in the Czech Republic holds three skeletons of bodies aged 16-25, two males and one deformed individual the sex of whom has not been determined, according to Formicola. One lies face down, and another lies on its side, reaching toward the pubic area of the deformed skeleton.

At a site in Italy, a female skeleton appears to be holding a dwarf, aged 17, whom Formicola suggests may have received a special burial because of his physical condition.

"Elaborate burials, selected individuals, rich ornamentation, and site of inhumation continue to raise questions... and stimulate reflections about social organization, conceptions of life and death, and the perception of diversity," writes Formicola.

Housley said that evidence of cannibalism has been found at sites 12,000 years ago in the same area, so if Formicola's conclusions are correct it could be part of a pattern.

source: Europe May Have Had Human Sacrifices | theledger.com

[Vasconcelos]

Interesting article.

I thought this had already been established, though? It has long been believed that the Lusitanians sacrificed the body parts of prisoners, such as a hand to the god of war, Cariocecus.

But also, the Lusitanians believed that by stabbing prisoners in the stomach and observing how they fell, they could make predictions about warfare. I had read not too long ago, although it may not have been intentional, that it is believed that many of these prisoners eventually died from their wounds or of infection.

I've searched on the Wikipedia, and although it confirms this, I don't remember reading this originally from there. It was another article from another website which I can't seem to find.

[Truth-Finder]

Originally Posted by Vasconcelos

Interesting article.

I thought this had already been established, though? It has long been believed that the Lusitanians sacrificed the body parts of prisoners, such as a hand to the god of war, Cariocecus.

But also, the Lusitanians believed that by stabbing prisoners in the stomach and observing how they fell, they could make predictions about warfare. I had read not too long ago, although it may not have been intentional, that it is believed that many of these prisoners eventually died from their wounds or of infection.

European prehistoric sacrifices are an old-establshed fact as you said; just remember the Ofnet messolithic head burials; or in more recent times during late bronze or iron age widow been sacrified and buried with husband after the husband's dead (this practrice usually associated to bearers of IE culture)

[Savage]

Originally Posted by searcher of truth

European prehistoric sacrifices are an old-establshed fact as you said; just remember the Ofnet messolithic head burials; or in more recent times during late bronze or iron age widow been sacrified and buried with husband after the husband's dead (this practrice usually associated to bearers of IE culture)

The old Swedish saga kings used to be eager on human sacrifices

They even had a king that sacrificed 14 of his sons to Odin, in order to gain high age himself....

Those Swedes, those Swedes...


Anyway, it the terrestial Odin was an immigrant, we can blame the immigrants for that as well...



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[Truth-Finder]

Originally Posted by Savage

Anyway, it the terrestial Odin was an immigrant, we can blame the immigrants for that as well...



.

Well Odin sacrified even one of his eyes to get the runemal power didn't he?
I prefear the good ol' Thor

[Savage]

Originally Posted by searcher of truth

Well Odin sacrified even one of his eyes to get the runemal power didn't he?
I prefear the good ol' Thor

The "eye" is an old terminology for the ass. It may suggest that Odin by being the receptive part of analsex got loosened his kundalini powers to reach the knowledge of the runes.

Odin was also known for doing "seid", a magical tradition,that " were not considered manly", and were sometimes suspected to imply sexual interaction between men. As in Sparta. Bisexuality has wide traditions among warriors. Also among the Templars, " Two men on one horse" internal secrets. One of them, Richard Lionhearth was rumored to have been a notorious homosexual, as many other great warriors.

In that context, I prefer Asthor.


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[Menydh]

The Goths were particularly feared for sacrificing their prisoners of war to the one-handed god Tyz (Norse Tyr, W.Germanic Tiwaz).

Originally Posted by Savage

The "eye" is an old terminology for the ass. It may suggest that Odin by being the receptive part of analsex got loosened his kundalini powers to reach the knowledge of the runes.

Odin was also known for doing "seid", a magical tradition,that " were not considered manly", and were sometimes suspected to imply sexual interaction between men. As in Sparta. Bisexuality has wide traditions among warriors. Also among the Templars, " Two men on one horse" internal secrets. One of them, Richard Lionhearth was rumored to have been a notorious homosexual, as many other great warriors.

Much of this is well-known twisted interpretations made up to promote or/and to excuse homosexuality.

[Truth-Finder]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

The Goths were particularly feared for sacrificing their prisoners of war to the one-handed god Tyz (Norse Tyr, W.Germanic Tiwaz).

Yes I like Tyr / Tiwaz ; the other gods of the Asgard (Thor excepting) look too much concentrated on themselves and the goddesses not far from Paris Hilton (J/K)

BTW Kelts are were said to make big human-shaped cages where they enclosed prisoners and burnt them alive

[Heretik]

I've heard of some human sacrifice in pre Indo-europaean cultures and religions almost a year or two ago. It was in some local newspapers. If I dig that article up I'll translate it.

[wilpuri]

The Estonians are also known to have sacrificed their Christian invaders in medieval times

Human Sacrifice in Estonian Pre-Christian Religion

Tõnno Jonuks

Researchers of Estonian prehistoric religion have only briefly concerned the topic of human sacrifice. According to Aliis Moora, mostly the enemy and war prisoners were sacrificed, the main reason indicated in the Livonian Chronicle by Henrici as alleviating crop failure. Archaeological finds confirm human sacrifice only in the case of a couple of graves.


In addition to the Henrici Chronicon Livoniae, the middle-age chronicle by Adam of Bremen Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificium is considered. Adam knows of human sacrifice in all countries east of the Baltic Sea while the Livonian Chronicle describes the cruel sacrifice of a preast in chapters I: 10 and XXVI: 7.


In times of peace, sacrifice was mainly to benefit crops while in times of war gratitude sacrifices were made after a successful battle. Sacrifying was performed by the heads of family or, in the case of bigger sacrifices, the heads of the parish or county.


Human sacrifice was definitely a collective event and an important role was probably played by the wise men who had to read omens to determine who to sacrifice.

MTagused 19 - Summary

[Laocoon]

I see nothing concluant in this article, mere interpretation rather.

Celts had sacrifices -POWS, criminals (Lindow man seems to have been a high rank guy, though) . I've heard of sacrificial shows such as the wicker mannequin.

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They are also said to have built funeral monuments where they exposed bones of killed warriors (Ribemont-sur-Ancre, France). See image below (try of reconstruction).





Very interesting people.

[Milesian]

Ancient Irish tales made reference to the "triplefold killing", which I think was death by stabbing, strangulation and drowning. Mummies discovered in Britain seem to show what may be evidence of just such ritualised killings.
Medieval Irish texts also relate that the Irish sacrificed their first born to Crom Cruach upon Magh Slacht (the Plain of Desolation) before St Patrick cursed and sunk the idol. Certain groups have painted this as fanciful writings by biased Christian sources, but the former evidence of ritual killings on the remains of peat mummies seems to back up these claims.

[Ferran]

It's undoubtable that we might have had human sacrifices here, just as any of the cultures of the past of which we have knowledge. But also, as this subject is pretty related to religion, it would be worth to mention that these kind of practices ended just with the arrival of Christianity, and I say it's important because coincidentially, it's now with the collapse/downfall of this religion that we are returning to practice it, although this time not as an offering to our Pagan gods, but in name of the "human rights" and for more stupid reasons that the most senseless of the ancient sacrifices.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

The Goths were particularly feared for sacrificing their prisoners of war to the one-handed god Tyz (Norse Tyr, W.Germanic Tiwaz).

Much of this is well-known twisted interpretations made up to promote or/and to excuse homosexuality.

These are esoteric secrets, of much older age than the modern gays-liberation movement.

The saga, and specially the theonic sagas, all speak in code, so what may be certain, is that an "eye" means more than an "eye".

What is twisted, is to read the codes literary, and considering this surface to be what is communicated.

And as an Asiat, Odin would have known the oriental tradition on kundalini, or the forerunner of what we call kundalini, and the loosening of the kundalini power occures from the rootchackra, that are situated in the middlemeat between the gentials and the analopening.

Bifrost, the rainbowbridge between heaven and earth, is the Norse equivalent of kundalini rising, or " the rising snake... "

Esoterical secrets are esoterical secrets, no matter if the practice of them are condemned by the society. Like it or not.

I do not say that it nescessarily have been that way, but the sagas definitively opens for such interprentions, this is wellknown among Nordic experts on the topic.


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[Milesian]

And as an Asiat, Odin would have known the oriental tradition on kundalini, or the forerunner of what we call kundalini, and the loosening of the kundalini power occures from the