NationStates Jolt Archive

So, we're doing a how to/process paper in my English class, and for the hell of it, I decided to do one on "How to Make a Sacrificial Offering to the Gods", which, as it turns out, my professor will let me submit as a research paper, too.

The problem is that I can't find the actual,detailed steps of any rituals (preferably Celtic or Aztec) so far online (library near me sucks and the one I love is a bit of a drive, which I don't have time for, nor always the transportation). The Aztecs would be interesting because it's known that they practiced human sacrifices, which was also done a very, very long time ago with the Celts, but stopped. Most people think that Druids practiced it, which from what I know, is untrue--They used animals and plants. So, do I go for the more exciting route, or do I go for the lesser discussed rituals of the Celts (most likely the Druids, specifically)?

Thoughts?

The presumption that the ancient Druidic Celts made sacrifices is actually a myth.

I'll tell you who did make many sacrifices: the Ancient Romans.

I'll give you an example. Before a battle the commander would sacrifice an animal to the Gods (usually Mars). After the sacrifice a Diviner would examine the internal organs of the slain animal. By looking at the organs (checking for growths, cancers, etc.), he can decipher omens. Some commanders of the day would either attack or retreat based upon the omens gathered from the guts of a goat.

Then again, some rather fickle commanders might ask for another sacrifice, and see if the omens were different the second time around. If that didn't work, they'd do another...and another...and another, until "favorable" omens were deciphered.

I guess after so many sacrifices Mars would've gotten bored.

"Gah...Fine, you have good omens! Now stop bugging me!"

The presumption that the ancient Druidic Celts made sacrifices is actually a myth.

I'll tell you who did make many sacrifices: the Ancient Romans.

I'll give you an example. Before a battle the commander would sacrifice an animal to the Gods (usually Mars). After the sacrifice a Diviner would examine the internal organs of the slain animal. By looking at the organs (checking for growths, cancers, etc.), he can decipher omens. Some commanders of the day would either attack or retreat based upon the omens gathered from the guts of a goat.

Then again, some rather fickle commanders might ask for another sacrifice, and see if the omens were different the second time around. If that didn't work, they'd do another...and another...and another, until "favorable" omens were deciphered.

I guess after so many sacrifices Mars would've gotten bored.

"Gah...Fine, you have good omens! Now stop bugging me!"
Oh, I know about the Druids doing human sacrifices is a myth, but I'm fairly certain they did animal sacrifices, and, if not that, then plant ones.

I really hadn't given much thought to the Romans, not sure why..But I'll keep 'em in mind.

I've heard of that divination form, but also that it's been used on humans in some areas of the world. Of course, there's always tea leaves if you're queasy.

Oh, I know about the Druids doing human sacrifices is a myth, but I'm fairly certain they did animal sacrifices, and, if not that, then plant ones.

I really hadn't given much thought to the Romans, not sure why..But I'll keep 'em in mind.

I've heard of that divination form, but also that it's been used on humans in some areas of the world. Of course, there's always tea leaves if you're queasy.

And, if you wanna know who started that myth, I'll tell you: the Romans!

Julius Caesar led the first expeditions to Britain, and well...he filed some bad paperwork on the natives.

I know of two incidences of Druids 'sacrificing' humans - however, they were both 'noblity', and willing sacrifices. Princes of a sort, I think. Oh, and there was the Lindow Man, but nobody honestly knows about him. All this before the Romans invaded the isles, quite a long time ago. And yes, they were most certainly practitioners of animal sacrifice. Sheep, horses, fowl, hogs, all for specific purposes at specific times. And sacrificing the first of the harvest was also traditional.

I think I have something stored in my files on it; I'll dig it up for you if I can.

And, if you wanna know who started that myth, I'll tell you: the Romans!

Julius Caesar led the first expeditions to Britain, and well...he filed some bad paperwork on the natives.

I know. I think he was just mad they didn't like him.

And I've heard of one sacrifice, the Lindow Man, who was willing. Dunno who the other'd be.

On the History Channel, it said Druids built big wooden people, put real people inside, and lit them on fire.

there were three priests for the aztecs 2 stretched the victim over the stone altar while a third cuts out said victims heart with an obsidian knife then they roll the body down the stairs and at the bottom the warrior who captured said victim eats some of the body parts (yes they practiced cannibalism) and they take the heart to a stone statue of a god (can't remember or spell his name) who is depicted laying down holding a bowl then you put the heart in the bowl and burn it because they believe there sun god huitzilopachtli(lame attempt at spelling) needs blood offerings or he'll get pissed

Why not do the Israelites animal sacrifices to God?

Details are in the Old Testament, easy to come by...

What about the Israelites? Heck, I never pass up an opportunity to try to palm off the Bible as a historical source.

Well, not just 'cause the Sun God would get pissed, but apparently because he was fighting all the time, and the blood went to replace what he lost.

The sacrifices to the goddess of earth involves a rite where the victim was flayed and the priest dressed in his skin (http://death.monstrous.com/sacrifices.htm)

Well, not just 'cause the Sun God would get pissed, but apparently because he was fighting all the time, and the blood went to replace what he lost.

hey I just remembered that from a book I read a couple of years ago

Well, not just 'cause the Sun God would get pissed, but apparently because he was fighting all the time, and the blood went to replace what he lost.So they're like the Red Cross of the Gods?

The sacrifices to the goddess of earth involves a rite where the victim was flayed and the priest dressed in his skin (http://death.monstrous.com/sacrifices.htm)

...Oooooooooowww. :(

The sacrifices to the goddess of earth involves a rite where the victim was flayed and the priest dressed in his skin (http://death.monstrous.com/sacrifices.htm)

I'd be that priest. *nods*

I need to know how the sacrifices were prepared, details of the ritual itself, etc, which is why I'm having trouble.

Someone mentioned Druids shoving people into wicker boxes and burning them..That's not true. That, from what I remember, was another religion, and it is theorized that the Druids might have watched, but there's no hard proof of such.

So they're like the Red Cross of the Gods?

Well, sorta. If he ran outta blood, he'd die, and thus, no sun. Which could happen every 50 years, they believed. So they kinda had to. Also, he was a mean bastard if I remember right. You didn't want to piss him off, regardless.

Try this: Golden Bough (http://www.bartleby.com/196/)

I'm a surrealist artist. I say that so you won't think I looked all this up for some scary reason. It's my work.

Possible human sacrifice topics for googling:

AZTEC -- In festivals for the vegetation fertility god, Xipe Totec, prisoners of war would be forced to defend themselves with mock weapons against fully armed warriors. When they were dead, they would flayed from head to toe, and priests would wear the skins over their own for the entire festival month, after which, the skins were stored in a special temple. Human sacrifices to this god were also killed with arrows; multiple blood flows symbolized rain. I just happen to have this one in front of me -- in a book, I mean.

Huitzilopochtli was the Aztec sun and war god -- he got the ripped-out hearts of many, many victims, mostly prisoners of war, but occasionally more important people. The sacrificing priest would often toss the bloody heart into the air, towards the sun.

Other modes of sacrifice included beheading and strangulation, animal sacrifice, and non-lethal blood sacrifice in which worshippers would cut themselves to give their blood to the gods.

CELTS -- The Roman accounts may not have been just gossip in re the European Celts. About 2 years ago, I read an article in Archeology Review about a site -- I can't find the issue and I'm not sure if the site was in France or southern Germany; I think Germany -- but in those days they were all the Celtic culture group. Anyway, the site was a kind of fort-style, raised-platform temple entirely constructed from human bones -- pallisades, walls, benches, altars, all bones, plus evidence that the top of the platform, where activities would have gone on, was decorated(?) with corpses in armor, stood up on stakes, headless. The heads were used elsewhere. The archeologists are still working on this site, but they suggested these may have been enemies killed in battle, possibly a site for sacrificing or executing enemies. The armor on the corpses was Roman.

NORTHERN EUROPE -- Don't forget the bog people!! I believe these are scattered around Scandanavia. There are British bog people, too, but these were likely accidental deaths. Some Scandanavian bog mummies, several 1000 years old, have been found clearly deliberately strangled before going into the bogs (the ropes are still around their necks). This was a common method of sacrifice. Many cultures use it to sacrifice large animals.

CENTRAL EUROPE -- There is some evidence that the Slavs sacrificed humans via live burial of volunteers to honor the earth goddess, but I haven't found satisfactory evidence of this yet.

ROME -- Human sacrifice via sword was once part of the all-day entertainments at the Colloseum, but I don't know which god was being honored, or how long before this was replaced by execution of criminals. Used to be, they'd get both as part of the show leading up to the gladiators. Family fun -- yikes.

Anyway, that's all I can get off the top of my head.

Good luck! And sweet dreams! :D

PS: Makes you kind of glad that sort of thing is out of fashion, doesn't it? Think of the smell -- blyechch!!! :(

Some of the Japanese villages on the ocean sort of practiced human sacrifice, if that helps. When sea walls or other protective measures were built a woman, usually the daughter of a local lord, would be strangled and entombed within the wall. The idea was that, 1. her sacrifice would mean that her pure spirt could ask the kami of the seas to be nice, and two, her hair would hold the wall together as a woman's hair was thought to be stronger than men's.

In my rough justice history class today, we discussed ameriddian torture, specifically the Iroquois torture of Huronian worriors. (Both cultures performed similar tortures) Basically the warrior would have his nails removed and would be prodded with burning sticks. Often they would insert these sticks into the main nerves and vains of the subject and rotate them, for maximum discomfort. This would be perfomed at night and at sunrise they'd kill the warrior and eat his heart to consume his strength.

For the OP, I have no answers outside of Caesar. And he writes well, but makes shit up.

Why not do the Israelites animal sacrifices to God?While, like with every mythology, there is the rare nutcase who does (like I'm sure, no example, that there's the rare nutcase who will kill all prepubescents in a town if anyone makes fun of a bald man [See Kings]), it's largely ignored because the "red" cow is extinct. Pretty much, looking for an opportunity to shrug off responsibility, just like everyone else.

There are a few who are genetically engineering a red cow, as there are a few who believe that bringing back the red cow will cause the apocalypse (http://www.jewfaq.org/glossary.htm). These groups aren't entirely independant.