Cannibalism in Europe

thumb|upright=1.25|Cannibalism in Lithuania in 1571, during the Livonian War Acts of cannibalism in Europe seem to have been relatively prevalent in prehistory but also occurred repeatedly in later times, often motivated by hunger, hatred, or medical concerns. Quotes Antiquity in oppida compulsi ac simili inopia subacti eorum corporibus qui aetate ad bellum inutiles videbantur vitam toleraverunt neque se hostibus tradiderunt. They shut themselves into the towns, and under stress of a like scarcity sustained life on the bodies of those whose age showed them useless for war, and delivered not themselves to the enemy. Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico, bk. 7, ch. 77 (tr. H. J. Edwards, 1917) Middle Ages Such suffering from hunger grew up around these cities that the Christians, in the face of the scarcity about which you have heard, did not fear to eat – wicked to say, much less to do – the bodies, cooked in fire, not only of the Saracens or Turks they had killed, but also of the dogs that they had caught. Chronicler Albert of Aachen about cannibalism during the First Crusade at the Siege of Ma'arra (1098). Cited in Jay Rubenstein, "Cannibals and Crusaders", French Historical Studies, vol. 31, no. 4 (2008), p.535 About Perth, there was a countrie Sae waste, that wonder wes to see; For intill well-great space thereby, Wes nother house left, nor herb'ry. Of deer there was then sic foison That they wold near come to the town. Sae great default was near that stead That many were in hunger dead. A carle they said was near ther by, That wold set settis commonly, Children and women for to slay, And swains that he might over-ta: And ate them all that he get might: Chrysten Cleek till name be hight. That sa'ry life continued he, While waste but folk was the countrie. Andrew of Wyntoun describing events about the year 1339, when a large part of Scotland had been desolated by the armies of Edward III of England Cited in Charles W. Darling, Anthropophagy (Utica, NY: T.J. Griffiths, 1886), p.18 18th century A collective insanity seemed to have seized the nation and turned them into something worse than beasts. The princess de Lamballe, Marie Antoinette's intimate friend, was literally torn to pieces; her head, breasts, and pudenda were paraded on pikes before the windows of the Temple, where the royal family was imprisoned, while a man boasted drunkenly at a cafe that he had eaten the princess' heart, which he probably had. Historian J. Christopher Herold about the September Massacres that occurred in Paris in 1792 during the French Revolution. The Age of Napoleon (1963), ch.1 19th century During the winter of 1849 the wolves were supposed to have been particularly ravenous, for thus alone did people account for the mysterious disappearances of children.* * *In May, 1849, the innkeeper of Polomyja missed a couple of ducks, and his suspicions fell upon the beggar who lived there, and whom he held in no esteem, as he himself was a hard-working industrious man, whilst Swiatek maintained himself, his wife and children by mendicity, although possessed of sufficient arable land to yield an excellent crop of maize, and produce vegetables, if tilled with ordinary care.As the publican approached the cottage, a fragrant whiff of roast greeted his nostrils.“I’ll catch the fellow in the act,” said the innkeeper to himself, stealing up to the door, and taking good care not to be observed.As he threw open the door, he saw the mendicant hurriedly shuffle something under his feet, and conceal it beneath his long clothes. The publican was on him in an instant, had him by the throat, charged him with theft, and dragged him from his seat. Judge of his sickening horror when from beneath the pauper’s clothes rolled forth the head of a girl about the age of fourteen or fifteen years, carefully separated from the trunk.In a short while the neighbours came up. The venerable Swiatek was locked up, along with his wife, his daughter—a girl of sixteen—and a son, aged five.The hut was thoroughly examined, and the mutilated remains of the poor girl discovered. In a vat were found the legs and thighs, partly fresh, partly stewed or roasted. In a chest were the heart, liver, and entrails, all prepared and cleaned, as neatly as though done by a skilful butcher; and, finally, under the oven was a bowl full of fresh blood. On his way to the magistrate of the district, the wretched man flung himself repeatedly on the ground, struggled with his guards, and endeavoured to suffocate himself by gulping down clods of earth and stones, but was prevented by his conductors.When taken before the Protokoll at Dabkow, he stated that he had already killed and—assisted by his family—eaten six persons: his children, however, asserted most positively that the number was much greater than he had represented, and their testimony is borne out by the fact, that the remains of fourteen different caps and suits of clothes, male as well as female, were found in his house.The origin of this horrible and depraved taste was as follows, according to Swiatek’s own confession:In 1846, three years previous, a Jewish tavern in the neighbourhood had been burned down, and the host had himself perished in the flames. Swiatek, whilst examining the ruins, had found the half-roasted corpse of the publican among the charred rafters of the house. At that time the old man was craving with hunger, having been destitute of food for some time. The scent and the sight of the roasted flesh inspired him with an uncontrollable desire to taste of it. He tore off a portion of the carcass and satiated his hunger upon it, and at the same time he conceived such a liking for it, that he could feel no rest till he had tasted again. His second victim was the orphan above alluded to; since then—that is during the period of no less than three years—he had frequently subsisted in the same manner, and had actually grown sleek and fat upon his frightful meals. Cannibalism in the circle of Tornow, Western Galicia. Sabine Baring-Gould, "Cannibalism in Galicia", Once a Week, ser. 1, vol. 4 (1860–61), pp. 324–26. See also: Werewolves Excavations in the Chancelade quarries, where it will be remembered a landslip occurred last October burying a number of workmen, have been earned on ever since for the purpose of unearthing the bodies. For many days after the slip was believed to have been smothered, the workers smoke was seen to issue from the ruins. Soldiers and quarrymen, directed by a party of engineers, worked day and night in hopes of taking the men out alive. Ever since the work has proceeded, but of late the endeavors were not so vigorously plied. The diggers have now reached the actual spot where the men were engaged at the time of the accident, and on penetrating into a gallery cut in the stone the explorers discovered the body of a young man lying on the ground. Photographs taken of the position show that a dreadful state of affairs must have come about when the men uncrushed found themselves entombed. It appears undoubted that some of the men tried to prolong their lives by killing and eating their companions in misfortune. A few solitary arms and limbs have been picked up in their prison, and everything points to the fact that cannibalism was resorted to. The young man whose body was unmutilated seems to have survived the others, and to have died of hunger. Cannibalism by entombed miners (Boulogne dispatch to the London Times). Cited in Charles W. Darling, Anthropophagy (Utica, NY: T.J. Griffiths, 1886), p.21 20th century Hunger turned some people into cannibals. This was a much more common phenomenon than historians have previously assumed. In the Bashkir region and on the steppelands around Pugachev and Buzuluk, where the famine crisis was at its worst, thousands of cases were reported. It is also clear that most of the cannibalism went unreported. One man, convicted of eating several children, confessed for example: "In our village everyone eats human flesh but they hide it. There are several cafeterias in the village – and all of them serve up young children." ... People ate their own relatives – often their young children, who were usually the first to die and whose flesh was particularly sweet... Hunting and killing people for their flesh was also a common phenomenon. In the town of Pugachev it was dangerous for children to go out after dark since there were known to be bands of cannibals and traders who killed them to eat or sell their tender flesh. Historian Orlando Figes about the Russian famine of 1921–1922. A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891–1924 (London: Pimlico, 1997), pp. 777–778 It was like good, fully developed veal, not young, but not yet beef. It was very definitely like that, and it was not like any other meat I had ever tasted. It was so nearly like good, fully developed veal that I think no person with a palate of ordinary, normal sensitiveness could distinguish it from veal. It was mild, good meat with no other sharply defined or highly characteristic taste such as for instance, goat, high game, and pork have. The [rump] steak was slightly tougher than prime veal, a little stringy, but not too tough or stringy to be agreeably edible. The [loin] roast, from which I cut and ate a central slice, was tender, and in color, texture, smell as well as taste, strengthened my certainty that of all the meats we habitually know, veal is the one meat to which this meat is accurately comparable. New York Times reporter William Seabrook after eating human flesh out of curiosity. Jungle Ways (London: George G. Harrap, 1931), pp. 172–173 My passion is so great. I want to eat her. If I do she will be mine forever. There is no escape from this desire. Issei Sagawa, In the Fog (1983) Due to a lack of cooperation between the French and Japanese authorities, Sagawa escaped punishment for murdering and eating a young Dutch woman in Paris in 1981. Cited in Pia D. Harritz, "Consuming the Female Body: Pinku Eiga and the Case of Sagawa Issei" (Mediavidenskab, 2005, archived) See also Cannibalism Cannibalism in Africa Cannibalism in Asia Cannibalism in literature Cannibalism in Oceania Cannibalism in the Americas External links Category:Cannibalism Category:Europe