Homicide
Murder
Assassination Child murder Consensual homicide Contract killing Felony murder Honour killing Lust murder Lynching Mass murder Murder-suicide Proxy murder Ritual murder Serial killer Spree killer Torture murder
Manslaughter
in English law Negligent homicide Vehicular homicide
Non-criminal homicide
Justifiable homicide Capital punishment
Other types of homicide
Avunculicide Democide Familicide Femicide Filicide Fratricide Gendercide Genocide Infanticide Mariticide Matricide Neonaticide Parricide Patricide Regicide Sororicide Suicide Tyrannicide Uxoricide Vivicide
"Homicide" status disputed
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Human sacrifice is the act of homicide (the killing of one or several human beings) in the context of a religious ritual (ritual killing). For the Christian Saint please see Acts of Xanthippe Polyxena and Rebecca Polyxena (pəˈlɪksɪnə was known to be a beautiful In Greek mythology, Neoptolemus (also Neoptólemos or Pyrrhus; Greek Νεοπτόλημος "New War" was the son of the warrior Achilles "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. Note for practices of systematically killing very young children see Infanticide. Consensual homicide, also called assisted suicide, refers to a killing in which the victim wants to die Contract killing occurs when a private contractor or a government hires someone to kill a specific person or people for a sum of money An honor killing or honour killing is generally the Murder of a family or clan member most often females when they (and maybe the wider community believe A lust murder is a Homicide in which the offender searches for erotic satisfaction by killing someone Lynching is an Extrajudicial punishment meted out by a mob Lynching an enumerated Felony in some states in the United States, is defined by some This article deals with mass killings that are not considered Genocide. A murder-suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons immediately before or at the same time as killing him or herself A proxy murder is a Murder in which the murderer does so at the behest of another acting as his or her proxy Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing A serial killer is a person who Murders usually three or more people with a "cooling off" period between each murder and whose motivation for killing is largely based A spree killer, also known as a rampage killer, is someone who embarks on a Murderous assault on his victims in a short time in multiple locations Torture murder is a loosely defined term to describe the process used by Murderers who kill their victims by slowly torturing them Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being in a manner considered by law as less culpable than Murder. For a discussion of the law in other countries see Manslaughter In the English law of Homicide, manslaughter is a less serious Negligent homicide is a charge brought against people who by inaction allow others under their care or presence intentionally to die Vehicular Homicide ( or sometimes known as Vehicular Manslaughter) in most states in the United States is a crime The United States' concept of justifiable homicide in Criminal law stands on the dividing line between an Excuse, justification and an Exculpation Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Avunculicide is the act of killing an Uncle. The term is derived from the Latin words avunculus meaning "maternal uncle" and caedere Definition According to Rummel Genocide has three different meanings A familicide is a type of Murder or Murder-suicide in which at least one spouse and one or more children are killed Gendercide is a Neologism that refers to the systematic killing of members of a specific Sex, either Males or Females The term is intended to Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing his or her own son or daughter Fratricide (from the Latin word frater, meaning "brother" and cide meaning to kill is the act of a person Killing his or her Gendercide is a Neologism that refers to the systematic killing of members of a specific Sex, either Males or Females The term is intended to Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group Infanticide is the practice of someone intentionally causing the death of an Infant. Mariticide (from Latin maritus "married" + -cide, from caedere "to cut to kill" literally means the murder of one's married Matricide is the act of Killing one's Mother. As for any type of killing motives can vary a great deal Neonaticide is the killing of a newborn within the first 24 hours of life Parricide ( Latin "parricida" killer of a close relative stemming from ( Latin "parri" alike or equal and "-cida" -cide or killer Patricide is (i the act of killing one's father or (ii a person who kills his or her father The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it Sororicide (from Latin soror "sister" + -cide, from caedere "to cut to kill" is the act of killing one's own sister Tyrannicide literally means the killing of a Tyrant. Typically the term is taken to mean the killing or Assassination of tyrants for the common good Uxoricide (from Latin uxor meaning "wife" is murder of one's wife An For the American death metal band see Deicide (band Deicide is the killing of a god either the God of a monotheistic religion Feticide or foeticide is an act that causes the death of a fetus List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another To kill, killing or to have killed means to cause the Death of a Living Organism. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals (animal sacrifice) and of religious sacrifice in general. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred" from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacr, "sacred"

Human sacrifice has been practiced in various cultures throughout history. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Victims were typically ritually killed in a manner that is supposed to please or appease gods, spirits or the deceased. A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Closely related practices found in some tribal societies are cannibalism and headhunting. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Cannibalism (from Spanish es ''caníbal'' in connection with cannibalism among the Antillean Caribs, also called anthropophagy (from Greek ἄνθρωπος Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing him or her

By the Iron Age, with the associated developments in religion (the Axial Age), human sacrifice was becoming less throughout the Old World, and came to be widely looked down upon as barbaric already in pre-modern times (Classical Antiquity). This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. German Philosopher Karl Jaspers coined the term the axial age ( Achsenzeit in the German language original to describe the period The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean Blood libel is a false charge of ritual killing against such taboos. Blood libels are sensationalized allegations that a person or group engages in Human sacrifice, often accompanied by the claim that the Blood of victims is used in

Even if not ostensibly connected with religion, infliction of capital punishment is often highly ritualised and thus difficult to distinguish from human sacrifice. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Death by burning historically has aspects of both human sacrifice (Wicker Man, Tophet) and capital punishment (Brazen bull, Tamar, tunica molesta). Execution by burning has a long history as a method of Punishment for Crimes such as Treason, Heresy and Witchcraft The Wicker Man was a large Wicker statue of a Human allegedly used by the ancient Druids for Human sacrifice by burning it in Effigy For the sacred precinct of Carthage with that name see Carthage. The brazen bull, or the Sicilian bull, is an execution/torture device designed in Ancient Greece. For the rape victim see Rape of Tamar. For the wife of Rehoboam daughter of Absalom mother of Abijah see Maachah. A tunica molesta ( Latin for "annoying shirt" was a shirt impregnated with flammable substances such as Naphtha, used to execute people by burning Execution by burning of Christian heretics was introduced by Justinian I in the 6th century. Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or Detractors of the death penalty may consider all forms of capital punishment as secularized variants of human sacrifice. The debate about Capital punishment, colloquially known as the death penalty, is highly controversial ^[1] Similarly, lynching, pogroms and genocides are sometimes interpreted as human sacrifice following Theodor W. Adorno. Lynching is an Extrajudicial punishment meted out by a mob Lynching an enumerated Felony in some states in the United States, is defined by some A pogrom is a form of Riot directed against a particular group whether ethnic religious or other and characterized by destruction of their Homes Businesses Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno ( September 11, 1903 &ndash August 6, 1969) was a German -born international sociologist ^[2]

In modern times, as even the once ubiquitous practice of animal sacrifice has virtually disappeared (or has been re-cast in terms of ritual slaughter) from all major religions, human sacrifice has become very rare indeed. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. Ritual slaughter is the practice of slaughtering livestock for meat in a Ritual manner e The world's principal Religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups or world religions'. Most religions condemn the practice and present-day secular laws treat it as murder. Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries In the context of a society which condemns human sacrifice, the term ritual murder is used.

Nonetheless it is still occasionally seen today, with reports from the 2000s from India and Sub-Saharan Africa (muti killings), but also isolated cases in the immigrant African diaspora in Europe. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries Medicine murder involves the murder of someone in order to excise body parts for incorporation as ingredients into medicine Euro-Africans or African Europeans are people with African ancestry racial cultural and social heritage born in or citizens of a European country ^[3][4]

Contents 1 Evolution and context 2 History by region 2.1 Ancient Near East 2.1.1 Ancient Egypt 2.1.2 Levant 2.1.3 Phoenicia 2.2 Europe 2.2.1 Neolithic Europe 2.2.2 Greco-Roman Antiquity 2.2.3 Celts 2.2.4 Germanic peoples 2.3 China 2.4 India 2.5 Pacific 2.6 Pre-Columbian Americas 2.6.1 Central America 2.6.2 South America 2.6.3 North America 2.7 West Africa 3 Prohibition in major religions 3.1 Judaism 3.2 Christianity 3.3 Islam 3.4 Eastern religions 3.5 Blood libel 4 Contemporary human sacrifice 4.1 India 4.2 Sub-Saharan Africa 4.3 Satanic ritual abuse 5 In literature and film 6 References 6.1 Books 6.2 Journal articles 7 Notes 8 See also 9 External links

Evolution and context

Further information: Origin of religion, Magical thinking, Anthropology of religion, Homo Necans, and The Golden Bough

Further information: Life-death-rebirth deity and Crucifixion of Jesus

The idea of human sacrifice has its roots in deep prehistory,^[5] in the evolution of human behaviour. The historical origins of religion are to be distinguished from their psychological or social origins In Anthropology, Psychology, and Cognitive science, magical thinking is nonscientific causal reasoning that often includes such ideas as the ability of The anthropology of religion involves the study of religious institutions in relation to other social institutions and the comparison of religious beliefs and practices across Cultures Homo Necans is a book on Ancient Greek religion and mythology by Walter Burkert. The Golden Bough A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of Mythology and Religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir The category life-death-rebirth deity also known as a "dying-and-rising" or "Resurrection" Deity is a convenient means of classifying the many divinities The crucifixion of Jesus is an event recorded in all four Gospels (;;) which takes place after his arrest and trial and includes his scourging Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their Mythologically, it is closely connected, or even fundamentally identical with animal sacrifice. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. Walter Burkert has argued for such a fundamental identity of animal and human sacrifice in the connection of a hunting hypothesis which traces the emergence of human religious behaviour to the beginning of behavioral modernity in the Upper Paleolithic (roughly 50,000 years ago). Walter Burkert (born Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, February 2, 1931) a scholar of Greek mythology and cult, is an emeritus In Paleoanthropology, the hunting hypothesis is the hypothesis that Human evolution was primarily influenced by the activity of Hunting, and that the activity Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa

There has been a lot of debate on the primacy of myth vs. ritual, and the presence of a myth of human sacrifice should not be taken as necessarily implying the historical existence of the actual practice: human sacrifice may be taken as the re-enactment of an older myth, or conversely a myth can be taken as a memory of an earlier practice of human sacrifice. In traditional societies myth and ritual are two central components of religious practice

Theistic rationalizations of human sacrifice may involve the idea of offering to deities as payment for favorable interventions in an event of special importance, to forestall unfavorable events, or to purchase disclosures about the physical world.

Human sacrifice has been practiced on a number of different occasions and in many different cultures. The various rationales behind human sacrifice are the same that motivate religious sacrifice in general:

• Human sacrifice is intended to bring good fortune and to pacify the gods, for example in the context of the dedication of a completed building like a temple or bridge. Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred" from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacr, "sacred" There is a Chinese legend that says there are thousands of people entombed in the Great Wall of China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th In ancient Japan legends talk about Hitobashira ("human pillar"), in which maidens were buried alive at the base or near some constructions as a prayer to ensure the buildings against disasters or enemy attacks. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. ^[6] For the re-consecration of Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in 1487, the Aztecs reported that they killed about 80,400 prisoners over the course of four days. There are some towns in Mexico which are spelled "Tenochtitlán" like San Lorenzo Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political According to Ross Hassing, author of Aztec Warfare, "between 10,000 and 80,400 persons" were sacrificed in the ceremony. ^[7]

• Human sacrifice was can also have the intention of winning the gods' favour in warfare. Warfare refers to the conduct of conflict between opponents and usually involves escalation of aggression from the proverbial "war of words" between politicians Famously, Iphigeneia was to be sacrificed by her father Agamemnon for success in the Trojan War. 112 Iphigenia is an Asteroid. Iphigeneia (Eng /ɪfədʒə'naɪə/, also Iphigenia In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (very resolute / ( ancient Greek:) is a hero, the son of King Atreus of Mycenae In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her According to the Hebrew Bible, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter after making a promise to Yahweh (Judges 11). The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic Jephthah (also spelled Jephtha; from Hebrew יפתח Yiftach / Yipthaχ is a character in the Hebrew Bible 's Book For information about Yahweh see God in Abrahamic religions, which provides useful links Book of Judges ( Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. ^[8][9]

• Another motivation for human sacrifice is burial: in some notions of an afterlife, the deceased will benefit from victims killed at his funeral. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between Mongols, Scythians, early Egyptians and various Mesoamerican chiefs could take most of their household, including servants and concubines, with them to the next world. The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status This is sometimes called a "retainer sacrifice," as the leader's retainers would be sacrificed along with their master.

• Another purpose is divination from the body parts of the victim. Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining According to Strabo, Celts stabbed a victim with a sword and divined the future from his death spasms. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts ^[10]

• Headhunting is the practice of taking the head of a killed adversary, for ceremonial or magical purposes, or for reasons of prestige. Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing him or her It was found in many pre-modern tribal societies. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use

While human sacrifice may be a ritual practiced in a stable society, and may even be conductive to enhance societal bonds (see sociology of religion), both by creating a bond unifying the sacrificing community, and in combining human sacrifice and capital punishment, by removing individuals that have a negative effect on societal stability (criminals, religious heretics, foreign slaves or prisoners of war). The sociology of religion is primarily the study of the practices Social structures historical backgrounds development, universal themes and BOND (Building Object Network Databases started development in late 2000 as a Rapid application development tool for the GNOME Desktop by Treshna Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. But outside of civil religion, human sacrifice may also result in outbursts of "blood frenzy" and mass killings that destabilize society. The intended meaning of the term civil religion often varies according to whether one is a sociologist of religion or a professional political commentator This article deals with mass killings that are not considered Genocide. Thus, the Thuggee cult that plagued India was devoted to Kali, the goddess of death and destruction. Thuggee (or tuggee, ठग्गी) (from Hindi thag ‘thief’ from Sanskrit sthaga ‘scoundrel’ from sthagati India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Kali redirects here See Kali (disambiguation for other uses Not to be confused with Kali (demon, the personification of Kali Yuga According to the Guinness Book of Records the Thuggee cult was responsible for approximately two million deaths. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U The bursts of capital punishment during European witch-hunts, or during the French Revolutionary Reign of Terror show similar sociological patterns (see also moral panic). The period of Witch trials in Early Modern Europe came in waves and then subsided Saint justjpg|thumbnail|200px| Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just]] The Reign of Terror' (5 September 1793 &ndash 28 July 1794 or simply The Terror (la Terreur was A moral panic can be defined as "the intensity of feeling expressed by a large number of people about a specific group of people who appear to threaten the social order at a given

Many cultures show traces of prehistoric human sacrifice in their mythologies, but have ceased to practice them before the onset of historical records. The story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22) is an example of a myth explaining the abolition of human sacrifice. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq Similarly, the Vedic Purushamedha, literally "human sacrifice", is already a purely symbolic act in its earliest attestation. Purushamedha (literally translated " Human sacrifice " is a Vedic Yajna (ritual described in the Yajurveda (VS 30&ndash31 According to Pliny the Elder, human sacrifice in Ancient Rome was abolished by a senatorial decree in 97 BC, although by this time the practice had already become so rare that the decree was mostly a symbolic act. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Year 97 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Consuls Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Human sacrifice once abolished is typically replaced by either animal sacrifice, or by the "mock-sacrifice" of effigies, such as the argei dolls in ancient Rome. An effigy is a representation of a person especially in the form of Sculpture. Before even the beginning of the Argei festival the puppets were placed in the "sacra Argeorum" or the twenty four chapels around the Servian regions of Ancient

History by region

Ancient Near East

Further information: Religions of the Ancient Near East

Ancient Egypt

There may be evidence of retainer sacrifice in the early dynastic period at Abydos, when on the death of a King he would be accompanied with servants, and possibly high officials, who would continue to serve him in eternal life. The Religions of the Ancient Near East were mostly Polytheistic, with some early examples of emerging Henotheism ( Atenism, early Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing Abydos ( Egyptian Abdju, 3bdw, Arabic: أبيدوس Greek Αβυδος one of the most ancient cities of The skeletons found show no obvious signs of trauma, leading to speculation that the giving up of life to serve the King may have been a voluntary act, possibly carried out in a drug induced state. At about 2800BC any possible evidence of such practices disappears, though echoes are perhaps to be seen in the burial of statues of servants in Old Kingdom tombs. The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BCE when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement ^[11][12]

Levant

Further information: binding of Isaac

References in the Hebrew Bible point to an awareness of human sacrifice in the history of ancient near-eastern practice. The Binding of Isaac, in Genesis, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic During a battle with the Israelites the king of Moab gives his firstborn son and heir as a whole burnt offering (olah, as used of the Temple sacrifice). ^[13] (2 Kings 3:27).

In Genesis 22 there is a story about the binding of Isaac. The Binding of Isaac, in Genesis, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah In this story, God tests Abraham by asking him to present his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq Moriah ( Hebrew: מוריה Mōriyyā = "ordained/considered by YHWH " is the name given to a mountain range by the book of Genesis No reason is given within the text. Abraham agrees to this command without arguing. According to the text, God does not want Abraham to actually sacrifice his son; it states from the beginning that this is only a test of obedience. The story ends with an angel stopping Abraham at the last minute and making Isaac's sacrifice unnecessary by providing a ram, caught in some nearby bushes, to be sacrificed instead. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition Many Bible scholars have suggested this story's origin was a remembrance of an era when human sacrifice was abolished in favor of animal sacrifice. ^[14][15]

Another instance of human sacrifice mentioned in the Bible is the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter in Judges chapter 11. Jephthah (also spelled Jephtha; from Hebrew יפתח Yiftach / Yipthaχ is a character in the Hebrew Bible 's Book Jephthah vows to sacrifice to God whatsoever comes to greet him at the door when he returns home if he is victorious. The vow is stated in Judges 11:31 as "Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. " When he returns from battle, his virgin daughter runs out to greet him. That he actually does sacrifice her is shown in verse 11:39, "And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed". This example seems to be the exception rather than the rule, however, as the verse continues "And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite custom that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. " The lamentations that were offered annually in remembrance of this act frame it as the atrocity it was, and accentuate the grievousness of such a rash action. According to commentators of the rabbinic Jewish tradition this was a gross violation of God's law, and this part of the Bible illustrates the terrible tragedy of human sacrifice. Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense can mean the entire spectrum of Rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history However most scholars believe the passage suggests the sacrifice was accepted by God. ^[16] Others point out the complete lack of censure by God of Jephthah and the sacrifice of his daughter in the biblical account. ^[17]

Phoenicia

According to Roman and Greek sources, Phoenicians and Carthaginians sacrificed infants to their gods. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers The bones of numerous infants have been found in Carthaginian archaeological sites in modern times but the subject of child sacrifice is controversial. See also Religious abuse, and Infanticide Child sacrifice is the Ritualistic Killing of Children in ^[18]

Plutarch (ca. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c 46–120 AD) mentions the practice, as do Tertullian, Orosius, Diodorus Siculus and Philo. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca Paulus Orosius (b circa 375 d 418? was a Christian Historian, theologian and disciple of St Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) known also as Philo of Alexandria (gr Φίλων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria Livy and Polybius do not. Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome Polybius (ca 203 &ndash 120 BC, Greek) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his book called The Histories The Hebrew Bible asserts that children were at a place called the Tophet ("roasting place") to the god Moloch. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic For the sacred precinct of Carthage with that name see Carthage. Moloch, Molech, Molekh, or Molek, representing Hebrew מלך mlk, (translated directly into king is either the name of a According to Diodorus Siculus' account of the Carthagians^[19]:

“

There was in their city a bronze image of Cronus extending its hands, palms up and sloping toward the ground, so that each of the children when placed thereon rolled down and fell into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire. Bibliotheca historica ("Historical Library" is a work of Universal history by Diodorus Siculus. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers

”

Plutarch, however claims that the children were already dead at the time, having been killed by their parents, whose consent - as well as those of the children - was required; Tertullian explains the acquiescence of the children as a product of their youthful trustfulness^[19].

The accuracy of such stories is disputed by some modern historians and archaeologists. ^[20]

Europe

Neolithic Europe

Further information: Neolithic religion

There is archaeological evidence of human sacrifice in Neolithic to Eneolithic Europe. Prehistoric religion is a general term for the religious beliefs and practices of prehistoric peoples Neolithic Europe is the time between roughly from 7000 BC (the approximate time of the first farming societies in Greece) to ca The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos ' Copper stone' period or Copper Age period known as the '''Eneolithic''' ('''Æneolithic''' is a Retainer sacrifices seem to have been common in early Indo-European religion. The existence of similarities among the deities and religious practices of the Indo-European (IE peoples allows glimpses of a common Proto-Indo-European For example, the Luhansk sacrificial site shows evidence of human sacrifice in the Yamna culture. Mergeleva Ridge (Мергелева гряда is the site of an Eneolithic temple and burial complex consisting primarily of four large stone mounds or Kurgans situated The Yamna (from Russian / Ukrainian яма "pit" also known as Pit Grave or Ochre Grave culture) is a late copper age /early

Greco-Roman Antiquity

Further information: Ancient Greek religion and Ancient Roman religion

Other than three possible sites in Crete, dated to the pre-Hellenic Minoan civilisation, and allusions to the practice in classical mythology, archaeologists have been unable to find any evidence that Ancient Greeks practiced human sacrifice. Greek religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in Ancient Greece in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. Ancient Roman religion encompasses the collection of Beliefs and Rituals practised in Ancient Rome in the form of Cult practices The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The deus ex machina salvation in some versions of Iphigeneia (who was about to be sacrificed by her father Agamemnon) and her replacement with a deer by the goddess Artemis, may be a vestigial memory of the abandonment and discrediting of the practice of human sacrifice among the Greeks in favor of animal sacrifice. A deus ex machina ( lat. ˈdeːus eks ˈmaːkʰina literally "god from a/the machine" is an improbable 112 Iphigenia is an Asteroid. Iphigeneia (Eng /ɪfədʒə'naɪə/, also Iphigenia In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (very resolute / ( ancient Greek:) is a hero, the son of King Atreus of Mycenae In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister Many scholars have suggested a possible analogy with the story of Isaac's attempted sacrifice by his father Abraham in the Bible, which was also stopped at the last minute (though it had first been encouraged) by divine intervention. According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

Early Romans practiced various forms of human sacrifice in their first centuries; from Etruscans (or, according to other sources, Sabellians), they adopted the original form of gladiatorial combat where the victim was slain in a ritual battle. Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy Sabellians is a collective Ethnonym for a group of Italic peoples or tribes inhabiting central Italy at the time of the rise of Rome. Gladiators (gladiatores "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword" from la ''gladius'' "sword" were professional fighters in Ancient Rome who fought During the early republic, criminals who had broken their oaths or defrauded others were sometimes "given to the gods" (that is, executed as a human sacrifice). The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the The Rex Nemorensis was an escaped slave who became priest of the goddess Diana at Nemi by killing his predecessor. The rex Nemorensis, ( Latin: "the king of Nemi " or "the king of the grove" was a sort of Sacred king who served As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, being associated with wild animals and woodland and also of the Moon. For the Norwegian comic strip see Nemi (comic strip. Nemi is a town and Comune in the Province of Prisoners of war and Vestal virgins were buried alive as offerings to Manes and Di Inferi (gods of the underworld). In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins ( sacerdos Vestalis) were the virgin Holy female Priests of Vesta, the Goddess of the In Roman mythology, the Manes were the souls of deceased loved ones Archaeologists have found sacrificial victims buried in building foundations. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Ordinarily, deceased Romans were cremated rather than buried. Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire Captured enemy leaders, after the victorious general's triumph, would be ritually strangled in front of a statue of Mars, the war god. A Roman triumph ( la [[wikttriumphus triumphus]], Old Latin la triumpus, attested as the exclamation la TRIVMPE in the Carmen Arvale; via According to Pliny the Elder, human sacrifice was abolished by a senatorial decree in 97 BC, although by this time it was so rare that the decree was wholly symbolic. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. Most of the rituals turned to animal sacrifice like taurobolium or became merely symbolic. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. In the Roman empire of the second to fourth centuries taurobolium referred to practices involving the sacrifice of a bull, which after mid-second A Roman general might bury a statue of his likeness to thank the gods for victory. Dionysius of Halicarnassus^[21]refers to a sacrifice of Argei in the Vestal ritual that might have originally included sacrifice of old men. Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Halicarnassus c 60 BC–after 7 BC was a Greek historian and teacher of Rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Vesta was the Virgin goddess of the Hearth, home and family in Roman mythology. When the Roman Empire expanded, Romans stopped human sacrifices as barbaric. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived However, other activities with a ritual origin kept being practiced for many years, and even get more massive, like the gladiatorial games and some kinds of executions.

Celts

Main article: Celts and human sacrifice

As written in Roman sources, Celtic Druids engaged extensively in human sacrifice. The Celts practised Human sacrifice on a limited scale as part of their religious Rituals Animal sacrifice was more commonplace along with ritual deposition Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies ^[22] According to Julius Caesar, the slaves and dependants of Gauls of rank would be burnt along with the body of their master as part of his funerary rites. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western ^[23] He also describes how they built wicker figures that were filled with living humans and then burned. ^[24] It is known that druids at least supervised sacrifices of some kind. According to Cassius Dio, Boudica's forces impaled Roman captives during her rebellion against the Roman occupation, to the accompaniment of revellery and sacrifices in the sacred groves of Andate. Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus ( Greek:) (c 155 or 163/164 to after 229 known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d This page refers to the conquest begun in AD 43 For other Roman invasions see Caesar's invasions of Britain and Carausian Revolt. ^[25] Some modern-day scholars question the accuracy of these accounts, as they invariably come from hostile (Roman or Greek) sources. ^[26] Different gods reportedly required different kind of sacrifices. Victims meant for Esus were hanged, those meant for Taranis immolated and those for Teutates drowned. Esus or Hesus ("lord" or "master" was a Gaulish god known from two monumental statues and a line in Lucan 's Bellum civile Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death In Celtic mythology Taranis was the god of Thunder worshipped in Gaul, Britain and Hispania and mentioned along with Esus Toutatis or Teutates was a Celtic god worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain. Drowning is Death as caused by suffocation when a liquid causes interruption of the body's absorption of oxygen from the air leading to Asphyxia. Some, like the Lindow Man, may have gone to their deaths willingly. Lindow Man, also known as Lindow II and Pete Marsh, is the name given to the naturally-preserved Bog body of an Iron Age man discovered in a

Archaeological evidence from the British Isles seems to indicate that human sacrifice may have been practiced, over times long pre-dating any contact with Rome. Human remains have been found at the foundations of structures from the Neolithic time to the Roman era, with injuries and in positions that argue for their being foundation sacrifices. Similarly, additional human remains in the tombs of aged men show signs of having been killed to be buried in the grave.

Germanic peoples

Further information: Germanic paganism and bog body

According to Norse mythology, Odin hanged himself from the world-tree Yggdrasil for nine nights to attain divine wisdom. Germanic paganism refers to the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. Bog bodies, also known as bog people, are preserved Human bodies found in sphagnum bogs in Northern Europe, Great Britain and Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ( Old Norse Yggdrasill, ˈyɡˌdrasilː the extra -l is a Nominative case marker is the World Medieval Christian sources refer to Norsemen sacrificing prisoners by hanging them from trees, but the true extent of this behavior is unclear, it is most likely that these killings were of an executional nature leaving the bodies on show as a warning to enemies, or criminals.

One account by Ahmad ibn Fadlan as part of his account of an embassy to the Volga Bulgars in 921 claims that Norse warriors were sometimes buried with enslaved women with the belief that these women would become their wives in Valhalla. Ahmad Ibn Fadlān ibn al-Abbās ibn Rašīd ibn Hammād (أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن رشيد بن حماد was a 10th century Arab Muslim A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the slain" is a majestic enormous In his description of the funeral of a Scandinavian chieftain, a slave volunteers to die with a Norseman. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well A traditional tribal chief is the leader of a Tribe, or the head of a tribal form of self-government After ten days of festivities, she is stabbed to death by an old woman, a sort of priestess who is referred to as Völva or "Angel of Death", and burnt together with the deceased in his boat. A Völva (also Vala, Spákona) is a priestess in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology. A ship burial or boat grave is a Burial in which a Ship or Boat is used either as a container for the dead and the grave goods or as a part

Adam von Bremen recorded human sacrifices to Odin in 11th century Sweden, at the Temple at Uppsala, a tradition which is confirmed by Gesta Danorum and the Norse sagas. Adam of Bremen (also Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German Medieval Chroniclers He lived and worked in the second half of the Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. The Temple at Uppsala was a religious site in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala near modern Uppsala, Sweden, that was created to worship the Norse gods Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes" is a work of Danish history by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate" The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur) are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history about early Viking voyages According to the Ynglinga saga, king Domalde was sacrificed there in the hope to bring greater future harvests and the total domination of all future wars. The Ynglinga saga was originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. In Norse mythology Domalde, Dómaldi or Dómaldr was a Swedish king of the House of Ynglings cursed by his stepmother according to The same saga also relates that Domalde's descendant king Aun sacrificed nine of his own sons to Odin in exchange for longer life, until the Swedes stopped him from sacrificing his last son, Egil. For the village in Azerbaijan see Avun; for the airport with the IATA location identifier "AUN" see Auburn Municipal Airport (California.

Heidrek in the Hervarar saga agrees to the sacrifice of his son in exchange for the command over a fourth of the men of Reidgotaland. Heidrek or Heiðrekr was one of the main characters in the cycle about the Magic sword Tyrfing. Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a Legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas Reidgotaland, Hreidgotaland or Hreiðgotaland was a land in Scandinavian sagas, which usually referred to the land of the Goths. With these, he seizes the entire kingdom and prevents the sacrifice of his son, dedicating those fallen in his rebellion to Odin instead.

China

The ancient Chinese are known to have made sacrifices of young men and women to river deities, and to have buried slaves alive with their owners upon death as part of a funeral service. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always This was especially prevalent during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. During the Warring States period, Ximen Bao of Wei demonstrated to the villagers that sacrifice to river deities was actually a ploy by crooked priests to pocket money. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the The following details the state of Wei of the Warring States Period. ^[27] In Chinese lore, Ximen Bao is regarded as a folk hero who pointed out the absurdity of human sacrifice.

The sacrifice of a high-ranking male's slaves, concubines or servants upon his death (called Xun Zang 殉葬 or more specifically Sheng Xun 生殉) was a more common form. Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status The stated purpose is to provide companion for the dead in afterlife. In earlier times the victims were either killed or buried alive, while later they were usually forced to commit suicide.

Funeral human sacrifice was abolished by the Qin Dynasty in 384 BC. Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China Afterwards it became relatively rare throughout the central parts of China. . However, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty revived it in 1395 when his second son died and two of the prince's concubines were sacrificed. Early life Zhu Yuanzhang was born in 1328 in Pei County Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province as the youngest of four sons The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led In 1464, the Zhengtong Emperor in his will forbade the practice for Ming emperors and princes. First Reign Zhu Qizhen was the son of the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji and his Empress Sun

Human sacrifice was also practiced by the Manchus. The Manchu people ( Manchu: Manju;, Mongolian: Манж Russian: Маньчжуры are a Tungusic people who originated in Following Emperor Nurhaci's death, Lady Abahai and his two lesser consorts committed suicide. Nurhaci ( Chinese: 努爾哈赤 or 努爾哈齊; Manchu:) is considered to be the founding father of the Manchu During the Qing Dynasty, sacrifice of slaves was banned by Emperor Kangxi in 1673. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of

India

Further information: Thuggee

Human sacrifices were carried out in connection with the worship of Shakti till approximately the early modern period, and in Bengal perhaps as late as the early nineteenth century^[28]. Thuggee (or tuggee, ठग्गी) (from Hindi thag ‘thief’ from Sanskrit sthaga ‘scoundrel’ from sthagati Shakti, meaning sacred force, power, or energy, is the Hindu concept or personification of the divine feminine aspect sometimes referred Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang Certain tantric cults performed human sacrifice till around the same time, both actual and "symbolic"; it was a "highly ritualised" act, and on occasion took many months to complete^[28].

The question of whether human sacrifice is permitted in the Vedas and, if so, was actually practiced is a matter of dispute by scholars. "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. The prevailing nineteenth century view, associated above all with Henry Colebrooke, was that human sacrifice had little scriptural warrant, and did not actually take place. Henry Thomas Colebrooke ( June 15, 1765 - March 18, 1837) was an English Orientalist. Those verses which referred to purusamedha were meant to be read symbolically^[29] or as a 'priestly fantasy'. However, barely a generation later Albrecht Weber collected textplaces referring to human sacrifice with greater specificity; and Rajendralal Mitra published a defence of the thesis that human sacrifice, as had been practiced in Bengal, was a continuation of traditions dating back to Vedic periods^[30]. Albrecht Weber ( 17 February 1825 &ndash 30 November 1901) was a German Indologist and Historian born in Rajendralal Mitra (1823/24-1891 was the first modern Indologist of Indian origin and was a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance. Hermann Oldenberg held to Colebrooke's view; but Jan Gonda underlined its disputed status. Hermann Oldenberg (1854-1920 was a German scholar of Indology, and Professor at Kiel (1898 and Göttingen (1908

It was agreed even by Colebrooke, however, that by the Puranic period - at least at the time of the writing of the Kalika Purana, human sacrifice was accepted^[29]. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" Kali redirects here See Kali (disambiguation for other uses Not to be confused with Kali (demon, the personification of Kali Yuga These two periods, however were separated by a period of increasing "embarrassment" in the use of violence in worship, contemporaneous with the Upanishads. The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings

In the post-Puranic medieval period, however, it became increasingly common. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" In the seventh century, Banabhatta, in a description of the dedication of a temple of Chandika, describes a series of human sacrifices; similarly, in the ninth century, Haribhadra describes the sacrifices to Chandika in Orissa^[31]. Bāṇabhaṭṭa, also known as Bāṇa, was a Sanskrit scholar of 7th century India. Chandi ( Sanskrit: sa चण्डी Caṇḍī or Chandika (Caṇḍīka is the supreme Goddess of Devi Mahatmya (Sanskrit Devīmāhātmyam देवीमाहात्म्यम् This article is about the Buddhist author of an Abhisamayalankara commentary Orissa (ଓଡ଼ିଶା is a state located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It was "more common" in the Southern parts of India, where it took on a scapegoating rather than purifying role^[31]. scapegoat was a Goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism during the times

The Khonds, an aboriginal tribe of India, inhabiting the tributary states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, became notorious, on the British occupation of their district about 1835, from the prevalence and cruelty of the human sacrifices they practised. Khonds, or Kandhs are an aboriginal tribe of India, inhabiting the tributary states of Orissa and Srikakulam, in the Vizianagaram Ādivāsīs (in Devanagari script: आदिवासी literally "original inhabitants" comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Orissa (ଓଡ଼ିଶା is a state located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. ^[32]

Pacific

In Ancient Hawaii, a luakini temple, or luakini heiau, was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered. Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawai'i by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. In ancient Hawai'i, a luakini temple or luakini Heiau, was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood Sacrifices A heiau is a Hawaiian Temple. At least nine types of heiau existed including heiau for treating the sick ( heiau hōola) for offering first fruits "Kanaka" redirects here For the Tamil actress see Kanaka (actress. Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred" from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacr, "sacred" Kauwa, the outcast or slave class, were often used as human sacrifices at the luakini heiau. They are believed to have been war captives, or the descendents of war captives. They were not the only sacrifices; law-breakers of all castes or defeated political opponents were also acceptable as victims. ^[33][34]

Pre-Columbian Americas

Main article: Human sacrifice in Pre-Columbian America

Some of the most famous forms of ancient human sacrifice were performed by various Pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas. Monte Albán is a large Pre-Columbian Archaeological site in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America ^[35]

Central America

The Mixtec players of the Mesoamerican ballgame were sacrificed when the game was used to resolve a dispute between cities. The Mixtec (or Mixteca) are an indigenous Mesoamerican people inhabiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla The Mesoamerican ballgame was a Sport with ritual associations played for over 3000 years by the Pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica. The rulers would play a game instead of going to battle. The losing ruler would be sacrificed. The ruler "Eight Deer" was considered a great ball player and won several cities this way, until he lost a ball game and was sacrificed.

The Maya held the belief that cenotes or limestone sinkholes were portals to the underworld and sacrificed human beings to please the water god Chaac. The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas A cenote (pronounced in Mexican Spanish and in English, plural cenotes; from Yucatec Maya dzonot) is a type of Sinkhole Chaac (also rendered as Chaak or Chac) is the originally Yucatec name of the Maya rain deity The most notable example of this is the "Sacred Cenote" at Chichen Itza where extensive excavations have recovered the remains of 42 individuals, half of them under twenty years old. Sacred Cenote (Well of Sacrifice is a noted Cenote at the Maya site of Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza (tʃiːˈtʃɛn iːˈtsɑː from Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha' "At the mouth of the well of the Itza " is a

In the Post-Classic period, the victims and the altar are represented as daubed in a hue now known as Maya Blue, obtained from the añil plant and the clay mineral palygorskite. Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into a number of named successive eras or periods from the earliest evidence of human habitation Maya Blue ( Azul Maya) is a unique bright blue to greenish-blue Pigment manufactured by cultures of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, such "Anil" redirects here This is also a Hindi word which means "air" and is derived from Sanskrit. Palygorskite (also known as attapulgite) is a Magnesium Aluminium phyllosilicate with formula ( Mg, Al)2 Si ^[36]

Further information: Human sacrifice in Aztec culture

The Aztecs were particularly noted for practicing human sacrifice on a large scale; an offering to Huitzilopochtli would be made to restore the blood he lost, as the sun was engaged in a daily battle. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli (Huitzilopōchtli wi The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Human sacrifices would prevent the end of the world that could happen on each cycle of 52 years. In the 1487 re-consecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan some estimate that 80,400 prisoners were sacrificed. The Templo Mayor (commonly known by this Spanish name meaning " Great Temple " was the main temple of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan ^[37][38]though numbers are difficult to quantify as all obtainable Aztec texts were destroyed by Christian missionaries during the period 1528-1548. ^[39]

According to Ross Hassing, author of Aztec Warfare, "between 10,000 and 80,400 persons" were sacrificed in the ceremony. The old reports of numbers sacrificed for special feasts have been described as "unbelievably high" by some authors ^[40]and that on cautious reckoning, based on reliable evidence, the numbers would have been in the hundreds for yearly feasts in Tenochtitlan. ^[41] The real number of sacrificed victims during the 1487 consecration is unknown.

Michael Harner, in his 1997 article The Enigma of Aztec Sacrifice, estimates the number of persons sacrificed in central Mexico in the 15th century as high as 250,000 per year. Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl, a Mexica descendant and the author of Codex Ixtlilxochitl, claimed that one in five children of the Mexica subjects was killed annually. Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl (b between 1568 and 1580 Texcoco &mdash1648 Mexico City) was a Mexican Historian. Aztec codices (singular Codex) are Books written by Pre-Columbian and colonial-era Aztecs Victor Davis Hanson argues that an estimate by Carlos Zumárraga of 20,000 per annum is more plausible. Victor Davis Hanson (born 1953 in Fowler California) is a Military historian, Columnist, political essayist and former Classics professor notable Other scholars believe that, since the Aztecs always tried to intimidate their enemies, it is more likely that they could have inflated the number as a propaganda tool. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people ^[42][43]

Tlaloc would require weeping boys in the first months of the Aztec calendar to be ritually murdered. For the fictional character from the Legends of Dune books see Titan (Dune#Tlaloc. The Aztec calendar is the Calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico.

Sacrifices to Xipe Totec were bound to a post and shot full of arrows. In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec ("our lord the flayed one" was a Life-death-rebirth deity, god of Agriculture, the west disease spring An arrow is a pointed Projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most Cultures. The dead victim would be skinned and a priest would use the skin. Earth mother Teteoinnan required flayed female victims. Toci ( "Our grandmother" in Nahuatl) is a deity figuring prominently in the religion and mythology of the Pre-Columbian Aztec civilization of Flaying is the removal of Skin from the Body. Generally an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact

South America

The Moche of Northern Peru sacrificed teenagers en masse, as archaeologist Steve Bourget found when he uncovered the bones of 42 male adolescents in 1995. The Moche civilization (alternately the Mochica culture Early Chimu Pre-Chimu Proto-Chimu etc Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. ^[44]

A number of mummies of sacrificed children have been recovered in the Inca regions of South America, an ancient practice known as capacocha. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a ^[45]

North America

The Pawnee practiced an annual Morning Star Ceremony, which included the sacrifice of a young girl. The Pawnee (also Paneassa, Pari, Pariki) are a Native American tribe that historically lived along the Platte, Loup and The Pawnee are a tribe of Native Americans originally located in Nebraska, United States. Though the ritual continued, the sacrifice was discontinued in the 19th Century. ^[46] The Iroquois are said to have occasionally sent a maiden to the Great Spirit. The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power" the "Five Nations" the "Six Nations" or the "People of the Longhouse ^[47]

The Southern Cult or Mound Builders, of the Southeastern United States may have also practiced human sacrifice, as some artifacts have been interpreted as depicting such acts. The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (sometimes called the Southern Cult, Chiefly Warfare Cult, or Southern Death Cult, from which the English ^[48] Early European explorers reported witnessing mass human sacrifices. ^[49]

West Africa

Human sacrifice was common in west African states up to and during the nineteenth century. The Annual customs of Dahomey was the most notorious example, but sacrifices were carried out all along the west African coast and further inland. Every year in the Kingdom of Dahomey, a huge festival in honor of the ancestors was organized called the annual "customs". Sacrifices were particularly common after the death of a King or Queen, and there are many recorded cases of hundreds or even thousands of slaves being sacrificed at such events. Sacrifices were particularly common in Dahomey, in the Benin Empire, in what is now Ghana, and in the small independent states in what is now southern Nigeria. The Benin Empire or Edo Empire (1440-1897 was a large pre-colonial African state of modern Nigeria. The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal

In the northern parts of West Africa, human sacrifice had become rare early as Islam became more established in these areas such as the Hausa States. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The Hausa Kingdoms were a collection of independent city-states situated between the Niger River and Lake Chad. Human sacrifice was officially banned in the remainder of West African states only by coercion, or in some cases annexation, by either the British or French. Annexation ( Latin ad, to and nexus, joining is the legal incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity (either adjacent or non-contiguous An important step was the British co-ercing the powerful Egbo secret society to oppose human sacrifice in 1850. Ekpe, also known as Egbo ( English: Lion is a Secret society flourishing chiefly among the Efiks of the Cross River State and the This society was powerful in a large number of states in what is now south-eastern Nigeria. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Nonetheless, human sacrifice continued, normally in secret, until west Africa came under firm colonial control.

The last major center of human sacrifice was the Benin Empire in modern Nigeria. The Benin Empire or Edo Empire (1440-1897 was a large pre-colonial African state of modern Nigeria. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Benin Empire agreed with the British to prohibit human sacrifice in the 1890s. However, for five years the rulers continued human sacrifice on a large scale. After an incident in which British observers were killed in order to prevent them witnessing human sacrifice, the British authorities assembled forces to conquer the Benin Empire. This caused an escalation of human sacrifice as Benin's rulers sought to protect themselves from Britain by appeasing the Gods with sacrifice. After a brief campaign the Benin Empire was conquered and human sacrifice suppressed.

Prohibition in major religions

Judaism

Current religious thinking views the Akedah as central to the replacement of human sacrifice; while some Talmudic scholars assert the replacement was the sacrifice of animals at the Temple - using Exodus 13,2. The Binding of Isaac, in Genesis, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah 12f; 22,28f; 34,19f; Numeri 3,1ff; 18,15; Deuteronomy 15,19 - others view that as superseded by the symbolic pars-pro-toto sacrifice of circumcision. Male circumcision is the removal of some or all of the Foreskin (prepuce from the Penis. Leviticus 20,2 and Deuteronomy 18,10 specifically outlaw the giving of children to Moloch, making it punishable by stoning; the Tanakh subsequently denounces human sacrifice as barbaric customs of Baal worshippers (e. Moloch, Molech, Molekh, or Molek, representing Hebrew מלך mlk, (translated directly into king is either the name of a See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is Ba'al (pronounced; Hebrew בעל (ordinarily spelled Baal in English is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" g. Psalms 106,37ff).

Christianity

The majority of the early Christian Church Fathers saw the sacrifice of Jepthah's virgin daughter as foreshadowing, like Isaac, the death of Jesus Christ not least because Jepthah's vow in the biblical account was made whilst under the influence of the Holy Spirit (Judges 11:29).

In the Christian religion the belief developed that the story of Isaac's binding was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus, whom Christians believe was God's only son and simultaneously God Himself, and who gave up his life so that sins could be forgiven. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) There is a tradition that the site of the binding of Isaac, Moriah, was also the city of Jesus's future crucifixion, i. The Binding of Isaac, in Genesis, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah Moriah ( Hebrew: מוריה Mōriyyā = "ordained/considered by YHWH " is the name given to a mountain range by the book of Genesis e. Jerusalem. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the ^[50] However no archaeological or historical evidence supports this assertion.

The beliefs of most denominations of Christianity hinge upon a single, specific human sacrifice: that of the Christ. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Most Christians believe, at least nominally, that in order to gain access to paradise in the afterlife each individual person must somehow become a partaker in that all-important human sacrifice for the atonement of their personal sins. Some Christians, including Orthodox and Roman Catholics, believe they participate in the sacrifice of Calvary through the Eucharist which they believe is really the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to The Eastern Orthodox Church: the Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) ^[51][52] Many Protestants, however, reject this, and rather believe that the bread and wine of communion are merely symbolic, trusting that it is their faith in Christ's finished work on the cross that atones for their sins.

Islam

The Quran strongly condemns human sacrifice, as a "grave error and sinful act" (surah 17 ayah 31) and an "ignorant, foolish act of those that have gone astray" (surah 6 ayah 140), and speaks of how the "pagans were deluded by their deities to kill their own children" (surah 6 ayah 140). The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The Quran instructs the believers not to kill their children for fear of poverty (surah 17 ayah 31) or because they are poor (surah 6 ayah 151). Some Arabs before Islam used to bury their daughters alive; Islam abolished this practice (surah 81 verse 8-9).

In the sirah (Biography of the prophet), the father of the prophet Mohammed, Abdullah, was about to be sacrificed by his own father Abd-Almutalib to fulfill an oath he had taken. He was saved from death and 100 camels were slaughtered instead.

Eastern religions

Main article: Ahimsa

Many traditions of Eastern religions (Buddhism and especially Jainism) embrace the doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence) which imposes vegetarianism and outlaws animal as well as human sacrifice. Ahimsa ( Devanagari: sa अहिंसा IAST ahiṃsā is a Sanskrit term meaning Non-violence (literally the avoidance of violence - Eastern religion is a group of Religions originating in India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma / Shraman Dharma (जैन धर्म is an ancient religion of India. Ahimsa ( Devanagari: sa अहिंसा IAST ahiṃsā is a Sanskrit term meaning Non-violence (literally the avoidance of violence - Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea

In Hinduism, the principle of ahimsa was prescribed as early as in the Maurya period Manu Smrti. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The Maurya Empire ( 322 – 185 BCE) ruled by the Mauryan dynasty was a geographically extensive and powerful political and military The Manu Smriti ( Sanskrit: मनुस्मृति is a work of Hindu law and ancient Indian society It was, however, not taken to extend to religious violence, based on the argument that sacrificial killing is in fact a benevolent act, not violence, because the victim will attain a high rebirth in the cycle of reincarnation. ^[53] Human sacrifice remained common in medieval Hinduism in the context of Shaktism until the Late Middle Ages, when it generally declined with the rise of the Bhakti movement. Shaktism ( Sanskrit: Śāktaṃ sa शाक्तं lit "doctrine of power" or "doctrine of the Goddess") is a denomination of The Bhakti movement was a Hindu religious movement in which the main spiritual practice was loving devotion to God, or Bhakti. The status of the Hindu practice of widow-burning remains disputed. Satī ( Devanagari: सती, the feminine of sat "true" (also suttee) is a Funeral practice among some As a burial rite, it qualifies as a "retainer sacrifice" of the sort also found in Near Eastern and European antiquity. The killing of a large number of wives and concubines was practiced in particular in Rajput royal burials. Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India In Sikhism, widow-burning remained common until its suppression under the British Raj. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century For usage see British rule in India British Raj ( rāj, lit "reign" in Hindustani) primarily refers to the British

In Chinese imperial religion, human sacrifice was abolished by the Kangxi Emperor in 1673. An Imperial cult is a form of State religion in which an Emperor, or a Dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title are Worshiped as The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of

Blood libel

Main article: Blood libel

Because of the strong taboo against human sacrifice in Abrahamic tradition, false allegation of the practice has repeatedly been employed, usually in the form of cannibalistic infanticide, in order to stigmatize a group. Blood libels are sensationalized allegations that a person or group engages in Human sacrifice, often accompanied by the claim that the Blood of victims is used in Child cannibalism, or fetal cannibalism describes the act of eating a child or Fetus. Notably, such blood libel was directed against the Jews in Medieval Europe, and in the Early Modern period figured as a charge in the European witch-trials. Blood libels against Jews are false accusations that Jews use Human blood in certain aspects of their Religious rituals and holidays Although The period of Witch trials in Early Modern Europe came in waves and then subsided

In 2006, Chinese nationalist Li Ao in his TV talk show, in an attempt to portray the 1950 People's Liberation Army invasion of Tibet as a humanitarian intervention, claimed that the Dalai Lama had commanded human sacrifices, asking his followers to "tear out human skin" for "some religious ceremony". Chinese nationalism ( sometimes synonymous with Chinese Patriotism ( lit Alternative meaning Li Ao (772-841 Li Ao ( (born April 25, 1935) is a writer social commentator Historian, The People's Liberation Army (PLA defeated the Tibetan army in a war at Chamdo on October 7 1950 Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile ^[54]

Contemporary human sacrifice

India

Further information: Religious violence in India and Sati (practice)

Some people in India are adherents of a set of theistic philosophies called Tantrism (not to be confused with Tantric Buddhism) or Shaktism (worship of Kali). Religious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group often in the Satī ( Devanagari: सती, the feminine of sat "true" (also suttee) is a Funeral practice among some India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Shaktism ( Sanskrit: Śāktaṃ sa शाक्तं lit "doctrine of power" or "doctrine of the Goddess") is a denomination of Kali redirects here See Kali (disambiguation for other uses Not to be confused with Kali (demon, the personification of Kali Yuga Most either use animal sacrifice or symbolic effigies, but a minority continues to practice human sacrifice in spite of legal persecution. Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. An effigy is a representation of a person especially in the form of Sculpture.

According to the Hindustan Times, there have been 25 human sacrifices in western Uttar Pradesh over a period of six months in 2003. Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश اتر پردیش pronounced, Translation: Northern Province) referred to as '''U ^[55] Similarly, police in Khurja reported "dozens of sacrifices" in the period of half a year in 2006. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Khurja ( Urdu: خورجہ) is a small town and a Municipal board in Bulandshahr ^[56]

The Supreme Court of India habitually issues the death penalty to those found guilty of practicing human sacricfice. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. ^[57]

Sub-Saharan Africa

Further information: Medicine murder

Human sacrifice, in the context of religious ritual, still occurs in other traditional religions, for example in muti killings in Eastern Africa. Medicine murder involves the murder of someone in order to excise body parts for incorporation as ingredients into medicine Muti is a term for Traditional medicine in Southern Africa as far north as Lake Tanganyika. East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. Human sacrifice is no longer officially condoned in any country, and such cases are regarded as murder. Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries

On January, 2008, Milton Blahyi of Liberia confessed being part of human sacrifices which "included the killing of an innocent child and plucking out the heart, which was divided into pieces for us to eat. Joshua Milton Blahyi (born ca 1970 also known as General Butt Naked, is a Liberian Warlord -turned- Preacher. Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire The heart is a muscular organ in all Vertebrates responsible for pumping Blood through the Blood vessels by repeated rhythmic " He fought versus Charles Taylor's militia. Charlie and Chuck are common familiar or shortened forms for Charles. ^[58]

In August 2004, a muti killing took place in Ireland; the headless corpse of a Malawi woman was found near Piltown, County Kilkenny. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Muti is a term for Traditional medicine in Southern Africa as far north as Lake Tanganyika. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Republic of Malawi (məˈlɑːwi or; formerly Nyasaland) is in southern Africa. Piltown ( Baile an Phoill in Irish) is a small village in County Kilkenny in Ireland. County Kilkenny ( is a landlocked county in Ireland. The county takes its name from the city of Kilkenny and has a population of 87558 ^[59]

Satanic ritual abuse

Further information: Satanic ritual abuse

Allegations of crimes of violence with a Satanist background have appeared in industrialized countries appeared in the 1980s, mostly focusing on sexual abuse, but also involving claims of ritual killings. Satanic ritual abuse ( SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, cult related abuse, ritualized abuse, sadistic ritual abuse, ritual For other uses of the word see Satanism (disambiguation. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and context The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual acts by one person upon another Thus, there was a claim of a Satanist human sacrifice committed in the context of the early Norwegian black metal scene. The was a group of Norwegian Black metal enthusiasts in the early 1990s which was identified by some as a Cult – The Black Circle. ^[60] These reports have largely been identified as part of a moral panic within the anti-cult movement, and reports have mostly subsided in the 2000s. A moral panic can be defined as "the intensity of feeling expressed by a large number of people about a specific group of people who appear to threaten the social order at a given The " anti-cult movement " ( ACM) is a term used by academics and others to refer to a perceived collectivity of groups and individuals who oppose cults and new religious

Lust murders may involve ritualistic aspects reminiscent of human sacrifice, but are by definition crimes with sexual, not religious motivation. A lust murder is a Homicide in which the offender searches for erotic satisfaction by killing someone Thus, Ed Gein fabricated trophies from the skulls of his victims, much like headhunting practices in tribal societies. Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing him or her

In literature and film

Human sacrifice has a history as a topos in literature, opera and cinema. A recurrent theme in the Classics, it returns to prominence in European imagination with the Spanish accounts of the Aztec rituals. "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. Derek Hughes in Culture and Sacrifice traces the topic's iterations through the works of Shakespeare, Dryden and Voltaire, and its central position in the operatic tradition from Mozart to Wagner and into 20th century works such as those of D. H. Lawrence. William Shakespeare ( baptised François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French David Herbert Richards Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930 was an English writer of the 20th century whose prolific and diverse output included Novels short ^[61]

The Lottery is a 1948 short story that caused controversy in the United States. " The Lottery " is a Short story by Shirley Jackson, first published in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker The Wicker Man is a 1973 film on the topic. The Wicker Man is a classic cult 1973 British Film filmed in Scotland, combining thriller, Existential

"Britney's New Look" purports to tell the story of why paparazzi drive celebrities, specifically female sex symbols, to self-destructive behaviors that have often led to death at a young age in American society. " Britney's New Look " is episode 1202 (#169 of the animated series South Park. Paparazzi is a plural term ( paparazzo being the singular form for Photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographs of Celebrities A sex symbol is a famous person of either gender typically an Actor, Musician, model, Teen idol, or Sports star In the story, Britney Spears is the latest heroine who "must die" in order for the year's corn harvest to be plentiful. Britney Jean Spears (born December 2 1981 is an American recording artist and entertainer Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica

References

Books

• David Carrasco, City of Sacrifice: The Aztec Empire and the Role of Violence in Civilization, Moughton Mifflin, 2000, ISBN 0-807-04643-4
• Clemency Coggins and Orrin C. Shane III Cenote of Sacrifices,  ; 1984 The university of Texas Press; ISBN 0-292-71097-6
• René Girard, Violence and the Sacred, translated by P. René Girard (born December 25, 1923, Avignon, France) is a world-renowned French Historian, Literary critic Gregory; Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979, ISBN-10: 0826477186
• René Girard, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning, translated by James G. Williams; Orbis Books; 2001, ISBN 1-57075-319-9
• Miranda Aldhouse Green, Dying for the Gods,; Trafalgar Square; 2001, ISBN 0-7524-1940-4
• Dennis D. Hughes, Human Sacrifice in Ancient Greece 1991 Routledge ISBN 0-415-03483-3
• Derek Hughes, Culture and Sacrifice: Ritual Death in Literature and Opera, 2007, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521867337
• Ronald Hutton, The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy , 1991, ISBN 0-631-18946-7
• Larry Kahaner, Cults That Kill, ; Warner Books; 1994, ISBN 978-0446356374

Journal articles

• Michael Winkelman, Aztec Human Sacrifice: Cross-Cultural Assessments of the Ecological Hypothesis, Ethnology, Vol. Professor Ronald Hutton (born 1954 is a professor of History at the University of Bristol, author and occasional commentator on British Television 37, No. 3. (Summer, 1998), pp. 285-298.
• R. H. Sales, Human Sacrifice in Biblical Thought, Journal of Bible and Religion, Vol. 25, No. 2. (Apr. , 1957), pp. 112-117.
• Brian K. Smith; Wendy Doniger, Sacrifice and Substitution: Ritual Mystification and Mythical Demystification, Numen, Vol. 36, Fasc. 2. (Dec. , 1989), pp. 189-224.
• Brian K. Smith, Capital Punishment and Human Sacrifice, Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2000 68(1):3-26.
• Robin Law, Human Sacrifice in Pre-Colonial West Africa, African Affairs, Vol. 84, No. 334. (Jan. , 1985), pp. 53-87.
• Th. P. van Baaren, Theoretical Speculations on Sacrifice, Numen, Vol. 11, Fasc. 1. (Jan. , 1964), pp. 1-12.
• Heinsohn, Gunnar: “The Rise of Blood Sacrifice and Priest Kingship in Mesopotamia: A Cosmic Decree?”^[62] (also published in Religion, Vol. 22, 1992)
• J. Rives, Human Sacrifice among Pagans and Christians, The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 85. (1995), pp. 65-85.
• Clifford Williams , Asante: Human Sacrifice or Capital Punishment? An Assessment of the Period 1807-1874, The International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 21, No. 3. (1988), pp. 433-441.
• Sheehan, Jonathan, The Altars of the Idols: Religion, Sacrifice, and the Early Modern Polity, Journal of the History of Ideas 67. 4 (2006) 649-674 [20]
• Harco Willems, Crime, Cult and Capital Punishment (Mo'alla Inscription 8), The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 76, (1990), 27-54.

Notes

See also

• Child sacrifice
• Animal sacrifice
• Religion and violence
• Cannibalism
• Sati (practice) (widow-burning)
• Witch-hunt
• Capital punishment
• Ritual murder

External links

contemporary human sacrifice

• collection of news reports
• TIME Asia Magazine: Killing for “Mother” Kali
• Indian temple revives “human sacrifice”
• Witch Burning and Human Sacrifice in India, PDF
• “Priest makes human sacrifice”

See also Religious abuse, and Infanticide Child sacrifice is the Ritualistic Killing of Children in Animal Sacrifice is the Ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion. Religious violence is a term that covers all phenomena where Religion, in any of its forms is either the subject or object of individual or collective violent behaviour Cannibalism (from Spanish es ''caníbal'' in connection with cannibalism among the Antillean Caribs, also called anthropophagy (from Greek ἄνθρωπος Satī ( Devanagari: सती, the feminine of sat "true" (also suttee) is a Funeral practice among some "Witch trial" redirects here For the song by Rush, see Fear series. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing

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