Cannibalism and Drinking Blood? by Helene

Very well written, although we are more than JUST human. We are something more than human...

Cannibalism and Drinking Blood
by Helene

When I began researching this topic, I was completely over whelmed at the amount of data and research on this ancient practice. Cannibalism's past has been a roller-coaster ride of acceptance with society. In these modern times cannibalism and blood drinking bring thoughts of utter repulsion to most but it is completely fascinating to Anthropologist and the open minded who recognize that this practice was a part of life for early man. According to Wikipedia, Cannibalism is defined as, "The act or practice of humans consuming humans". This also applies to zoology and includes all species who indulge in the practice of consuming their own kind, such as the Black Widow. Ninety percent of all ocean inhabitants engage in cannibalism as a natural part of the food chain. In this article I would like to bring to light several different types of cannibalistic practices and there misconceptions as well as the connection between vampirism and cannibalism based on my own research.

The ancient Romans and Greeks were quite aware that there were cultures of humans that consumed others humans and they named the practice Anthropophagy. "Anthropos", meaning "man" and "phagein", meaning "to consume". Modern anthropologists research both historical and present day cannibalistic practices to determine the nature of why humans would want to consume the flesh, blood and bones of their fellow human beings. Every continent and culture has a myth, historical documentation or taboo concerning cannibalism which is comparable to the global myths of vampires and the drinking of blood. I have found at least five main reasons Cannibalism was practiced and historic documentation of when it began and ended. The types of cannibalism practiced are ritualistic, intimidation, mental illness, sexual gratification and famine. Some of the most famous cannibal cultures are the Polynesians of the South Pacific, the Aztecs of Mexico, East Coast Native Americans, and the Wari Tribe of South America. Should these cultures and the people who practiced human consumption also be called vampires? Isn't the drinking of blood part of these cannibalistic cultures? Why and when did humans begin resorting to cannibalism?

(The rest of this article can be found at http://www.thegraveyardpress.com/cannibalism_and_drinking_blood.htm

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