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11 Weird Ancient Beliefs and the People Who Practiced Them

Before modern technology and scientific methods, ancient humans used their imaginations to answer life's biggest questions.

By Daniel Bonfiglio

Published 1 year ago in Wtf

Before modern technology and scientific methods, ancient humans used their imaginations to answer life's biggest questions. Many cultures developed beliefs and traditions that seem pretty strange to us now. But back then, they were just as normal heading to Church on a Sunday is now.


Read about these 11 weird ancient beliefs and the people who practiced them. 

  • 1

    Cat Worshipping

    In ancient Egypt, people shaved off their eyebrows to mourn their cats.

    Cat Worshipping

  • 2

    The Death Whistle

    The Death Whistle was an Aztec whistle crafted out of a human head, that was blown to help guide recently deceased spirits to the afterlife. It was used during ceremonies, and yes, sacrifices.

    The Death Whistle

  • 3

    Alchemy

    Alchemists in medieval Europe believed that they could turn metals into gold, and discover the elixir of life. They also believed that there was a solution for immortality.

    Alchemy

  • 4

    Cutting Fingers

    The Dani tribe of the highlands of Papua, New Guinea, cut tips of their fingers off without anesthetic. The ritual is designed to help mourn the loss of loved ones by feeling pain, and keeping the recent spirits away. The tribe still exists to this day.

    Cutting Fingers

  • 5

    Fairies and Changeling Children

    In European folklore, fairies would sometimes grab babies and swap them out with changelings. To test if your child was a “fairie,” a mother could place a bowl of soup with a shoe in it in front of the baby. Fairies would apparently laugh at this gesture. It is thought this was used as a way of coming to terms with disabled children.

    Fairies and Changeling Children

  • 6

    Blood Eagle

    This brutal Viking tradition involved cutting a person open, and rearranging their ribs and lungs to look like an eagle’s wings. It is thought to have been a form of sacrifice to appease the Gods while showing bravery, but others believe it was a form of punishment.

    Blood Eagle

  • 7

    Sky Burial

    Sky Burial is a Tibetan ritual in which a recently deceased person is placed on a high pedestal, so that the vultures can pick at them. Then they are eventually moved to the ground and what’s left is scattered. It is a way to give back to nature and become part of the cycle of life.

    Sky Burial

  • 8

    City Limits

    The Romans believed that the laws of their city limits weren’t just laws of the city, but laws of the Gods. Once, an official forgot to follow a city rule, and when a different official died the same day, they blamed the first.

    City Limits

  • 9

    Self-Mummification

    Over time, Buddhist Monks in Japan from the 11th to the 19th century would gradually deprive themselves of food and water over the course of several years until they died, often while meditating in small spaces. They believed that by pushing the limits of the physical world, they could transcend into the spiritual one.

    Self-Mummification

  • 10

    Augury

    Augury was the ancient Roman practice of predicting the future through bird watching.

    Augury

  • 11

    Children as Animals

    Children in ancient Greece were not thought of as people, rather wild animals. Plato once said, “Of wild animals, a child is most difficult.” Artemis is both the Goddess of wild animals, and children.

    Children as Animals

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