Human Sacrifice in Legends and Myths
translated and/or edited by
D. L. Ashliman
© 1999-2003
Jörund's son was called Aun or Ani, who became king over the Swedes. He was a wise man and a great sacrificer but no warrior, for he stayed at home in his land.
At that time when these kings who have just been named were in Uppsala, Dan the Proud was the first king in Denmark. He was now very old. After him came his son Frode the Proud or Peaceful, and after him his sons Halvdan and Fridleiv. They were great warriors. Halvdan was the eldest of them and the foremost in all things. He went with his army to Sweden against King Aun. They had several battles, and Halvdan always had the victory, so that King Aun at length fled to West Gautland [in the western part of Sweden]. He had been king in Uppsala for twenty-five winters and was in Gautland for another twenty-five winters whilst King Halvdan was in Uppsala.
King Halvdan died of sickness in Uppsala and was there buried in a howe.
After that King Aun came back to Uppsala when he was sixty years old, and he then offered a great sacrifice in order to have long life. He gave to Odin his son, who was then sacrificed to him. King Aun had this answer from Odin, that he should still live for sixty years.
Aun was king in Uppsala for another twenty-five years until Ali the Bold, son of Frieleiv, came with his army to Sweden again King Aun. They fought several battles and Ali always won. Then King Aun fled a second time from his kingdom and went to West Gautland. Ali was king in Uppsala and ruled the kingdom again for twenty-five years until Starkad the Old slew him.
After Ali's death, King Aun went back to Uppsala and ruled the kingdom again for twenty-five years. He then made a great sacrifice and offered his second son. Odin then told him he should go on living as long as he gave him a son every ten years and further gave a name to each of the districts of his land according to the number of those sons he offered up to Odin.
When he had offered up seven of his sons he lived for ten years till he could not walk and had to be borne on a stool. Then he sacrificed his eighth son and lived for ten more years, but now he had to lie in his bed. Then he offered up his ninth son and lived for another ten years, but now he drank from his horn like a baby.
Aun had now one son left, and would sacrifice him. He wanted to give Odin Uppsala and the lordships which lie thereto, and he had it called Tiundaland [the tenth land]. But the Swedes forbade him, and the offering was put off. Thereupon King Aun died and was buried in a howe near Uppsala. It was afterwards called Ana-sott [Ani's ailment] when a man died of old age without any sickness. Thus says Tjodolv:
At last Aun
In Uppsala
Began to feel
Ana-sott.
A long life
He should live.
Yet once more,
Like a young child,
When from the point
Of the ox's horn
The slayer of his sons
Drank lying down;
For the eastern king
Had no might
To hold up
The mead horn.
Many years ago an epidemic swept over Dalland, to which thousands of persons fell victims. Many people fled to the forests, or to other regions. The churches were deserted, and those remaining were not enough to bury the dead. At this stage an old Finlander came along, who informed the few survivors that they need not hope for cessation of the scourge until they had buried some living thing.
The advice was followed. First a cock was buried alive, but the plague continued as violent as ever. Next, a goat, but this also proved ineffectual. At last a poor boy, who frequented the neighborhood, begging, was lured to a wood-covered hill at the point where the river Daleborg empties into Lake Venem. Here a deep hole was dug, the boy meantime sitting near, enjoying a piece of bread and butter that had been given him.
When the grave was deep enough, the boy was dropped into it and the diggers began hurriedly to shovel the dirt upon him. The lad begged and prayed them not to throw dirt upon his bread and butter, but the spades flew faster, and in a few minutes, still alive, he was entirely covered and left to his fate.
Whether this stayed the plague is not know, but many who after night pass the hill, hear, it is said, a voice as if from a dying child, crying, "Buried alive! Buried Alive!"
In the small village of Vestenberg, 2 1/2 hours from Ansbach, there is a large hill, surrounded by a deep moat. Traces of ancient towers are still visible there. Remnants of grave containers can be found just below the earth's surface. A beautiful oak forest lies adjacent to the hill. The names of some of the places in this forest are Himmelreich, Helgraben, and Gründlein.
By the beginning of the middle ages Vestenberg was already the seat of the noble family by the same name. The Vestenbergs were among the most widely spread and wealthiest families of Franconia.
The narration of an eighty-year-old woman:
When Vestenberg Castle was being built, the mason built a seat into the wall. A child was placed on the seat to be sealed into the wall. The child cried, so to pacify it, they gave it a beautiful red apple.
The unmarried woman, whose child it was, had given it up for a large sum of money.
After the mason had finished mortaring the child into the wall, he gave the mother a hard slap on the face, saying: "It would have been better if you had begged your way throughout the country with your child."
It is also said that a child was entombed in the church at Bergen under similar circumstances.
Uncanny things happen at Spyker, the ancient castle of the Wrangels. The tower there is haunted. It is said that while they were building it, every night it would collapse, until they entombed a human within its walls. He now wanders about.
According to others there is a haunted chamber there where someone met his death, and he is the one who wanders about.
There is a lake where every year a virgin is sacrificed. If this does not happen then the water becomes unruly, the waves grow larger and larger, then rise higher and higher until they finally flood the entire land.
There is also a city whose citizens have a virgin entombed within a wall every year. But today no one knows exactly where this is or why it is done. Some claim that this girl is also a sacrifice to a large lake, which otherwise would swallow up the city.
Next to the brook beneath Kohlstädt there is an old wall which is called the Old Church. It is said that during heathen times children were sacrificed there and that Weinberg Hill got its name from the children's crying mothers who watched the sacrifice from there.
The answer came to them from the infant's mouth: "The grace of God!"
Taken aback, the workmen laid down their tools and refused to proceed with the wicked building.
The castle was never completed.
Dismayed, one day he was standing at the spillway when he was approached by a drunkard who offered him advice. He promised to make the spillway so secure that it would never again be damaged, but the miller would have to pay him well.
The miller agreed, and the drunkard said, "Find a boy for us. We will bury him alive beneath the foundation stone, and I guarantee the durability of the spillway."
The miller shuddered, but when the drunkard offered to provide a boy for fifteen pecks of groats, he entered into the agreement, and forthwith they dug the grave.
The next day the child cried in vain. The two men pushed him into the pit, threw stones in on top of him, and soon the spillway was ready.
Soon thereafter the drunkard's corpse was pulled from the Haun River. The miller's conscience so gnawed at him that he wasted away and then died.
From that time forth the miller wanders about, attempting to pull passersby into the river. Every year he must lure at least one person into the river. Usually they are drunkards. He is on the lookout for them, because it was one of their kind who brought misfortune upon him.
In Germany, for example, the game Die Magdeburger Brücke begins: "I want to go over the Magdeburg Bridge!" Then it proceeds: "It is broken down.... Who has broken it?... The goldsmith and his little daughter.... Let them build it up again.... But with what?... With chains and with posts...." Then the game finishes: "All creep through; all creep through; We'll seize the last!" (Kriecht alle durch; kriecht alle durch; den letzten wollen wir fangen!
In France, in Germany, and in Ireland versions of the game have been recorded which introduce the devil.
The essential part of the English rhyme is:
London Bridge has fallen down, fallen down, fallen down,
London Bridge has fallen down, my fair lady!
Build it up with lime and stone ...
Stone and lime would wash away ...
Build it up with iron bars ...
Iron bars would bend and break ...
Get a watch to watch all night ...
Suppose the watch should fall asleep? ...
Get a dog to bark all night ...
Suppose the dog should get a bone? ...
Get a cock to crow all night ...
Suppose the cock should fly away? ...
What has this poor prisoner done? ...
Off to prison she must go.
My fair lady!
In olden days there were twelve brothers And the eldest brother, the carpenter Manoli, was making the long bridge. One side he makes; one side falls. The twelve brothers had one mistress, and they all had to do with her.
The called her to them, "Dear bride."
On her head was a tray. In her hands was a child. Whoseso wife came first. She will come to the twelve brothers.
Said his wife, "Thou hast not eaten bread with me. What has befallen thee that thou eatest not bread with me? My ring has fallen into the water. Go and fetch my ring."
Her husband said, "I will fetch thy ring out of the water." Up to his two breasts came the water in the depth of the bridge there. He came into the fountain. He was drowned. Beneath, he became a talisman, the innermost foundation of the bridge. Manoli's eyes became the great open arch of the bridge.
"God send a wind to blow, that the tray may fall from the head of her who bears it in front of Lénga."
A snake crept out before Lénga, and she feared, and said, "Now have I fear at sight of the snake, and I am sick. Now is it not bad for my children?"
Another man seized her, and sought to drown her, Manoli's wife.
She said, "Drown me not in the water. I have little children."
She bowed herself over the sea, where the carpenter Manoli made the bridge. Another man called Manoli's wife. With him she went on the road. There, when they went on the road, he went to the tavern. He was weary. The man went, drank the juice of the grape, got drunk. Before getting home, he killed Manoli's wife, Lénga.
Foolish rumors have been about Madras now for a week to the effect that a child was to be sacrificed at the site of the new bridge. The rumors apparently took their rise in the fact that one Muhammadan and three Hindu children have been missing in Madras and have not yet been traced, though the circumstances attending their disappearance did not suggest foul play.But once rumor had got about, false alarms began to be raised whenever a child slipped out of sight for a few minutes. Thus people's minds became excited and they fell into a panic. As a result, in the last two days several innocent people have been savagely assulted by excited crowds in different parts of the town, having come under suspicion for perfectly innocent actions. Thus, one man seen carrying his own child on a motorcycle was stopped and assulted. A person appears to have been beaten to death.
The Commissioner of Police has taken all possible steps to restore confidence, and the Coproration has been invited to assist. It is hoped that all members of the public will help in allaying this foolish panic which has already had such tragic consequences. Investigations show no reason to suppose that any gang of kidnappers is at work in Madras. To calm the public alarm special precautions are being taken and special vigilance is being exercised.
A long, long time ago no rain fell for a whole year. Thereupon the Wanganga ordered that a Mukaranga be sacrificed.
The Wanganga said, "It must be a marriageable Musarre (princess) who has never lain with a man. The Musarre must be virgin."
The Mambo called his first wife and said, "Seek among the Musarre for one who is marriageable and innocent of man, one whom we can sacrifice."
The king's first wife summoned all the Wasarre (princesses, plural of Musarre) and asked, "Which of you has not yet slept with a man?"
The king's daughters laughed and said, "Is it our business to live as other maidens live?"
The king's first wife said, "Lie down."
The Wasarre lay down, each on a mat. The king's first wife found among the marriageable Wasarre not one who had not had intercourse with a man.
The king's first wife went to the king and said, "Mambo, among the marriageable Wasarre there is not one who has not had intercourse with a man."
The king summoned the Wanganga and said, "Among the Wasarre is not one who has not had intercourse with a man. Tell me, what shall be done?"
The Wanganga said, "Mambo, the Mukaranga. must be sacrificed. If there is no marriageable Musarre who is still innocent of man, then we must seek the oldest of the Wasarre, who have not yet reached marriageable age. This Musarre must be imprisoned at the place of sacrifice and must remain imprisoned till she has reached a marriageable age. And then she can be sacrificed as a Mukaranga."
The king called his first wife and said, "Seek among the unmarriageable Wasarre for a Musarre who is innocent of man."
The king's first wife summoned the small girls of the Simbawoye (royal court). She found a child who was still innocent of man. Her breasts were not yet grown.
The young Musarre was brought to the place of sacrifice. The place of sacrifice was a high wall (circular, like that of a hut, and with an entrance. The wall was built not of wood and mud but of stone). In the center stood a large ant heap. On the ant heap grew a tree. The maiden was brought into the place of sacrifice. The entrance was closed with heavy stones. Every day the grown Wasarre, brought the Mukaranga food and drink. They handed it down over the wall. The Wakaranga kept watch to see that no man approached the place of sacrifice.
The maiden grew. Two years passed before the maiden was grown and had breasts. In the course of these two years no rain fell. All the cattle died. Many people died. The rivers dried up. The grain did not take root. One day the maiden was marriageable.
The Wanganga went to the king. The Wanganga said, "The Mukaranga is marriageable. The Mbila can begin." The king summoned all his people. The people gathered at the place of sacrifice. The Wanganga opened the entrance to the place of sacrifice. The Wanganga, dug out a chamber beneath the roots of the tree on the ant heap. The Wanganga shouted (sang) the Mizimu.* The Wanganga strangled the Mukaranga. The people danced around the place of sacrifice. The Wanganga buried the maiden in the ant heap beneath the roots of the great tree. The priests shouted the Mizimu. The people danced around the place of sacrifice.
As soon as the Mukaranga was buried beneath its roots, it tree began to grow. The tree grew and grew. It grew the whole night through. The tree grew for three days. For three days the people danced. As the morning drew near again the crown of the tree reached the sky. In the sky there appeared the morning star (Venus) for the first time (after having set as the evening star some time before). The crown of the tree spread out along the sky. One could no longer see the stars and the moon. A great wind came. The leaves of the tree turned into clouds. It began to rain. It rained for thirty days.
Since then the Wazezuru sacrifice a maiden whenever there is a long drought.
* Unfortunately it was impossible to obtain the exact text of the song.
Very many years ago, before the oldest man alive at the present time can remember, the towns of Ikom, Okuni, Abijon, Insofan, Obokum, and all the other Injor towns were situated round and near the Insofan Mountain, and the head chief of the whole country was called Agbor. Abragba and Enfitop also lived there, and were also under King Agbor.
The Insofan Mountain is about two days' march inland from the Cross River, and as none of the people there could swim, and knew nothing about canoes, they never went anywhere outside their own country, and were afraid to go down to the big river.
The whole country was taken up with yam farms, and was divided amongst the various towns, each town having its own bush. At the end of each year, when it was time to dig the yams, there was a big play held, which was called the New Yam feast. At this festival there was always a big human sacrifice, fifty slaves being killed in one day. These slaves were tied up to trees in a row, and many drums were beaten; then a strong man, armed with a sharp machete, went from one slave to another and cut their heads off.
This was done to cool the new yams, so that they would not hurt the stomachs of the people. Until this sacrifice was made no one in the country would eat a new yam, as they knew, if they did so, they would suffer great pain in their insides.
When the feast was held, all the towns brought one hundred yams each as a present to King Agbor. When the slaves were all killed fires were lit, and the dead bodies were placed over the fires to burn the hair off. A number of plantain leaves were then gathered and placed on the ground, and the bodies, having been cut into pieces, were placed on the plantain leaves.
When the yams were skinned, they were put into large pots, with water, oil, pepper, and salt. The cut-up bodies were then put in on top, and the pots covered up with other clay pots and left to boil for an hour.
The king, having called all the people together, then declared the New Yam feast had commenced, and singing and dancing were kept up for three days and nights, during which time much palm wine was consumed, and all the bodies and yams, which had been provided for them, were eaten by the people.
The heads were given to the king for his share, and, when he had finished eating them, the skulls were placed before the Ju Ju with some new yams, so that there should be a good crop the following season.
But although these natives ate the dead bodies of the slaves at the New Yam feast, they did not eat human flesh during the rest of the year.
This went on for many years, until at last the Okuni people noticed that the graves of the people who had been buried were frequently dug open and the bodies removed. This caused great wonder, and, as they did not like the idea of their dead relations being taken away, they made a complaint to King Agbor. He at once caused a watch to be set on all newly dug graves, and that very night they caught seven men, who were very greedy, and used to come whenever a body was buried, dig it up, and carry it into the bush, where they made a fire, and cooked and ate it.
When they were caught, the people made them show where they lived, and where they cooked the bodies.
After walking for some hours in the forest, they came to a place where large heaps of human bones and skulls were found.
The seven men were then securely fastened up and brought before King Agbor, who held a large palaver of all the towns, and the whole situation was discussed.
Agbor said that this bad custom would necessitate all the towns separating, as they could not allow their dead relations to be dug up and eaten by these greedy people, and he could see no other way to prevent it. Agbor then gave one of the men to each of the seven towns, and told some of them to go on the far side of the big river and make their towns there. The others were to go farther down the river on the same side as Insofan Mountain, and when they found suitable places, they were each to kill their man as a sacrifice and then build their town.
All the towns then departed, and when they had found good sites, they built their towns there.
When they had all gone, after a time Agbor began to feel very lonely, so he left the site of his old town and also went to the Cross River to live, so that he could see his friends.
After that the New Yam feast was held in each town, and the people still continued to kill and eat a few slaves at the feast, but the bodies of their relations and friends were kept for a long time above ground until they had become rotten, so that the greedy people should not dig them up and eat them.
This is why, even at the present time, the people do not like to bury their dead relations until they have become putrid.
Revised January 16, 2003.