Human Sacrifice and Culture

[Steerpike]

I'm a big fan of Central and South American cultures, and I am writing stories set within these cultures. They aren't historical fiction; more of what you'd call historical fantasy, but to the extent I can I like to be faithful to the cultures themselves.

One issue that arises is human sacrifice. It is less of an issue in stories set in the Maya culture (though it exists there), but is more of an issue among the Aztec culture, where human sacrifice figured heavily into their religion (specifically with respect to the Sun) and was an important part of the religious duty of the people.

I have encountered many who overstate the human sacrifice in these cultures, trying to paint the civilizations are savage and barbaric (which they were not; they were sophisticated, with well-developed language, literature, art, and the like). On the other hand, I've encountered sources that really down-play the sacrifice, lessening what really appears to have taken place to try to compensate for the "savage" depiction. These sources are also incorrect (at its height, Aztec human sacrifice may have taken on the order or 3000 or 4000 lives in a year, which is not insignificant. Many of the victims were prisoners captured from neighboring areas during fighting. It is important to note, however, that public (and very brutal) executions in Europe at the same times in history were also responsible for a large number of deaths).

So, it is natural to include references to ritual human sacrifice, particularly in stories dealing with the Aztecs, because it was a fact of the culture. But I don't want to give a disproportionate feel of the practice in the culture, because I am a big fan of it and I know better than to define the entirety of the culture by such practices, even though they were spiritually important.

Any thoughts on portraying or even referencing the practice, in short stories or novels. In short stories, a reference or portrayal of human sacrifice is likely to take on a more significant importance relative to the rest of the story, simply because of the nature of the short story.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I guess it would depend in what you're trying to get out of the sacrifice. You call the work historical fantasy so what results from the human sacrifice?

Is it a magical effect from a religious ritual? Is it a practice that is thought to be magical but turns out to be a charlatan's device when a real Mage shows up with real magic?

How you depict & write these rituals will depend on their importance to the overall story. My preference as a reader would be to have the rituals described in detail. Make it real for me.

 

[Jabrosky]

Whether or not you should describe human sacrifice in Mesoamerican culture would depend on how germane it is to your story. If your plot doesn't touch on human sacrifice at all, don't include it simply because your story is set in Mesoamerica. Mesoamerican stories don't need human sacrifice any more than stories set in ancient Rome need gladiator fights.

I agree that we shouldn't reduce entire cultures to certain practices we find barbaric. Yes, a lot of cultures all over the world have practices we don't like, and sometimes our dislike is justified, but cultures are multidimensional and include people all over the moral spectrum. It isn't fair to call a complex culture barbaric or inferior simply because of specific practices or attitudes which constitute only part of the culture.

 

[Steerpike]

Thanks, guys.

I think for the short stories, human sacrifice won't really figure into the stories and is probably best left out. I have one idea for a novel-length work, and I think it should at least be touched upon there, I just want to strike the correct balance. For the Aztec, human sacrifice was an important part of their cosmology (and also their doctrine of expansion over 'lesser' groups of people). They were kind of caretakers of the Sun, and human sacrifice was necessary to that.

In the stories, magic does have a real place in the world, but I hadn't really thought about giving the human sacrifice rituals any real-world effect. The Aztec believed they needed to perform these sacrifices for religious reasons, but at least as I have my story planned so far, the sacrifices won't achieve any real magic (or at least the story will be silent on it; the sacrifices and the effect on the Sun won't figure into the tale).

 

[Devor]

I think a nice way to reference human sacrifice is as a part of the character's mind frame; it's something he might reference in his thoughts and experiences briefly while reacting to other events. I think that would have a greater impact, possibly, without having to actually feature it.

 

[ShortHair]

One option is to keep the sacrifices behind a curtain, as it were. Don't mention them at all unless they're relevant to your story, or use a euphemism such as "they were returned to the sun" (which could mean anything).

Another option is to show (not tell) how this culture takes sacrifice for granted. The participants in the killing do it because they are convinced it perpetuates their culture, so to them it's not evil.

A third option is lampshading. Have a character who is horrified by the sacrifice so that you can point to that as proof that you don't condone it. That character will then, of course, be sacrificed.

 

[Caged Maiden]

I remember watching a few documentaries about the Aztecs and Incas and Mayans. One thing I thought was really interesting was Bloodletting in Mesoamerica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia this about the rituals surrounding bloodletting rather than sacrifice specifically. I use blood magic like this in my novels to what I hope is great effect without being extreme.

That might just be me and my personal affinity for the sight of blood, but wow some of this is even too much for me. I mean, the thought of piercing a penis with shark teeth or obsidian makes me cringe and I don't even have one. So yeah, maybe this gives you little more perspective, because there was way more than human sacrifice, and some more research might help you to find a happy balance.

 

[Graylorne]

Well, in all honesty I'd say that human sacrifices were so much part of their daily life, that you can only treat it as such. And keep in mind that all the mesoamerican peoples believed in it and that it was an important, deeply ingrained part of their culture.
That doesn't mean you've got to describe it in full, with colour and zoomed-in shots, but you simply cannot ignore it. Not if you indeed want to be true to their culture.
And in a culture were self-mutilation/self-sacrifice was a universal believe, I'm not sure whether people would be exulted, terrified or resigned, but I don't think they'd find it cruel or criminal. It's historical fantasy; that you or I find it barbaric and inhuman has got nothing to do with it.

 

[J.P. Reedman]

I would reference it as necessary. If it's not part of the plot, you don't need to make a big deal of it, but it was a significant part of the Aztec society, and to ignore it all together might be seen by some to be a bit 'fluffy bunny.' Possibly it could appear in the back story or the description of a particular religious monument.
I am writing a novel set in the latter days of Stonehenge. Now there's not huge amounts of evidence for sacrifice there, but there certainly is some, and I really wanted to get away from the modern idea that the British neolithic/bronze age was full of peaceful Newagers (I blame Mists of Avalon!) I have alluded to certain burials and practices, such as foundation burials, that have ritual overtones along with the 'breaking' of skulls to release the spirit, and by the end of book two there will actually be two sacrifices, but hopefully the readers will be so immersed in the culture they won't necessarily see it through modern eyes (and like something from a bad horror film.)