Eaters of the Dead: Myths and Realities of Cannibal Monsters

by Kevin J. Wetmore Jr.

Spanning myth, history, and contemporary culture, a terrifying and illuminating excavation of the meaning of cannibalism.
 
Every culture has monsters that eat us, and every culture repels in horror when we eat ourselves. From Grendel to medieval Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean, and from the Ghuls of ancient Persia to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , tales of being consumed are both universal and universally terrifying. In this book, Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. explores the full range of monsters that eat the ghouls, cannibals, wendigos, and other beings that feast on human flesh. Moving from myth through history to contemporary popular culture, Wetmore considers everything from ancient Greek myths of feeding humans to the gods, through sky burial in Tibet and Zoroastrianism, to actual cases of cannibalism in modern societies. By examining these seemingly inhuman acts, Eaters of the Dead reveals that those who consume corpses can teach us a great deal about human nature—and our deepest human fears.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Horror, Mythology, Anthropology, Gothic, Folklore

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. is Professor and Chair of Theatre Arts with areas of expertise in Japanese theatre, African theatre, Shakespeare, Asian cinema, horror cinema, Greek tragedy, stage combat and comedy. He has degrees from Bates College, the University of Leeds and the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his doctorate in Theatre and Performance Studies. He also received an M.A. in Theology from LMU.

In addition to his scholarly work, Dr.Wetmore is an actor, director, stage combat choreographer, and comedian.

Reviews

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We have an atavistic memory of being prey, a fear of being eaten alive. From Jonah and the Whale to Little Red Riding Hood to Jaws, every culture tells stories about being devoured alive.”

I’m not sure about the rest of y’all, but I haven’t been able to shut up about this book for a solid 2 weeks and you better believe I brought it up a few times on Thanksgiving (because I’m a freak).

Eaters of the Dead came out back in 2021 but I bought myself a copy this year for #NonFictionNovember because I have what my husband calls an “unnerving fascination” with cannibalism. This book goes into the history, religious beliefs, taboos, and various cultural myths and realities surrounding the consumption of human flesh. It also goes into why we as human beings are terrified of being devoured or becoming “the monster” that eats our own. From Greek mythology to fairytales like Hansel and Gretel to contemporary pop culture like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I’ve been soaking it all up with pure fascination. I love reading about dark subjects through an academic lens, so if this sounds like it’s for you, definitely check it out! Just maybe avoid bringing it up at the holiday dinner table.

[merve · Rating 4 out of 5]

kitabın akademik havası ve benim bunu en yoğun dönemimde okumaya başlamam kitabı elimde perişan etti ama sonunda bitirdim... daha serbest bir zamanımda okumuş olmayı dilesem de gerek fantastik gerek gerçek ölü yiyiciler hakkındaki bilgileri keyif alarak edindim. sevmediğim tek yanı bazı kitap ve filmler hakkında çokça bilgi verip beni spoilemesi oldu 😄 ama yine de yazarın dediği gibi "diğer insanları yiyen insanların hikayelerine tam anlamıyla 𝘥𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘺𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘻.”

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was fascinating and delved into things in a way that was entertaining, easy to follow, and covered a wide(ish) scope of topics related to cannibalism

[Torrie Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Eaters of the Dead because, as I venture more into nonfiction texts, I’m interested in learning about a variety of topics. And what topic is more sensational than cannibalism? I didn’t have a lot of expectations going in, however I did expect this book to be more focused on cases of human cannibals, rather than anthropophagi (other beings eating humans, rather than humans eating humans). For example, there were large sections devoted to wendigos, aswangs, ogres, and ghouls, and there was a lot of interesting background information of colonialism and famine giving rise to these folk tales. There was also a good amount of information regarding the types of cannibalism (survival, sacrificial, etc) that made for an interesting read. I will say that I wish the author had expanded more of the psychology of something this dark, because at times the book could feel like a really intense Google session, but nonetheless I thought this was worth the read.

[Kyla Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We may daily consume other animals in their billions, but we ourselves cannot be food…” – Val Plumwood

I have read some fine books on cannibalism. But the eating of human bodies by human beings forms only two chapters of this erudite volume. The reason lies in its well-argued thesis, that breaking this taboo places the eater beyond humanity. Cyclops, ogre, ghul and wendigo are all monsters with monstrous attributes (single eye, heart of ice), but the crowning horror is that they treat people as food.

Amongst legendary and historical anecdote, we are introduced to the psychology of food security and tribal exclusion. In these two, distinct layers, the research is excellent – Wetmore cites exhaustively, using primary sources and distinguishing between those created by a culture and those which are observations of that culture. The third layer comes when Wetmore explores how these entities and traditions have been brought into western popular culture and altered to suit other needs - for example, the transformation of ghũl to ghoul, and thence to the Dreamlands. As he says, such creatures lack the appeal of vampires or shapeshifters, so his exhaustive listing of ghoul stories is welcome. Even more so, his inclusion of how the aswang is treated in Filipino horror films and the reclamation of the wendigo by Native American artists.

Although readers looking for a detailed recounting of the tale of Sawney Bean or loving analysis of Hannibal may be disappointed, that is not the point of this book. There are detailed works available on almost every entity mentioned here, but this book is an overview, refreshingly unweighted by bias. It suggests that, as famine has been a serious potential danger throughout the world, different cultures have created different representations of this danger, united by their horrific nature. Throughout, the writing remains clear, and the illustrations are magnificent in their detail and variety. I remained engaged throughout and can recommend the book to anyone wishing to fill the gaps in their knowledge of “unsexy” monsters. Were you aware that among the peoples of the Congo and Senegambia, myths of barbaric white cannibals flourished during the seventeenth and eighteenth century? We ourselves cannot be food…

[Merve]

İnsanın en temel korkularından biri olan “yem olma” korkusunun kültür tarihine etkilerine duyduğumuz merakla yola çıkıp bu kitabı okumaya karar verdik.
"Ölü Yiyiciler" bizi 7 kıtaya ve bin yıllara uzanan bir maceraya sürükledi.

Böyle Bi Kitap Var'ın 4. bölümünde Kevin J. Wetmore'un "Ölü Yiyiciler - İnsan Yiyen Canavarlar Hakkında Mitler ve Hikayeler" isimli kitabında aşağıdaki soruların cevaplarını aradık.

Freud yamyamlık konusunda yanılıyor muydu?
Montaigne hangi tarihi olayı yamyamlıkla bağdaştırmıştı?
Jeffrey Dahmer ve Ted Bundy, Kuzey Amerika’nın ormanlarındaki yerli savaşçılarla aynı kefeye konabilir mi?

Bu kitap bunun gibi daha nice bilgilerle yüklü müthiş bir araştırma. Dili sürükleyici okunması kolay. Ama dinlemesi daha kolay :) Dinlemek isterseniz:

Youtube videosu için: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiyGV...

Spotify bölümü için: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Hu1...

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/tr/podcast...

[Audrey Approved · Rating 2 out of 5]

More academic than I was hoping/expecting. I could totally see chapters being assigned for readings in a college course.

[hacerrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

bu uygulama bok gibi ve evet insan eti sırtlanlarınkinden daha tuzlu

[Cesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanna know what he’d say about bones and all or yellowjackets. Wish there was more about cannibalism instead of like folk tales of ghouls n shit

[Rosemary Thorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent summer 2021 reading Campbell, Seligmann and E.A. Wallis. I thought I would never recover from it, that I would never find a contemporary book as thorough and interesting as the volumes of the former. But I did, extraordinarily. Emerging from HWA files, Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. appeared with this fabulous book, and I devoured it until the very last page. The title might inspire gruesomeness, and truth be told, there is some, but described with great taste and respect. The same applies for the superb selection of illustrations and engravings. The account of cannibalism dates back to our ascendant the gods, and it has been practiced by monsters, semi-monsters and humans all throughout the world. Professor Wetmore classifies it into different categories, as not all the consumers would do it for the same reason: it can be sacred or doomed. There are even cults depending on whether one is the eater or the eaten. "Eaters of the Dead" is a book researchers and writers need as part of their libraries, not just as a volume of reference, but also because Wetmore is very careful with certain definitions, and subtleties sometimes make the world. Good catches for clever eyes. I will, of course, check out other titles by the same author, and undoubtedly will be looking forward to reading his next.

[Tom Stanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there's one taboo in human nature, it's the idea of eating another human.  In Eaters of the Dead: Myths and Realities of Cannibal Monsters, Kevin J. Wetmore Jr takes us on a tour de force journey throughout history and mythology to examine how one of our greatest underlying fears (being eaten) has permeated our worldwide cultures for millennia.

Although the title alludes to the idea of cannibalism as we are shown in popular culture, with varying horror films such as Cannibal Holocaust, and TV shows such as The Walking Dead, in Eaters of the Dead we delve not just through history, but also mythology and folklore where a variety of creatures exist, such as the ghūl whose origins in Arabia have become adapted not just through our own ghost stories, but also our more common parlance, when describing someone as 'ghoulish', the renowned Grendel in the popular tale of Beowulf, which has been passed down for centuries, and like the Arabic ghūl is known for eating human flesh.

In our history, especially in areas such as Nepal, the practice of sky burials where bodies are placed on top of mountains to be eaten by birds and other animals is something I was not aware of and, with Westmore's help, we see how eating the dead takes on a different, and more spiritual perspective.

However, it is the more recent past which often takes a preference for the reader, with our age of mass media, takes of modern cannibalism such as the tragedy of The Donner Party, serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer have become part of modern culture.  With numerous films and TV shows being made relating to cannibalism, it is a subject that has remained close to human consciousness which Kevin J. Wetmore Jr provides a greater understanding of why.

In Eaters of the Dead: Myths and Realities of Cannibal Monsters by Kevin J. Wetmore Jr makes the taboo seem almost enjoyable, broken down into sections so the reader can take the book bite-size (pun intended) or as a whole. Full of fascinating history, exploring not just our own cultures, but allowing the reader a greater understanding of why we're so fascinated with this most taboo of subjects.

[Siri Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eaters of the Dead: Myths and Realities of Cannibal Monsters offers an insightful analysis of folklore from across the world dealing with the creatures, human and otherwise, who are said to be devourers of the dead. The book examines the fundamental human fear of being consumed alongside the equally widespread fear of consuming others, showing how the near-universal dread associated with the fate of the human body has manifested into a wide plethora of beliefs in supernatural and often sub-human entities. From Greek and Norse mythology to Arabian and Indigenous myths, Eaters of the Dead shows both the similarities and the differences in the ways in which people from different cultures have conceptualised the fear of cannibalism and the creatures they have utilised to put a name and a face to that fear. Highly recommended, for the non-squeamish.

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed reading through all the monsters and mythologies surrounding cannibalism but that’s also my niche. I wish more attention was put on Japan and the Oceania monsters. The real accounts were also very interesting but I was a bit disappointed at the end. It ends basically with a long list of movies centering on cannibalism some of which the plot is explained. I was hoping this would lead to the answer of a question I had beginning the book which was: Why are we so interested in this? To which the author answers I don’t know and gives a lackluster reason. I decided to answer my own question. Why did I see a book about cannibalism and immediately picked it up to read? Morbid curiosity

[Talha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yamyamlık ve insan yiyen mitolojik yaratıklar hakkında yapılmış akademik bir çalışma. 'Neden ölü yemekle ilgili mitler yaratırız' veya 'Neden ölü yeriz' gibi sorulara bu kitapta cevap bulabilirsiniz. Bu tarz kitapların en sevmediğim yönü konu ile ilgili film veya hikayelerin özetlerini anlatmaları. Bence bu kısımlar anlatıya hiç ilgi çekici bir bakış açısı sunmuyor (Fakat izlenecek filmler listeme ilham olduğu için de müteşekkirim :d)

[Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to lie, this book made me a little queasy towards the end when you get to the true cannibal stories. Uneasy stuff, but still a pleasant read.

Loved learning about the different forms of cannibalism and how different cultures went about it. A book worth re-reading for references for sure.

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational, with neat insights to cultures around the world without ever feeling insulting or patronizing. The author weaves in the perspective of colonialism and how the violence of it often tangles up and changes the context of stories used by many different cultures, and how colonialism in itself is a sort of cannibalism.

[Emek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kitabın vaatlerine yönelik yanlış bir algım vardı belli ki. Ancak ‘o filmde şu olmuştur, bu kitapta şu olmuştur’ gibi özet bilgilerin ötesinde, bu mitlere/hikayelere yönelik sosyolojik tespitlerin daha yoğun olmasını isterdim.

[L.E. Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

One for fairy tale, dark fantasy, and horror writers, and lovers of history and literature. Beautifully arranged and so well written for those seeking story seeds.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of our collective cultural engagement with anthropophagi, both mythical and historical. I recommend but of course I would do so to any book that cites the film Ravenous.

[charlotte c-r. · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m changing career plans (not that i had any before)

[S. Bacchante · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel closer to God now, actually

[Sarah Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hindistan’ın temizlik ve hijyenden nasibini almadığı kanıtlandı bir kere daha

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the only thing you need to know about this book is that its awesome and about cannibalism, monsters, and rituals.

[Molly Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read